Thailand, Australia ease international border curbs spurred by pandemic
Gulf Times
Travellers arriving on the first quarantine free international flights are embraced by family at Sydney International Airport.
Australia and Thailand eased international border curbs significantly on Monday for the first time in 18 months, offering an early litmus test of the demand for tourism and travel in Asia following the coronavirus pandemic.
Hundreds of vaccinated foreign tourists arrived in the Thai capital for quarantine-free travel after the southeast Asian nation gave the green light for such visitors from more than 60 countries, including China and the United States.
Several European nations are also on the list as Thailand, one of the region's most popular destinations, looks to capitalise on northern hemisphere visitors aiming to escape the winter blues.
Those hopes appeared to pay off early, with German tourist Simon Raithel and a group of friends among the first to arrive in Bangkok.
