For vaccination in Thailand – Newspaper Kommersant No. 1 (7446) dated 01/09/2023

The tightening of entry rules to Thailand, which has become one of the most popular destinations for Russian tourists in winter, can lead to a decrease in the flow to the country by at least 20%. Tourists may be required to present COVID-19 vaccination certificates or undergo PCR testing, which will cause a shift in demand to India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. But you should not count on a refund if you cancel your trip: local hoteliers are traditionally reluctant to make concessions, tour operators warn.

New sanitary restrictions for arrivals in Thailand could reduce the demand for organized tourists on the destination by 20%. This assessment was given by one of Kommersant’s interlocutors in the tourist market, specifying that if it comes to a tough option, the decline will be more pronounced.

Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, believes that the introduction of any new sanitary restrictions in Thailand, if they are absent in other countries, will lead to the redistribution of part of the future tourist flow to other destinations – India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The representative of Intourist, Daria Domostroyeva, is also expecting a redistribution of the flow, adding the Philippines and Malaysia to the number of alternatives in demand in the future.

On the plans of the Thai authorities to introduce additional requirements for tourists on January 5, citing the Ministry of Health of the country, Bangkok Post. They linked the measures with the gradual lifting of quarantine restrictions for travelers from China.

Initially, the media wrote about checking certificates for the introduction of two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, but then it became known that travelers would also be able to undergo PCR testing upon arrival. Dmitry Gorin points out that vaccination certificates in Thailand do not expire.

Aeroflot, S7 and Azur Air reported that when flying to Thailand, tourists from January 9 need to have a certificate of vaccination, contraindications for it, or a certificate of recovery from COVID-19.

In the absence of documents, you need to be ready for testing at the airport. According to the Biblio-Globus website, testing will be paid – 200 Thai baht or 430 rubles. The executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, Maya Lomidze, says that “so far tourists do not expressly react” to the changes: “They are nervous, they ask questions, but there is no redistribution, and there are no cancellations either.”

According to Dmitry Gorin, the reaction of tourists will be clear on January 9, as during the New Year holidays, sales of tours are generally not very high.

Since autumn, Thailand has been among the most popular winter destinations for organized trips among Russian travelers. According to Mr. Gorin, 48,000 organized tourists from the Russian Federation visited the country in October, and more than 100,000 in November and December, which corresponds to the level before the pandemic. Travelata.ru called Thailand the second most popular foreign destination for the winter period with 17% of sales against 18% for Egypt.

Tour operators have not yet informed customers about the possibilities for processing returns of purchased tours to Thailand.

Georgy Mokhov, the founder of the Persona Grata agency, explains that from a legal point of view, it will be about the refusal of the trip by the traveler: tourism law. Although, the expert adds, the tour operator, based on its capabilities, can shift the timing of the trip and offer an alternative direction.

Daria Domostroeva says that the refund in case of cancellation of the tour will consist of two parts: air ticket and hotel. According to her, it can be difficult to receive funds for accommodation: during the pandemic, hotels in Thailand did not actually return funds for reservations made. The interlocutor of Kommersant in the tourist market doubts that with an average cost of a tour to Thailand of 200 thousand rubles. many will want to issue annulments – rather, citizens will look for ways to quickly issue a certificate or receive a certificate.

Alexandra Mertsalova