Phuket, 10 March, 2022 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office has reported that at least one foreign vessel recently entered Thai waters under the TEST & GO entry scheme, which allows arrivals by water from 1 March, 2022, onwards.
The Maggie, a Malaysian private yacht, carrying 4 Indonesian passengers from Singapore arrived in Phuket on 8 March, 2022.
Under the TEST & GO scheme, fully vaccinated travellers from all over the world are now permitted to enter Thailand by air and water. Meanwhile, entry by land is currently only available to those from neighbouring countries with the reopened Nong Khai, Udon Thani, and Songkhla border checkpoints.
For arrivals by water, everyone on board the vessels must meet all the requirements. These include obtaining a Certificate of Entry via a Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate-General, having a medical certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected, and a Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination/Recovery. They must also have an insurance policy with coverage no less than US$20,000. See more details: TEST & GO entry scheme.
Miss Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, TAT Phuket Office Director, said, “The reopening of the marine point of entry will help stimulate more travels among yacht and cruise travellers. This group of travellers are mostly from Europe and the Mediterranean. They may arrive in Thailand by air before taking chartered yachts for cruise shore excursions around Phuket and nearby, and vice versa. Or they may take cruise tours from neighbouring countries to visit Phuket.”
Phuket is positioned as a preferred destination for yacht and cruise travellers. In addition to the main deep-sea port, there are 30 piers and marinas operated by either the government or private sector.
During January-February, 2022, Phuket recorded 27 visiting yachts with a total of 92 passengers. Meanwhile, throughout 2021, there were 91 yachts and 323 passengers.
