A new flight operated by Thai Airways today landed for the first time in Phuket from Sydney, bringing tourists directly from Australia to Thailand’s Phuket Sandbox holiday program.
193 passengers from Sydney today arrived in Phuket. It was the first direct flight from the Australian city to the Thai island since the start of the pandemic. Around 130 of the passengers are staying in Phuket and the rest are traveling to other provinces including Bangkok.
Passengers arriving at Phuket on this flight entered the country under the Test & Go quarantine-free scheme.
Travelers taking advantage of this scheme are required to book at least one night at a SHA Plus certified hotel or quarantine hotel, where they must remain inside their room and wait for their RT-PCR Covid test to come back negative, before they are free to roam.
Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, Asia and South Pacific, at the Tourism Authority of Thailand said Thai Airways now operates 4-weekly flights from Sydney to Phuket, while the number of international arrivals is expected to continue on an upward trend.
He said the government’s policy to reopen the country to international visitors is showing results, as seen from the growing number of international visitors.