Post the major pandemic scare, Thailand is reviving its medical value tourism sector by easing restrictions that were imposed during the intense Covid-19 period across the globe.

Thailand which has considered the June-September period as a low season for its tourism, is lifting restrictions to attract tourists, especially medical value travelers from abroad. Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-o-cha has taken the lead in launching initiatives in this regard as he expects tourist arrivals to be nearly one million every month from October when the tourism season starts.

The country has already done away with mandatory Covid-19 testing and quarantine for its tourists. However, the pre-arrival registration and insurance requirements are still in place. The country’s Thailand Phuket Sandbox project allows fully vaccinated tourists to enter the Thai city without quarantine and it has given a push to the country’s efforts to attract medical tourists in a big way. Moreover from June 1, Thailand reopened pubs, bars, karaoke bars, massage parlours and similar entertainment facilities until midnight in 31 provinces.

The local businesses which are struggling post-pandemic are keen that the tourism and medical value travel are revived. The other Thai cities are keen on replicating the success of the Phuket Sandbox to accelerate the growth of the national economy.

Thailand is also looking for huge investments in digital platforms from outside the country to bolster its tourism sector. Creating smart hospitals is a priority in Thailand. Such hospitals should have advantages like energy efficiency, optimized operations and management, and improved patient accessibility. Making use of artificial intelligence to install chatbots and automated machines to lower healthcare costs and shorten patient queues has been identified as a priority.