Why this is the perfect time to go to Thailand
Thailand reopened to tourists from around the world in July with a protocol called Phuket Sandbox, the results [...]
Thailand
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Thailand reopened to tourists from around the world in July with the protocol called the Phuket Sandbox, the results were not what the Ministry of Tourism and trade associations expected, the experiment, however, changed over time and allowed for clear information on the risk of "covid importation," in fact there were very few cases of tourists found positive.
This prompted the government to decide to fully reopen the nation to vaccinated, and tested, tourists before and after arrival in the Kingdom.
After having been to Thailand 3 times in the past 3 months, I can say with certainty that Never before has it been the time to visit this wonderful nation, especially for all those people who were worried about being in the midst of oceanic crowds, dirt, and nightlife.
No physical contact and masks
Even in the former world it was easy to see people wearing masks, and as for physical contact, just think that in Thailand we do not shake hands when we meet, but greet each other with folded hands and a small bow.
Few people and an environmentally conscious new Thailand
It will take some time before we return to having crowded beaches and hotel buffets taken by storm. The same goes for travel on public transportation such as Bangkok's BTS.
The nation is one of the safest in Southeast Asia and offers every type of vacation, but this calm situation is perfect for family travel. In hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets, attention to sanitation is highest. In some respects even more than in Italy.
In addition, the nation has used the opportunity of the pandemic to make a fresh start with a real focus on the environment. In almost every venue, even the less central ones, I noticed a new mentality with the elimination of single-use plastic and in general a new sensitivity that was not there before.
Prices have never been lower
One of the criticisms of the COE system was that of the cost of the many buffers and bureaucracy required to complete the Sandbox protocol. Of course, the cost of PCR testing before departure and upon arrival still needs to be incurred, as well as the tampon before returning to Italy, but everything else is extremely cheap instead.
In addition to everything that has always been cheap such as eating, drinking, and excursions, now even the most luxurious hotels have lowered their prices to win new customers. This race to the bottom has seen intermediate facilities become even cheaper.
So in Ko Samui it is possible to stay in 5-star hotels for less than a third of what it used to cost in the world before, in Phuket it takes only a few tens of euros to stay in facilities such as the Doubletree Patong or less than 100€ for a resort like the Marriott Merlin Beach.
The same goes for the capital city of Bangkok, which reopened in November to tourists from around the world after an 18-month lockdown. Hotels are slowly reopening and prices have never been lower.
Five-star hotels such as the St.Regis and the Waldorf Astoria have lowered the prices of 30%, the other hotels, both the larger ones and the boutique ones, have cut prices down to 70%, and most importantly, there is no end in sight to these discounts for the time being for two main reasons: we need the return of the traditional tourists, the Chinese, and the return of the large flows from the U.S. and Australia, and at the moment, neither of these markets will return to invade Thailand.
The reception is even more caring and kind
Those who have been to Thailand know very well what hospitality means in this nation; today everything is even better. If the prices in the hotels have gone down, the quality of service, on the other hand, has gone up, with even more care for the tourist than in the past. The hotels are less crowded, which results in much better, almost personalized service.
Everywhere you enter you can see the joy in people's eyes of the place in being able to welcome tourists again. Of course, it has to be seen how long this newfound honeymoon with tourism will last, but for a nation that, because of Covid, has had to deal with nearly two years of a total absence of tourists, it is to be believed that this great eagerness to welcome travelers can only make everyone happy.
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