Phuket Sandbox welcomes first tourists in Thailand’s post Covid strategy

249 tourists arrive today as the first into Thailand’s brave new tourism reopening strategy: the Phuket Sandbox.

From today the country has opened the resort island to vaccinated tourists as a beachy holding area. After a minimum stay of 14 days, international guests are free to explore the rest of the country.

In preparation the island has inoculated the majority of its population and restarted the airport’s schedule of international flights. Airlines with direct flights to Phuket include Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, El Al and Singapore Airlines.

Four planes carrying a majority of guests from the Mid-east would be the first to experience the isolation island, reported the Bangkok Post.