Good and relieving news for Australian Expats in Thailand. Now they can pack their bags to return home to Australia and celebrate Christmas with their near and dear ones.
This announcement is a move coinciding with the opening of parts of Australia’s international borders. Thailand has permitted vaccinated travelers from more than 60 nations to return back to their country. It implies that many Australians living in Thailand will be able to fly home for holiday family reunions. This permission also holds the grant for the expats to return to Thailand quickly afterward.
Bangkok Airport welcomed the first group of tourists to Thailand in 18 months. These tourists will not be subjected to coronavirus quarantine in hotels. Apart from Australia, the list comprises 60 more nations. This includes Australia, New Zealand, the United States, China, Japan, India, and the majority of Europe.
Prior to the epidemic, around 12% of the country’s GDP was from tourism. Additionally, Bangkok was the most visited city on the planet. Commercial flights have resumed, and quarantine requirements have been relaxed, which is good news for Australians living and working in the Land of Smiles.
This is how a Businessman reacted –
‘Looking forward to jumping on a Sydney train’
Bangkok-based businessman Tim Whitwell will now be reunited with his wife and daughters for Christmas.
“I’m super chuffed to be able to book a commercial flight home after so many months of uncertainty,” Mr. Whitwell told the ABC.
“The change for the better in just one month is insane. Despite our best efforts, there were no guarantees just a couple of weeks ago, and, who knows, it could have been February and we’d still be waiting.”
Mr. Whitwell, who works for a Danish multi-national company managing its supply chain, has booked a Thai Airways flight to Sydney for December 17 and will return to Bangkok on January 16. He is planning a family reunion at Niagara Park, near Gosford, on New South Wales’ Central Coast. His wife Lisa and younger daughters Lucy, 11, and Matilda, 13, flew to Australia on October 6 on a federal government-arranged repatriation flight.
“Given the uncertainty and difficulty in getting flights during the pandemic, we grabbed three seats when we could, but my wife and daughters had to go through hotel quarantine,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to being able to land in Sydney, jump on a train to Gosford and be with family under the same roof again. Our older daughters, Hannah and Eliza, will be there too.
“It’s been tough and very stressful … it’ll be good to have this behind us.”
Know how a School Teacher feels –
‘Haven’t hugged grandchildren in three years’
But for Bangkok-based school teacher, Mark Weber, it will make little difference to his holiday plans because most of his family are based in Brisbane and Cairns.
Queensland will only fully open its state borders on December 17, with some quarantine rules to remain for international arrivals, making it more difficult for returning Queenslanders.
“I haven’t hugged my grandchildren in almost three years, so it’s hard to know that I won’t be able to do it this Christmas,” Mr. Weber told the ABC.
“I’ve already missed my son’s wedding in 2020. I’m single, so it’s a lonely and difficult existence, and catching up on Zoom or FaceTime just isn’t the same.
“Watching from a distance, it’s clear that Australia is not a united country but a federation of states, with so many different rules for international arrivals.”
Mr. Weber, who has lived in Asia since 2013, is the middle school principal at the International School of Myanmar. He has been teaching remotely from Bangkok but will move to Yangon on November 10 to continue his role in person.
“You go where the work is, but moving to Myanmar will mean that I’m further away from home, with less prospect of getting back to Australia any time soon.”
Thailand is still dealing with an increase in coronavirus cases caused by the Delta strain, complicating the process of welcoming back tourists amid a pandemic. Since April, the majority of Thailand’s 1.9 million illnesses and almost 19,000 deaths have been recorded. According to Government and WHO Statistics, almost 42 percent of the country’s 72 million people have been vaccinated.
The Bottomline
This initiative of the Royal Thai government will help not only Australian Expats in Thailand, but also other foreigners who are longing to return home for long. For any type of assistance or support email us at [email protected]. We can help you with immigration and customs.
