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BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s tourism minister said on Monday he had proposed a plan to allow foreigners to quarantine themselves at some of the country’s many golf resorts to boost the struggling tourism sector during the pandemic of coronavirus.
“We are in discussions with the Ministry of Public Health and the country’s coronavirus task force to offer hotel and golf quarantine to tourists with medical certificates,” Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn told reporters.
Foreign tourists could spend the two-week quarantine period at a specified resort, move around the hotel area and play golf, he said, rather than simply isolating themselves in their rooms.
The plan, which is subject to cabinet approval, comes as the Southeast Asian country grapples with a second wave of coronavirus infections after successfully containing much of the community’s spread During months.
Thailand has reported a relatively low number of 10,547 COVID-19 infections and 67 deaths, although since the emergence of several clusters in December, the country has recorded several hundred new cases per day.
Thailand attracted 40 million tourists in 2019 who spent 1.91 trillion baht ($ 63.4 billion), but visitor numbers plunged during the pandemic after its borders were sealed, devastating hotels, restaurants and tourist sites that depended on foreign visitors.
A special visa program that was launched last year for long-stay visitors has attracted around 1,000 visitors, Phiphat said.
(1 USD = 30.1300 baht)
Reporting by Satawasin Staporncharnchai; Written by Chayut Setboonsarng; Edited by Ed Davies
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