July 1 (UPI) — Thailand’s resort island, Phuket, opened to foreign visitors for the first time since the start of coronavirus pandemic.
The destination’s “Phuket Sandbox” program was launched Thursday when flights carrying hundreds of vaccinated travelers arrived from Abu Dhabi, Doha, Tel Aviv and Singapore.
Thailand’s minister of tourism, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, told CNN that the ailing local economy needs tourist dollars, and he defended the policy amid Thailand’s ongoing struggle with COVID-19.
“Phuket is currently perfectly fit for travel,” Phiphat said. “If you look at the nationwide infection number, we would say we are not ready. If you focus only on Phuket, where we have laid our groundwork for more than three months, I would say that Phuket is 100% ready.”
Thailand reopened Phuket to the outside world after focusing on vaccinations for the island. More than 80% of the…
