Tourists may be able to return to Pattaya as soon as October under a new program. Pattaya Move On, a reopening initiative drawn up by local officials, outline the requirements overseas visitors need to follow in order to travel. The plan has support from the city’s government and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
Pattaya Move On is different then the Phuket Sandbox program which allowed vaccinated tourists to avoid quarantine. Anyone visiting the Eastern Seaboard from abroad is required to spend their first three nights in isolation at an alternative local quarantine hotel. After that time, they can head out to pre-approved locations.
From the seventh day on, travelers may switch hotels as long as they are hold a Safety and Health Administration Plus certificate and also have greater flexibility on the places they can visit. Anyone testing negative for COVID-19 after 14 days are free to travel anywhere within Thailand.
While the program may seem restrictive, Khun Rattanachai Suttidechanai, Vice Chairman of the Pattaya Business & Tourism Association, explained to the Bangkok Post that this was the only way the resort town could host international arrivals. Since Pattaya isn’t isolated like Phuket, stricter conditions were necessary.
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The reopening initiative is not expected to bring in a flood of tourists with the Chon Buri Tourism Council estimating overseas arrivals during the upcoming high season will be roughly 20-30 percent of pre-Covid-19 totals. However, Pattaya Move On is still seen as a needed step forward for the local economy.
“It is time for Pattaya to move forward and preparations are being made to respond to untoward incidents,” Khun Rattanachai told the newspaper. “That’s why we came up with Pattaya Move On. We are not waiting for the pandemic to come to an end. The private sector deserves the credit for making it happen.”
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