Thailand intends to lure more digital nomads when it reopens with a new campaign dubbed "Visit Thailand Year 2022 Amazing New Chapter," as it makes aggressive measures to foster an increase in foreign tourist arrivals.
Although the pandemic did not give rise to the digital nomad notion, the number of digital nomads has increased dramatically in the last two years. Boracay and Siargao were popular destinations for Filipinos seeking refuge from the confines of their homes. A "workation," in which you work during the day and spend the rest of the day on the beach, is certainly enticing.
The Adventure Travel Trade Association’s “Work and Wander: Meet Today’s Digital Nomads” report describes digital nomads as “a cross between the long-term expat and the two-week vacationer.”
Thailand, along with Indonesia, Mexico, Spain, Colombia, and Portugal, was one of the top digital nomad destinations in the agency's 2021 Digital Nomads Survey.
The majority of digital nomads who responded to ATTA's poll work freelance for numerous companies (36%) or run their own business (33 percent). The ability to travel continuously, experience different cultures, and meet local people is one of the most appealing aspects of the digital nomad lifestyle.
As a result of Covid-19, about 20% of respondents become digital nomads in 2020. Always being available and working too much, unpredictability, and loneliness are the main issues experienced by digital nomads. On average, 36% of respondents' monthly earnings are spent on housing, food, and transportation, and this money is frequently spent inside a destination.
Thailand intends to lure more digital nomads when it reopens with a new campaign dubbed "Visit Thailand Year 2022 Amazing New Chapter," as it makes aggressive measures to foster an increase in foreign tourist arrivals.
"Aside from Bangkok, digital nomads would appreciate the beauty of Phuket, Chiang Mai, and other Thai locations," stated Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.
COVID-19 Guidelines for Travelers to Thailand
Beginning May 1, fully vaccinated tourists entering Thailand will no longer be needed to stay in a hotel for a short period of time and complete an RT-PCR Covid-19 test. The most recent relaxation of entrance rules is intended to make international travel easier.
Thailand received 40 million visitors in 2019, with 500,000 of them coming from the Philippines. Passengers on overseas flights to Thailand fell by 95 percent in September 2021 compared to prior years, according to a McKinsey & Co. research, while hotels only occupied 9 percent of their rooms.
"We were heavily affected in the last two years, with an 80 percent reduction in arrivals, which is concerning because tourism accounts for 20% of Thailand's GDP. This is why the Thai government has opted to open up the country and wants to declare Covid-19 an endemic rather than a pandemic, according to Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.
Thailand has also reduced the amount of health insurance coverage for properly vaccinated travelers entering the country starting May 1 from $20,000 to $10,000.
Vaccinated travelers can travel anywhere in Thailand after passing through immigration checkpoints. Different requirements apply to visitors who are not completely immunized. They no longer need to present documentation of a negative pre-travel RT-PCR test or take an arrival test, but they must register for Thailand Pass with a five-day hotel reservation, take an RT-PCR test on Day 5, and have a $10,000 insurance policy.
Unvaccinated tourists who upload proof of a negative RT-PCR test to the Thailand Pass system within 72 hours of travel are granted admission and can go anywhere in the nation.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Ministry of Public Health, and other stakeholders launched The Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) project last year to ensure passengers' confidence in safety and hygiene when visiting Thailand. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) recently validated the SHA as meeting the WTTC Safe Travels worldwide health and hygiene standardized protocols.
Thailand's Tourism Authority estimates that it will take three years until 2024 for tourism earnings to return to pre-Covid levels, but Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said they are aiming for at least 10 million foreign tourist visits by year's end.
"According to the number of international visitors who arrived in Thailand between January 1 and April 14, 2022, we welcomed 501,716 visitors." The United Kingdom was placed first (55,066), followed by Germany (51,122), Russia (50,992), France (35,112), and the United States (34,142). During this time, there were roughly 5,269 Filipino arrivals in Thailand," he said.
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