Thailand will soon launch its first Digital Yacht Quarantine project, designed to stimulate yacht tourism to Phuket and allow visitors to complete their 14-day quarantine requirement onboard their own yacht.
The initiative, announced by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), is led by Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency, together with Thai yachting organisations in Phuket, as well as key public and private sector technology providers.
The Digital Yacht Quarantine scheme will rely on smart watch health trackers using NB-IoT technology that will allow Thai medical officials to monitor the health of visitors up to 10km offshore. After arrival, visitors are to 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 for Covid-19 RT-PCR testing.
After testing, visitors will then each be fitted with a smart watch health tracker, which must be worn at all times to measure the pulse, blood pressure, and body temperature. The information will be monitored in real time by relevant Thai health authorities via a dashboard at the Ao Po Pier. Both devises can also send out an emergency SOS signal if visitors need urgent medical assistance.
After the 14-day quarantine period is complete, all data will be analysed again before allowing visitors to embark and go ashore in Phuket.
Thailand first launched the yacht quarantine last October, with no Covid-19 infections detected since then. The expanded digital project is expected to attract more than 100 yachts and 300 to 500 visitors this year.
