Krabi to welcome 500 travellers initially under 7+7 scheme The 7+7 sandbox island extension scheme, which is due to begin on Sunday, is being limited to 500 arrivals to Krabi during the initial stages. Bangkok Post



 Krabi to welcome 500 travellers initially under 7+7 scheme

The 7+7 sandbox island extension scheme, which is due to begin on Sunday, is being limited to 500 arrivals to Krabi during the initial stages.

After a seven-day stay in Phuket, 500 foreign guests are expected to travel by boat via the Ratsada and Ao Por piers to Koh Phi Phi, Railay Bay and Koh Ngai between Aug 10-30, generating 17.5 million baht, said Sasithorn Kittidhrakul, president of the Krabi Tourism Association.

Operators want to increase the length of stay from an average of seven days to stimulate revenue to 30 million baht, while setting a goal to receive 7,000 or 10% of travellers from Phuket in August and September, she said.

Hotels with a Safety and Health Administration (SHA) Plus certificate number 15 on Koh Phi Phi, three on Railay Bay and one on Koh Ngai.

The province's new travel restrictions become effective today and everyone is required to show a negative Covid test result plus proof of vaccination.

Tourism operators asked the government to deliver 36,000 Covid-19 rapid test kits to 12,000 locals who work on the three islands.

Ms Sasithorn said Krabi would like to reopen more areas and allow tourists to fly directly to Krabi airport, which expects to complete construction of its third terminal by the end of October.

The airport expansion doubles passenger capacity to 8 million per year and increases the number of flights allowed, including chartered services from Nordic countries during the high season.

"The plan to fully reopen without relying on tourists from Phuket depends on successful vaccinations by October. However, only 22% of provincial residents have been inoculated," she said.

Charintip Tiyaphorn, president of the Tourism Council of Krabi, said hotels and tour operators in the province will launch marketing plans this week to attract travellers, especially those from the US, the UK and Germany who frequently visit Koh Phi Phi. Tourists from Israel and the UAE are considered new potential markets, she said.

Koh Phi Phi reported no new cases since Nov 6, 2020. Railay Bay reported its last case on April 25 and Koh Ngai has never reported a Covid-19 case.

Krabi has 1,100 hospital beds and if there are 70 new cases in sandbox areas within a week, or if the hospitalisation rate reaches 80% of overall bed capacity, the plan will be scrapped.