Chinese tourists expected to travel to Phuket in July, Europeans at the end of the year

Phuket wants Chinese tourists to jump – start its sandbox scheme which will let vaccinated international visitors enter the Andaman island without undergoing quarantine as of July 1. The targetting of Chinese visitors comes after data revealed that they contributed to 1/5 of the pre-Covid economy.

The move to allow tourists to enter without undergoing quarantine is important as officials say the sandbox model’s success could lead to more areas in Thailand such as Samui Island, Krabi, Pattaya and Chiang Mai in October. Vichit Prakobgosol, vice president of the Tourism Council of Thailand says before the pandemic, Phuket saw 90% of its economy composed of tourism. Besides China, the government is focused on tourists from Russia, the UK, France, Germany, US, and Sweden.

“It’s good that the majority of countries with high numbers of vaccinations are the main markets for Thai…