Thailand opens six resorts to international golfers on quarantine
Dreaming of golf somewhere exotic but worried about COVID travel restrictions abroad? Thailand has approved a quarantine solution that might be worth checking out.
The Land of Smiles has approved six golf resorts as quarantine destinations, allowing guests to move freely about the properties and play golf while waiting out a 14-day mandatory quarantine. That’s in contrast to stricter entry and quarantine regulations for most people entering the country.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand announced this week that such quarantine options are available at these six government-certified golf resorts: Mida Golf Club, Evergreen Hills Golf Club, Blue Star Golf Course, Artitaya Golf & Resort, Sawang Resort and Golf Club and Artitaya Chiang Mai Golf & Resort.
Thailand initially approved the golf-quarantine concept in December, but the six golf resorts were determined Dec. 13.
Thailand has severely restricted inbound travel from foreign destinations and has kept COVID transmission low, despite a recent surge in cases to a few hundred a day. In all, Thailand has reported fewer than 12,000 COVID cases since the pandemic began, and a relatively high level of day-to-day life in the Southeast Asian country has returned somewhat to normal – with the addition of nearly universal mask use.
But the largely tourism-based economy has taken a beating, with inbound travel down more than 99 percent versus the year before the pandemic.
Pre-COVID, Thailand was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Mastercard ranks cities each year on its Global Destination Cities Index, and Bangkok was the No. 1 destination in the world in 2019 with 22.8 million visitors. That pushed it ahead of Paris, London, Dubai and Singapore. New York ranked seventh on that list with 13.6 million visitors in 2019.
In recent years, Thailand has become increasingly popular for golfers traveling from other countries that don’t offer easy tee times for residents. Customs lines at airports are often crowded with golfers from Japan and South Korea dragging travel bags. The Tourism Authority of Thailand reports that it has more than 300 “international-quality” courses, including those built by design firms headed by Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and others.
Opening the golf resorts to quarantining guests is an early step in reopening the travel economy. Most of the guests likely will be wealthy foreigners looking to play golf, but it’s not expected to be an option for huge numbers of people. Most of the few people allowed into Thailand are required to quarantine inside hotel rooms.
The Tourism Authority said in its media release that golfers still need to have all of their advance arrangements in good order for arrival and entry, including a visa, which can include a Single-Entry Tourist Visa or a Special Tourist Visa; medical and travel insurance; and a Certificate of Entry, to name but a few.
