Prior to March 2020, before the“pandemic” hit, tourism in Thailand was still doing very well and the country welcomed a lot of tourists from around the world. When the WHO and other organizations found out about coronavirus and epidemic panic arose in many countries, Thailand was no exception.
Travel restrictions sprung up in many places around the world. Even though both the Thai government and private sectors did not want to reduce their incomes, this was not possible in reality. The country itself also needed to protect citizens andminimize the number of infected patientswhile also preventing new infections where possible.Thailand closed its border from time to time in 2020 due to regional epidemic situations, however as of right now the borders are open.
Temple in Thailand
Not only government officials and private entrepreneurs,but also ordinary Thai people know that a large portion of Thai economy depends on tourism. Relevant offices tried hard to balance the curb of pandemic and the economy flow. Besides foreign residents and tourists already stuck in Thailand during pandemic travel restriction, as of December 2020, travelers can now come to Thailand again and up to 56 countries can come with visa free schemes, for different durations according to bilateral agreements. All tourists or travelers, however, need to comply with compulsory 14-day quarantine and have to show proof of negative PCR test, despite them being notoriously inaccurate.
Slowly Open to Tourism in 2021
Thailand is trying to open to international travel step by step with certain restrictions. This includes proof of documents such as fit-to-fly, a negative PCR test, and maybe other documents according to where you are from (low risk, high risk regions).When arriving Thailand, you have to be in a quarantine period of 14 days with non-Thai citizens having to pay a lot of money for this quarantine.
No matter what kind of visas foreigners may have, they all have to quarantine themselves in a selected hotel or service like alternative state quarantine.
What if I Interested in Studying Something Useful in Thailand?
If you areinterested in studying some useful courses such as: Thai language, learning about massaging, kick-boxing, or self-defense courses, you can get a student visa and stay in Thailand longer than a typical tourist.There exist some courses that allow you to have substantial spare time besides studying for travel and exploring Thailand on your own. An education visa or as usually called ED visa isavailable and may be appropriate for you, particularly if you’d like to stay in Thailand for a longer period.
With an education visa (ED visa) you don’t have to depend on a tourist visa which allows you only short stay period. This is typically3 months,and while there is a special 9-month tourist visa now available, getting the visa is not an easy process.
Usually, the schools or institutions that provide such courses will have relevant services to assist you to obtain the visa and when you have to report to immigration office. Some schools or courses can provide you with a one-year ED visa; some places provide service for those already in Thailand with tourist visa to convert to student visa without leaving Thailand.
