Thai tourism in the first half of the year was like riding a rollercoaster as the "Test & Go" programme -- the country's reopening initiative -- was suspended in January in the wake of the Omicron variant which spread rapidly since the end of last year.
The tourism industry was able to take a deep breath again once the scheme was allowed to resume in February. However, since the high season was set to come to an end and many of the requirements of the programme remained in place, the response was not as impressive as anticipated with only 152,954 visitors recorded during that month.
The Test & Go programme initially required travellers to register in the Thailand Pass system and pre-book a room for Covid-19 testing upon arrival. Each visitor was required to have insurance coverage of US$50,000 and a vaccination record.
Although the scheme removed restrictions pertaining to nationality, allowing all vaccinated tourists to enter the country, the process still proved to be inconvenient. Technical flaws in the system, along with a costly RT-PCR test tied to a hotel room booking were considered to be obstacles by holidaymakers, preventing the country from reaping the utmost benefit from the country's reopening.
The situation rapidly changed once the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) -- the special administrative body operating during the pandemic -- decided to fully reopen the country in July by lifting all the requirements except for a certificate of Covid-19 vaccination.
This move was able to create positive momentum in the second half of the year as the total number of visitors in July soared to 1.12 million, led by tourists from Southeast Asia, Europe and South Asia. The majority of visitors from South Asia were Indian nationals.
The number reached 1.47 million in October, which is when visitors to the country were no longer required to present a proof of vaccination, as the country announced the end to its nationwide Covid-19 emergency and downgraded Covid-19 to the status of a "communicable disease under surveillance" as of Oct 1.
Once the cabinet approved an extension to the period of stay to 45 days from 30 for tourists from countries eligible for visa exemption as well an extension to 30 days from 15 for those applying for a visa on arrival, the flow of foreign visitors steadily picked up. Celebrations ensued once the 10-million mark was reached on Dec 10 -- the highest level reached since the onset of the pandemic.
Fuelled by pent-up demand and the high season for travel, the average number of arrivals per day in November and December also surged to reach 60,000, thanks to the momentum gained from the country's full reopening in July.
