Krabi, Thailand, August 7, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to reiterate that both the Phuket Sandbox and Samui Plus programs will take place as planned and that plans to reopen Krabi and Phang Nga to fully vaccinated international tourists are expected to begin in August.

Mr. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, spokesman for the Center for Economic Situation Administration (CESA), said that Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha was closely monitoring the Phuket Sandbox and Samui Plus programs and expressed confidence in the plans to revive the economy through tourism by gradually reopening destinations that could guarantee the health and safety of both tourists and locals.

The new COVID-19 cases in Phuket were mainly found among locals, construction workers and domestic travelers; only a small number of cases were found among international travelers.

From July 1st to August 1st, 2021, Phuket recorded 14,910 international arrivals as part of the Sandbox program. Of these, 34 tested positive for COVID-19 and were taken for medical treatment.

To contain local transmission, Phuket has tightened control measures for domestic travelers from August 3 to 16, 2021. These measures are solely intended to prevent the spread of the disease from other Thai provinces, while international arrivals under the Sandbox program will continue to be permitted in Phuket in accordance with existing rules and regulations.

Meanwhile, the latest report of 54 new cases on Ko Samui, which were traced back to a restaurant cluster, has been brought under control, and it has been determined that none of the infections are linked to foreign tourists under the Samui Plus scheme or to people who continued their journey from the Phuket Sandbox scheme.

From July 15 to August 1, Surat Thani recorded 137 international arrivals under the Samui Plus program, with one person testing positive for COVID-19. An additional 211 tourists arrived through the Phuket Sandbox program.

Surat Thani has also strengthened its COVID-19 control measures, starting from the last week of July until further notice, in order to protect the “Samui Plus” model.

Krabi and Phang Nga are expected to reopen selected areas later this month under a 7+7 model. This will allow foreign tourists participating in the Sandbox program to shorten their mandatory stay in Phuket from 14 to 7 days and then spend another 7 nights in Krabi (Ko Phi Phi, Ko Ngai and Railay Beach) and Phang Nga (Khao Lak and Ko Yao).

The 7+7 model offers international tourists more opportunities to visit multiple destinations during their Thailand trip. Krabi and Phang Nga are ideally suited for this, as they are located near Phuket and are easily accessible from there.

From Phang Nga you can reach Khao Lak in 1.5 hours by car, while Ko Yao Noi and Ko Yao Yai can be reached in 30-40 minutes by boat from Bang Rong Pier.

Krabi, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Ngai and Railay Beach can be reached from Rassada Pier in 45-55 minutes.

Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga were declared eleven control areas or provinces of the orange zone as part of the expansion of COVID-19 restrictions in Thailand from August 3rd to 31st, 2021.