Thailand's reopening gathers speed

Thailand's reopening plan has quickly gained traction — from an initial list of 10 countries at the end of October to 63 countries as of 1 November — and marks the restart of MICE events in the Kingdom.

The initial list of low-risk destinations included US, UK, China, Germany and Singapore, before it was expanded to cover Malaysia, Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam among other APAC countries.

With this first hint of reopening, TCEB and 23 partner organisations, including Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thai Exhibition Association, Business Creative and Event Management Association, and Thai Hotels Association, moved swiftly to propose the restart of MICE, which was approved on 16 October by the Center of Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) amid a "downward trend" of infections.

However, MICE events will need to enforce strict Covid-free protocols such as a maximum capacity of 1,000 attendees, mandatory masks, social distancing, and other operational guidelines established by TCEB and the Ministry of Public Health.

At the moment, attendee numbers are based on the venue's risk levels. For the maximum controlled zone (highest risk), attendee numbers have been raised from 25 to 50, while the cap at high surveillance zones (lowest risk) is at 1,000 pax.

TCEB also announced a new surveillance zone and pilot tourism area: where crowd gathering activities can be held as appropriate and must strictly abide by public health measures.

As reported in the Bangkok Post, more than 1,000 MICE groups, generating 250 million baht (US$7.5 million), are scheduled for October-December.

Minor Hotels Chief Commercial Officer, Michael Marshall, reports "an increase in enquiries with short lead times for MICE events for March onwards" as well as demand for "both hybrid meetings and in-person events — spurred on by people's willingness to travel again".

Under the 'Test and Go' plan, apart from proof of full vaccination, foreign travellers must take a PCR test (pre-departure and upon landing) and purchase an insurance policy with coverage no less than US$50,000, before travelling freely around Thailand, quarantine free.

After staying the first seven nights in one of the 17 Blue Zone Sandbox destinations — including Phuket, Bangkok and Krabi — foreign visitors are free to travel anywhere in the Kingdom.

On the ground, hotels have already been practicing and preparing for an international reopening from the footsteps of Phuket's pioneering Sandbox programme, which kicked off in July.

For instance, apart from offering hybrid meetings, Anantara is also bringing back immersive experiences such as walking with elephants in the Golden Triangle and luxury river cruises in Bangkok,

And while reopening new may have MICE and tourism players busy working out the best packages and activities to entice travellers, TAT's Deputy Governor for Policy & Planning, Numfhon Boonyawat at a recent industry webinar resounded the sustainability agenda, inviting the industry to look beyond the dollars and numbers game to make a difference to quality tourism that is responsible and ethical.