Guest reader Posted February 26, 2022 Posted February 26, 2022 From news.com.au By Alex Carlton The odd small food cart, usually without customers. Street dogs snuffling in gutters, sometimes outnumbering people. The Koh Samui of 2022 is Thailand like you’ve never seen it before. The tiny island off the east coast of the mainland, around a 90-minute flight from Bangkok, has been hit hard by Covid shutdowns and border closures. In a normal year, Thailand welcomes around 40 million tourists, making up 11 per cent of its GDP. The country is a big favourite with Australians, with around 800,000 of us visiting each year, pre-pandemic. And for islands like Koh Samui, usually buzzing with music, cheap and delicious food and beer, nightclubs and hostels, the effect of tourism shutting down has taken a huge toll. “Many people simply couldn’t stay in the cities; they returned to their family farms and lived very simply,” one local told me. “It’s been absolutely devastating.” Thailand, like so many places in South East Asia are only just beginning to recover from the effects of the last two years. But borders are now open to Australians – you need to be vaccinated, apply for the Thailand pass and have a Covid test on arrival and isolate until you get a result (in my case, under 12 hours which is standard) but otherwise there’s no quarantine. And that’s exactly why you should consider travelling to Thailand right now. It’s the only chance any of us will ever get to see and experience this beautiful country without its usual crowds. And it’s a way to do your part to support the Thai people – who are always so welcoming to people from all over the world – to get back on their feet. Quote
