COVID-19: Thailand to welcome 70 tourists opting for 'villa quarantine' in Phuket

Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesman, Thaweesilp Wissanuyothin said the first group of 70 tourists was scheduled to arrive in Phuket on a chartered flight from Indonesia on Sunday.

He said they would undergo mandatory quarantine at award-winning, five-star luxury resort, Sri Panwa.

"The tourists will stay in the villa for the first five days of quarantine and then they can leave their villa for outdoor activities within the resort," he said at the COVID-19 daily briefing here today.

The local media reported that the travellers including from the United States, Brazil, Canada, Ukraine, France and Denmark on a chartered flight have repeatedly undergone COVID-19 test in countries they have visited.

"If 'villa quarantine' proves to be a success, Thailand will be a tourist destination in the new normal," he said.

To boost its tourism industry, Thailand launched various initiatives including offers of golf resorts as quarantine centres and special long-stay visas to woo tourists.

The country received only 6.7 million foreign tourists last year, compared to nearly 40 million arrivals in 2019.

Over the last 24 hours, Thailand recorded 175 new COVID-19 cases and zero deaths, bringing the total number of infections in the kingdom to 24,961 and 82 fatalities, to date.

Thaweesilp said of the 175 new cases, 168 were local transmissions comprising 114 through active case detection and 54 cases of those seeking treatment at hospitals, while seven were imported cases.

"Over the last 24 hours, 71 new cases were detected in Pathum Thani, a new cluster in the kingdom that is linked to three fresh markets in the province," he said.