Thailand Hopes to Emerge As Quarantine-Free Vacation Destination

Thailand – a popular destination for LGBTQ travelers – has said it will allow visitors inoculated against the coronavirus into Phuket, the country's biggest holiday island, without undergoing quarantine, according to Reuters.

With tourism having taken an international nosedive during the pandemic, Thailand – a tourism-reliant economy – has ordered an additional five million doses each of the AstraZeneca and Sinovac Biotech's vaccinations, which would put the country's overall vaccination order to 73 million doses.

The purpose? To secure vaccinations for 50-60 percent of the Thai population and reopen the country to foreign travelers in a pilot project for vaccine passports. As the nation pushes toward safely opening its doors to more tourists, LGBTQ travelers might be interested in a few destinations:

Alpha Gay Resort & Spa – a destination calling out to gay men, with a clothing-optional pool area open 24/7 and flexible check-in and check-out times. Chaweng beach, with its gay bars and clubs, is only half a mile away.

Club One Seven – a guesthouse with a sauna, swimming pool, and massage salon, this resort is also close to the markets and wats of Northern Thailand's Chiang Mai.

This year, Thailand expects to welcome 3 million foreign tourists, a startling contrast to the nearly 40 million in 2019.

Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said that beginning next month, the hotel quarantine period would be reduced from 14 to seven days for fully-vaccinated visitors to Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, Phang Nga and Krabi. By the fourth quarter, a quarantine waiver will be implemented in five holiday destinations.

On Friday, the country's coronavirus task force said Phuket could begin welcome vaccinated visitors in July (after the island vaccinates 70 percent of its residents) without subjecting travelers to quarantine.