Thailand Reopens Phuket for Travelers and Offers Discounts for Guests

Starting from July 1, Phuket will accept both domestic and international guests, so hurry up to book a hotel in Phuket if you don’t know where to spend your summer vacation yet. To make the opening of the popular destination even more attractive for guests and help local businesses at the same time, Thailand’s government decided to launch a special campaign aimed at stimulating the economy.

The campaign is called “Hug Thais”. Its release is the result of collaboration between the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) who have signed the memorandum of understanding. The Hug Thais will help to refresh the tourism industry of Thailand and strengthen the country’s national that has suffered much damage because of the pandemic. With this collaboration, Thailand will once again prove its status as a popular tourist destination and help smaller businesses in Phuket as they suffer the most because of the tourism ban.

The first phase of the new project “Hug Thais Hug Phuket” starts already in July 2021. At the beginning of the month, Phuket hotels reopen and operate under the “sandbox” model. First, vaccinated foreign guests can enter Phuket and enjoy a vacation there without any quarantine requirement. Thailand plans to open more destinations across the country in the coming months if the plan turns out to be successful. Starting from next month, both domestic and foreign tourists will be able to enjoy special discounts when they spend 1,000 Baht or more in the retail sector of Phuket. The discounts of up to 10% and extra coupons of 100 Baht each will be available in various shops, outlets, and restaurants that participate in the promotion.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand hopes that this measure will help to revitalize Phuket’s tourism and service industry. If the pilot program proves to be efficient, Thailand plans to launch it in other destinations of the country as local businesses in Phuket are not the only ones that require revitalization.

In the coming months, Thailand plans to support and stimulate tourism and expenditures at Thai resorts. Hug Thais is the first phase of the project, and it will be followed by “Eat More” local food, “Shop More” Thai products, and “Travel More” initiatives. It will be easy to distinguish the participating shops and restaurants as they will have a special “Hug Thais” logo. Thailand hopes that its new stimulation program will add extra 100 billion Baht to the country’s economy by the end of the year.