by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:40 AM ET, Fri September 10, 2021
Government officials in Thailand announced Thursday the country plans to reopen Bangkok and other key destinations to foreign tourists in October.
According to Reuters.com, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan said Bangkok, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Chiang Mai would welcome vaccinated travelers under a new program that requires coronavirus testing and visitors meeting certain criteria.
As part of an effort to revive Thailand's battered travel industry, Tourism Authority governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the country would begin reopening areas popular with visitors as the government believes the number of new COVID-19 infections may have peaked.
The government's reopening planes are already being prepared on the islands of Samui and Phuket, where about 70 percent of the local population were required to be fully vaccinated.
Mandatory vaccinations could be an issue in Bangkok, though, as only 34 percent of residents are fully inoculated, while just 15 percent of people across the country have received the two required doses.
Supasorn said Thailand is targeting one million visitors this year.
In June, government officials revealed a plan to allow quarantine-free entry to fully vaccinated travelers, but a surge of confirmed COVID-19 cases this summer caused hesitation from local and federal authorities.
The following month, Bangkok and nine other provinces in Thailand announced a series of tighter COVID-19-related restrictions, including limiting the number of travelers arriving in the islands, reducing the size of gatherings and more.
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