Thailand offers Yacht quarantine to fish tourists

Tourists to Thailand can now spend their mandatory two-week coronavirus quarantine on a luxury yacht, as part of a bid by the government to revive the country’s tourism industry, which is the major source of income for the country.

Thai government’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency, along with partners including top telecom group Advanced Info Service, jointly announced the yacht quarantine program earlier this week.

This would serve as an addition to the existing quarantine option on a golf course, aiming to revive the tourism industry that accounts for about a fifth of the country’s GDP.

Visitors coming with a negative PCR test result will be able to spend the quarantine period on board a yacht or small cruise ship in Phuket, one of the most popular tourist destinations. Yatchers are already being accepted for a trial run.

Participants are required to wear a smart wristband that monitors body signs including temperature and blood pressure and which also tracks the wearer’s location via GPS. The device can transmit information within a 10 km radius even while at Sea.

Thailand has closed its borders for foreign tourists in March 2020 after the pandemic outbreak. Though they have reopened to travelers from October, the mandatory two-week quarantine is proving to be a stumbling block to tourism-dependent businesses.

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