Business Traveller (Asia-Pacific)
Phuket has opened for quarantinefree travel – we look at the hurdles and rewards
Thailand’s ambitious “Phuket Sandbox” programme aims to reboot international tourism without quarantine
Roaring applause met the 23 passengers who strolled off Etihad Airways’ flight EY 430 at Phuket International Airport on July 1, 2021. They weren’t rock stars or Olympic medallists returning home, they were travellers – the first international travellers to enter Thailand without quarantine since March 2020. Even Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was on hand to welcome all four international flights that day.
The Phuket Sandbox is an experiment for vaccinated travellers. Those who test negative for Covid-19 before and after arrival can skip quarantine and freely roam Thailand’s largest island. After testing negative on two more swab tests, taken over two weeks, they can also visit other parts of the country.
Its early success is making tourism industry observers cautiously optimistic.
“The Phuket Sandbox is a work in progress,” says
Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks, a consultancy firm that tracks the tourism and real estate markets in the Asia-Pacific region. “It’s early days and what we know now is the travel and tourism sector has to learn to live with Covid-19.”
BABY STEPS
Graced with 70 khaki-sand beaches, emerald waters and mesmerising viewpoints, not to mention entertainment options from waterparks to art galleries, Phuket was one of Thailand’s top-tier tourist destinations before the pandemic. The island drew more than nine million air arrivals in 2019, with international tourism receipts totalling THB370 billion (US$11.2 billion), along with an additional THB46 billion (US$1.38 billion) from domestic tourism, according to data from C9 Hotelworks.
Heavy reliance on international tourism left Phuket in a poor position to weather a global pandemic. In mid-tolate 2020, when Thailand’s Covid-19 response appeared to be among the most successful in the world, a domestic tourism stimulus programme brought little relief to Phuket. Once-bustling areas became ghost towns. Tens of thousands of jobs disappeared.
The Bank of Thailand estimated that 11 per cent of Thailand’s GDP came from tourism in 2019. After losing most of that in 2020, as inbound tourist arrivals dipped to 6.7 million from an all-time high of 39.8 million in 2019, Thai authorities took action in March. Phuket, they announced, would be the venue for a pilot project to allow quarantine-free inbound tourism from the third quarter.
“Thailand had the wherewithal to at least do something,” says Anthony Lark, president of the Phuket Hotels Association. “Without a doubt, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines – every one of those governments is now looking at the Phuket Sandbox as an example.”
To prepare for the reopening, more than 70 per cent of Phuket’s local population was fully vaccinated by the end of July – a vaccination rate 12 times higher than the rest of Thailand. Systems for Covid-19 testing and contact tracing were implemented, and domestic travel rules were tightened as Bangkok and other areas faced a significant outbreak.
A total of 14,055 travellers entered Thailand via the Phuket Sandbox during the first month of the programme. Many of them were Thai citizens and foreign residents returning home, but thousands of “sandboxers” also arrived on two-month tourist visas or visa-exempt stays that are valid for 45 days.
Lark is both optimistic and realistic in his view of the sandbox. “The young people who work in businesses that depend largely on tourism are over the moon,” he says.
14,055 travellers entered Thailand via the Phuket Sandbox during the first month of the programme
“It’s kind of like we’re back, even though the [arrival] numbers are still small. These are baby steps.”
MAKING THE MOST OF PHUKET
This is not the same Phuket that drew millions of visitors in 2019. The Thai government closed nightlife venues nationwide in April, darkening the last of the pubs that had been holding out in Phuket’s “big three” beach towns of Patong, Kata and Karon. But there is still plenty of fun to be had, from luxuriating on golden sands to dining at one of Phuket’s 48 Michelinhighlighted restaurants.
In Phuket Town, the island’s provincial capital, life buzzes on in gorgeous heritage buildings worth exploring, from colourful shop-houses to grand public facades. The historic architecture speaks of the island’s history as a tin port with trade links to Penang and Malacca from the 17th century.
Out of Phuket’s roughly 1,700 total lodgings, sandbox travellers can choose from around 500 properties that have received Safety and Health Administration (SHA+) certification for hygiene and staff vaccination. Luxury seekers will enjoy The Surin Phuket’s stately white-and-grey villas and black-tiled hexagon-shaped swimming pool with beachfront access. In the midrange bracket, Laguna Phuket has its own 18-hole golf course and a built-in Covid-19 testing centre. Boutique hotel enthusiasts should consider The Memory at On On, set in a 95-year-old Sino-Portuguese building that was beautifully restored to resurrect the original craftsmanship.
For superb eats, head to Raya, where 80-yearold chef Kulab Jetsadawan infuses star anise into braised pork belly and sizzles sator, or “stink bean”, with fiery shrimp paste in two of her flavour-jammed homages to Phuket cuisine. Also in Phuket Town, seek the rich and savoury massaman curry served with roti and other unleavened breads at Abdul’s.
According to Lark, it’s the perfect time to visit the Thai tourist hotspot. “Now there’s a better tourist experience: things are cheaper, the beaches are clean and there is
In Phuket Town, the island’s provincial capital, life buzzes on in gorgeous heritage buildings worth exploring
certainly less traffic,” he says, comparing the Phuket of today with mass tourism before the pandemic. “You never have to make a booking to get a seat in a restaurant or a spa treatment. It’s a really nice time to be here.”
Lark also sees positive changes, from a rejuvenated natural environment to upgrades, such as moving unsightly wires underground. “There is a new sense of community spirit and a new appreciation for welcoming tourism and the fundamentals of hospitality,” he says.
Of course, if the Covid-19 situation worsens the Thai government could postpone the Phuket Sandbox programme or implement tighter containment measures. Despite the risks, the sandbox is an important first sign of international tourism reopening, and marks Thailand as a leader in rebooting the travel industry in Asia-Pacific.
There’s a new sense of community spirit and a new appreciation for welcoming tourism