Bahrain's quarantine-free visa plan with Thailand a success

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More than 90 Bahrainis have taken advantage of a quarantine-free visa agreement with Thailand, including a family of 15 which spent their Eid holidays in the Southeast Asian country.

Launched on July 1, the sandbox programme allow vaccinated travellers to visit specific areas without quarantining, as long as they remain in the designated area for seven to 14 days.

Currently there are three prongs within the programme. “Under the Phuket Sandbox, tourists can stay quarantine-free on the island for 14 days, while under the Phuket Sandbox Extension 7+7, the first seven days are spent in Phuket and the other seven days are spent in one of the smaller islands – Phang-Nga or Krabi or Surat Thani,” outgoing Thai ambassador Thanis Na Songkhla said, during an interview with the GDN.

“The third prong is the Samui Plus, under which tourists can stay in Samui for 14 days.

“We have received a lot of positive feedback from both Thai nationals and foreign tourists for the programme. Approximately 33,000 tourists from around the world have participated in the sandbox programmes contributing more than BD20 million to the economy.

“More than 90 Bahrainis have been part of the programme so far, especially the Phuket Sandbox. There was even a family of 15 who choose to spend their Eid holiday in Phuket!”

The programme comes as Thailand and Bahrain deepen bilateral ties, both in trade and tourism.

Last month, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Chutintorn Gongsakdi had visited Bahrain to review bilateral co-operation between the two countries.

During his visit, he discussed achievements in health and medical services, trade and investment as well as food security. A fourth strategic area of co-operation discussed was energy.

“The PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP) are still interested in doing business in Bahrain and have been exploring the possibility of future co-operation,” Mr Songkhla added.

“The Thai private sector also has expressed initial interest in investing in renewable energy in Bahrain, such as Wyncoast Industrial Park Company, which is a Thai provider of solar panels.”

Bilateral trade between the two countries was estimated to worth $350.37m – a decrease of 33.3 per cent compared with the previous year, due to Covid-19 pandemic. However, the Thai embassy and Mr Songkhla have been working hard on projects to bolster trade, with their most significant achievement being the soft opening of the Thai Mart in Diyar Al Muharraq in December last year. Currently, there are 123 shops, 12 restaurants and 11 kiosks.

“The Thai Mart project has already become a model for other Thai embassies in GCC countries, as well as future initiatives, which will contribute to enhance the Thailand-Bahrain relationship,” Mr Songkhla added.

With Mr Songkhla leaving his post tomorrow, incoming Charge d’Affaires Nuttapat Chumnijarakij will lead the embassy team, until a new ambassador is appointed, likely next year.

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