Get ready! Singaporeans’ favourite SEA travel destination, Thailand, opens Nov 1

Singapore — It’s time to dust off your suitcases because Thailand is opening to fully vaccinated tourists from certain countries starting from Monday (Nov 1).

Thailand has long been a favourite destination among Singaporean travellers.

In a recent ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute survey, Japan was listed as the number one choice for travel not only for Singaporeans but also for Southeast Asians in general. 

But among ASEAN countries, Thailand took the pole position among Singaporeans. 

Singaporeans love Thailand so much that by 2017, the country marked the first time one million visitors from Singapore arrived in the country, not only going to Bangkok but to many other parts of the country.

Quarantine-free

Best of all, at least for those with limited vacation leave days, travel to Thailand will be quarantine-free for people arriving from Singapore, Germany, Japan and a few other countries – provided they show negative COVID-19 tests and get re-tested when they arrive in Thailand.

They are also required to book one night in a designated hotel while waiting for their test results.

Thailand is going digital in tracking guests, with Kittipong Kittikachorn, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport’s general manager, telling Reuters, “All the passengers will get their QR code checked by the Department of Disease Control. It will include all the details about insurance, vaccine certificate, or hotel booking.”

Mr Kittipong noted that there’s already been an increase in flight bookings.

However, around 10,000 new Covid-19 cases are still reported daily, and travellers should be aware of the risks involved in entering the country.

Thailand has had over 1.8 million infections as well as 18,922 Covid-related deaths, although similar to other Asian countries, the number of new infections in Thailand has been steadily decreasing. 

A second home to many Singaporeans

In 2018, Kajorndet Apichartrakul, the director of Tourism Authority of Thailand for Singapore and the Philippines, said he had met many Singaporeans who “see Thailand as their second home.”

“I think Singaporeans like the familiarity of the sights, sounds and smells of Thailand,” he added.

An article in Travel Weekly Asia said that the popular places in Thailand that Singaporeans like to visit are the northeastern region of Khao Yai, and Kanchanaburi and Hua Hin in the central region.

And after young Thai footballers were dramatically rescued from being trapped in a cave in 2018, visitors started flocking to Chiang Rai as well.

Incidentally, Mr Kajorndet told Travel Weekly Asia that Singaporeans stay an average of 5.47 days and spend an average of THB35,652 (S$1,446.10) per trip. /TISG

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