Thailand Is Officially Reopening & Might Be Giving Away $1 Hotel Rooms to Celebrate
The Thai government is trying to lure back tourists post-pandemic.
Countries across the globe are reopening and welcoming back vaccinated travelers. Thailand is the latest destination to do so.
In April, the Thai government released a tiered plan for its reopening, and while you could already travel to Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, and Pattaya, these spots all featured a mandatory seven-day quarantine.
As of July 1, that restriction is lifting in Phuket—for vaccinated travelers, that is. But if that weren't enough to have you scrolling Expedia for cheap flights, this might: The Tourism Council of Thailand is toying with the idea of a "one-night, one-dollar" hotel incentive to lure back visitors post-pandemic.
Should the proposal become reality, tourists could snag a subsidized hotel rate of $1 for the first night of their stay, paying the regular rate thereafter, according to The Points Guy. Eligible rooms would have to typically cost between 1,000 and 3,000 baht per night—between $32 and $96. That said, CNN reports that there will be a seven-night minimum for international tourists before they can hit any other destinations in the country, though this could change.
The campaign, should it be approved, could launch as early as this month and has the potential for expansion to Koh Samui, Pattaya, and Bangkok. By October 1, the quarantine policy will be lifted for all five destinations, and by January 2022, the entire country should be open to vaccinated visitors.
"There are people who are fully vaccinated and ready to travel," spokesperson for the governor of the tourism authority of Thailand Yuthasak Supasorn said in a press release. "But they would only choose destinations that have vaccinated its residents and don’t require quarantine."
It is important to note, however, that according to CNN, Thailand is currently in the midst of its third and worst wave of the coronavirus.