THE pandemic did not give birth to the digital nomad concept but there is no doubt that digital nomads multiplied in the past two years. Many Filipinos sought solace from being confined within the walls of their house by going to Boracay and Siargao. There is indeed something very appealing about a “workation” where you work during the day and spend the rest of your day on the beach.
The Adventure Travel Trade Association’s “Work and Wander: Meet Today’s Digital Nomads” report describes digital nomads as “a cross between the long-term expat and the two-week vacationer.”
In the agency’s 2021 Digital Nomads Survey, Thailand was one of the top destinations for digital nomads, along with Indonesia, Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Portugal.
Most digital nomads who responded to ATTA’s survey do freelance work for multiple companies (36 percent) or own their own business (33 percent). Being able to travel constantly and experiencing different cultures and meeting local people are the top reasons for living the digital nomad lifestyle. About 20 percent of respondents became digital nomads in 2020, likely as a result of Covid-19. The top challenges faced by digital nomads are always being available and working too much, uncertainty and loneliness. On average, 36 percent of the respondents’ monthly earnings pay for lodging, food and transportation; this revenue typically stays within a destination.
As Thailand reopens with a new campaign, dubbed “Visit Thailand Year 2022 Amazing New Chapter,” the country hopes to attract more digital nomads as it makes bold moves to encourage the increase of international tourist arrivals.
“Aside from Bangkok, digital nomads would enjoy the beauty of Phuket, Chiang Mai and other destinations in Thailand,” said Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports.
Starting May 1, fully vaccinated travelers entering Thailand are no longer required to quarantine in a hotel briefly and take an RT-PCR Covid-19 test upon arrival. The latest easing of entry restrictions aims to make international travel more convenient.
Like many countries dependent on tourist arrivals for revenue, Thailand has suffered because of the pandemic.
In 2019, Thailand recorded 40 million arrivals, 500,000 of them from the Philippines. According to a report by McKinsey & Co., passengers on international flights to Thailand dropped by 95 percent in September 2021, compared to the previous years, while hotels only filled 9 percent of their rooms.
“We were hard hit in the last two years as the drop in arrivals was about 80 percent and that is a concern because 20 percent of Thailand’s GDP is from tourism. This is why the Thai government has decided to open up the country and plans to announce that Covid-19 is no longer a pandemic and is now an endemic,” said Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. Thailand has also lowered the amount of health insurance coverage to $10,000 from $20,000 for fully vaccinated visitors entering the country from May 1.
Once vaccinated travelers pass through immigration checkpoints, they can travel to anywhere in Thailand. Visitors who are not fully vaccinated are subject to different rules. They no longer need to show proof of a prearrival negative RT-PCR test nor undergo an arrival test but they need to register for Thailand Pass with a five-day hotel booking, take an RT-PCR test on Day 5 and have an insurance policy with coverage of at least $10,000.
Unvaccinated travelers who can upload proof of a negative RT-PCR test within 72 hours of travel via the Thailand Pass system are allowed entry and can go anywhere in the country upon arrival.
To standardize health and hygiene protocols, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Ministry of Public Health, as well as stakeholders, established The Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) project last year to ensure travelers’ confidence on safety and hygiene when traveling in Thailand. The SHA was recently certified by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to be on par with the WTTC Safe Travels global health and hygiene standardized protocols.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand believes it will take three years until 2024 for tourism revenue to get back to pre-Covid level but Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said they are targeting at least 10 million international tourist arrivals by the end of the year.
“Based on the number of overseas travelers arriving in Thailand between January 1 and April 14, 2022, we have welcomed 501,716 travelers. The UK market ranked No. 1 [55,066], followed by Germany [51,122], Russia [50,992], France [35,112] and the United States [34,142]. The number of Filipino arrivals to Thailand during this period was approximately 5,269,” he said.
“We continue our efforts to shift to promote quality over quantity along with responsible tourism. We have geared our strategy to tap into several niche markets, including weddings and honeymoons, sports tourism, health and wellness, gastronomy and green tourism aiming to reshape and transform the tourism industry toward responsible and sustainable travel,” said TAT.
Image credits: Robin Canfield on Unsplash