The first day Thailand welcomes guests without isolation

Visitors feel safe when they land at Suvarnabhumi airport, with a strict welcome process.

On the first day Thailand opened to welcome international guests without isolation (November 1), 61 commercial flights with more than 3,000 guests landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, along with more than 3,600 guests to other international airports.

Kittipong Kittikachorn, director of Suvarnabhumi, said most flights depart from Europe. Of more than 3,000 visitors to Thailand on the first day, 2,300 were foreigners, the rest were Thai citizens repatriated.

Mr. Kittipong was satisfied with this return process. However, there are still some bottlenecks reported on airport monitors, and passengers' vaccination certificates need to be checked before entry. These documents are now verified by QR codes thanks to the Thai government's vaccine passport system provided at international airports.

The first group of visitors to land in Suvarnabhumi are doing immigration procedures on November 1. Photo: Bangkok Post

According to the Thai Ministry of Transport, about 3,260 international flights will land at Suvarnabhumi in November, bringing about 135,400 guests to Thailand. At the same time, more than 3,240 other flights will depart with more than 135,100 departing guests.

Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said 27 airlines will organize flights to and from Suvarnabhumi, Phuket, Samui and Chiang Mai airports, to transport around 15,200 passengers from 26 different countries.

Among those who came to Thailand on November 1, a family of 4 from Frankfurt (Germany) replied to the Bangkok Post that they were excited to return to Thailand after 2 years. The father said it took their family about 2 hours to complete the check-in process at the airport.

Another German couple chose to honeymoon in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. The husband said, he and his wife feel safe when traveling here because the process of receiving visitors is very strict. When getting on the bus to the hotel, each van or taxi can only carry 3 guests, except for the case of traveling with family.

Bangkok Mayor Aswin Kwanmuang believes the smooth reopening and the easing of quarantine measures will boost tourist confidence. Loy Krathong festival scheduled to be held on November 19 is also an event to attract visitors.