Thailand wants to open the country as soon as possible and is now launching a move very few so come.
BANGKOK (Nettavisen): Thailand has been, and is, very hard hit by the corona pandemic. The tourism industry, one of the country’s economic pillars, has virtually been wiped out since the first closure in May 2020. This has resulted in rapidly rising unemployment and poverty.
After getting really behind the scenes when it came to purchasing vaccines and also vaccinating the population, the country is now working hard to be able to open up the country to sun-hungry tourists from all over the world.
One of the measures has been to open two or three selected areas in the country where fully vaccinated tourists from abroad can stay without a quarantine obligation. The so-called “Sandbox programs” now exist in Phuket, on the island of Koh Samui and in the Krabi area.
Opening postponed time after time
The government and the health authorities had a plan to open other areas in the country as early as mid-September, but these plans have been postponed time and time again due to problems in obtaining enough vaccines and also slower rollout of vaccines than planned – which upsets the tourism industry and other economic actors.
The last postponement came as late as 23 September. The planned opening of Bangkok, among other places, has now been postponed until 1 November at the earliest.
Also read: Have you been to Thailand for the last ten years? Then you may have a little problem
10-year visa and halving of import duty on alcohol
In parallel with the fight to increase the vaccination rate, the government has recently launched several measures to increase the number of tourists and also facilitate wealthy foreigners and skilled professionals who can imagine long-term stays in Thailand.
Visa facilitation (including the possibility of a ten-year visa), low income tax and opening up for the purchase of property are the three most important measures. Admittedly, a number of requirements are included, including a minimum income and the amount invested in housing or in Thai bonds.
But also other things that can be perceived negatively among tourists and long-term residents are the country’s sky-high import taxes on luxury goods, cars and alcohol. In Thailand, the price of imported cars is often well over double the comparable price in Norway, and the price of a bottle of red wine is often three times.
In a cabinet resolution on 14 September, the government decided to halve the import tax on alcohol and cigars. Read more about the case in the Bangkok Post.
From government teams it says:
The Norwegian Customs Directorate is preparing to reduce tariffs on imports of alcoholic beverages and cigars by 50 per cent over the next five years, in line with the government’s financial plan to stimulate the economy.
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