PHUKET, Thailand — Three months ago, with great fanfare, Thailand began a campaign to start reviving its crucial tourism industry by letting visitors who follow strict Covid-19 protocols roam freely on the resort island of Phuket.
The so-called Phuket Sandbox program effectively turned Thailand’s largest island into a quarantine zone for overseas tourists who were fully vaccinated and had negative test results. If they continued to test negative for seven days, they could visit certain other islands; after 14 days, they could go anywhere in Thailand.
Roughly three months in, the campaign has drawn about 41,000 people, far short of the government’s goal of 100,000 in the first 90 days. Many have been residents returning from abroad, not tourists. Phuket had nearly 10 million international visitors in 2019, according to industry groups.
Still, hotel operators and small business…
