BANGKOK, 12 March 2021: The Tourism Authority of Thailand confirms Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency, Thai yachting organisations in Phuket, as well as technology providers, are launching Thailand’s first ‘Digital Yacht Quarantine’ project.
The initiative’s mission is to attract yacht tourism back to Phuket and allow sailors and their guests to complete the 14-day quarantine requirement onboard. The current rule forces them to purchase a quarantine package with ASQ registered hotels.
Digital Yacht Quarantine is built around smartwatch health trackers using NB-IoT technology. It allows Thai medical officials to monitor the health of visitors to a maximum distance of 10 kilometres offshore. After arrival, visitors arriving on yachts must liaise with a representative from the Thai Yacht Business Association (TYBA), which will act as the coordinating agent between the Thai health authorities to arrange Covid-19 RT-PCR testing.
After testing, visitors will then be fitted with one of two smartwatch health trackers, either the Activ 10+ or the Smartwatch Active 30+ models, developed by PMH Holding Company Limited (POMO House).
The smartwatch health tracker must be worn by visitors at all times to measure the pulse, blood pressure, and body temperature. The information will be monitored in real-time by Thai health authorities via a dashboard at located at the island’s Ao Po Pier. Both devices can also send out an emergency SOS signal if visitors need urgent medical assistance.
After the 14-day quarantine is over, all data will be analysed again before allowing visitors to go ashore in Phuket.
Thailand first launched the yacht quarantine in October 2020, with no Covid-19 infections detected, but there were very few takers. Now with the expanded digital project, officials forecast up to 100 yachts and 300 to 500 visitors could quarantine onboard private yachts before disembarking at the Phuket port.
The Digital Yacht Quarantine project is led by Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA), together with Advanced Info Service (AIS), PMH Holding Company Limited (POMO House), PMH-service providers, and the Thai Yacht Business Association (TYBA).
The expanded project endeavours to build confidence in the Thai public health sector and create additional arrival and revenue streams for Phuket tourism operators as the destination gradually reopens to more international visitors.
(Source: TAT)
