Members of Thailand’s hotel industry, Thai tourism minister begin to give hints about e-visa’s for those who have been given Covid-19 vaccines

Bangkok, Thailand-

As promising news begins to arrive in regards to Covid-19 vaccines from some sectors around the world, with many hoping they will be able to be safely distributed and utilized over the 2021 period, hints about how Thailand will treat those vaccinated have begun to emerge.

It is important to note, Thailand has not released any official guidance or rules/regulations around how or if they will treat those who have been vaccinated for the virus differently and that, so far, the information being given is mostly just requests from the hotel industry or statements from the Thai Tourism Minister that the process is being discussed and considered for the future.

Currently, Thailand’s borders remain strictly closed to general tourism and all visitors, even those who go through extensive hoops, rules and paperwork to enter, must still do a fourteen day quarantine. It is the hope of many tourists, including those who have contacted The Pattaya News, that a vaccine once available will allow one to visit without going through a number of hoops, quarantine and rules.

Suphajee Suthumpun, Dusit Thani’s group chief executive officer, stated last week while discussing various measures to save the badly hit hotel industry in Thailand, that the government should immediately start making plans for an e-visa and discuss how they will let people who are vaccinated enter without as much paperwork or quarantines.

She also said she wants to ask the government to issue financial measures to support tourism businesses overall and to have the Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation guarantee loans for small and medium business.

Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, the Minister of Tourism and Sports, stated last week to the press that the Tourism Ministry has begun early talks with the Center for Covid Situation Administration around e-visas and the process to verify that someone has had the vaccine and what this will look like.

He stressed, however, that these talks were very, very early in development but seem to hint that those who get the vaccine will find traveling much easier and stress free than those who refuse.

Talks on E-visas and potential vaccine passes will likely become more prominent over the next several months, based on the current vaccine candidates being found safe and effective in mass vaccinations.