Thailand announced Friday that it would lift a pre-arrival PCR test requirement for vaccinated travelers in an effort to give the country’s tourism industry a lift. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI
March 18 (UPI) — Thailand announced Friday that it will scrap the need for a prearrival COVID-19 test for vaccinated travelers in a push to revive its tourism industry ahead of the popular Songkran festival next month.
Starting April 1, visitors will be allowed to board flights to Thailand without a negative polymerase chain reaction test, the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration said. They will, however, still be required to take a PCR test once they arrive in Thailand.
Officials are hoping to give a boost to Thailand’s beleaguered travel industry, which plays an outsized role in the country’s economy.
Thailand received 40 million international visitors in 2019, but that figure plunged to just 428,000 last year, according to government figures. Arrivals…