Koh Samui Reopens for Tourism – New Guidelines & New Hopes for the Island

The Thai island of Koh Samui welcomed tourists once more from 15th July 2021 along with Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. This move followed the reopening of Phuket on 1st July 2021 under the sandbox scheme which offers quarantine-free stays for fully vaccinated travellers from low and medium risk nations. As per the guidelines, such tourists must stay at a Samui Extra Plus hotel for the first seven nights; after this, they can transfer to a SHA+ certified resort such as Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort with strict health and hygiene protocols in place. After completing their 14 days after arrival at such a 5-star resort Koh Samui has to offer and testing negative for COVID-19 throughout their stay, travellers can head to other parts of Thailand.

On 17th August this year, Koh Samui received a further boost with the launch of the Phuket Sandbox 7+7 Extension programme. Under this scheme, those arriving in Phuket don’t have to spend the full mandatory 14 days there; after the initial seven days, they can transfer to select accommodation at safe destinations like Koh Samui.