Thailand will reopen to international visitors from July 1

The southeast Asian country is lifting its ban on international travel – and could reopen resorts next month

We could all do with a fun-filled, sun-splashed trip after the horror of early 2020. So it’s fortunate for housebound globetrotters that countries from Mexico to Indonesia via Greece have already announced plans to reopen to visitors over the coming month or so. Now Thailand says it, too, could welcome tourists again – as early as July 1. 

General Somsak Roongsita, secretary-general of the country’s National Security Council, has said Thailand’s state of emergency will end on June 30, and that a ban on international travel would be lifted at the same time. That means tourists should be able to travel to the southeast Asian country from July. 

Visitors will be expected to wear face masks in public, follow social-distancing guidelines and wash their hands regularly. And in bad news for those living in certain badly affected countries, the country says it will likely ban flights from places with particularly high transmission rates. 

Following the lead of countries like Cyprus and Greece (which have imposed restrictions on travellers from the UK and the US, among others), Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of Thailand’s tourism authority, told CNN the country would only allow citizens of those countries in ‘if their situation has truly improved’. 

He also said it was likely there would be restrictions on where travellers could travel within the country, suggesting islands like Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Samui could become closed-off resorts. 

Still, if you’re dreaming of blue skies and calm tropical seas before the year is out, it’s just possible Thailand has your back. However, as China is still advising against all non-essential travel and quarantining all overseas arrivals, you might want to think again about taking a trip until the relevant restrictions are dropped. 

You might have missed

More from Time Out Beijing