Sustainable Tourism Recovery amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Case Study of the Phuket Sandbox Scheme
Abstract
As a tourism-dependent country, Thailand has suffered tremendously amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As a pioneering move to reopen the country, the Island of Phuket has begun to welcome fully vaccinated international visitors under the Phuket Sandbox Scheme since July 2021. This research gained insight into the perceived issues of reviving the tourism industry amid COVID-19 by using the Phuket Sandbox Scheme as a case study. This research undertook a focus group interview of 15 international tourists who have entered Thailand through the Phuket Sandbox Scheme in February 2022. Drawing from thematic analysis, three perceived issues have been identified, including lack of spontaneity, bureaucratic process, and lack of contingency plans. This research contributed to the existing body of knowledge and literature in the subject area of post-crisis tourism recovery and resilience. Also, this research developed a framework that shed light on the essential role played by the central government in coordinating with relevant stakeholders and parties to recover the tourism industry amid the crisis, which goes beyond the context of Phuket.
References
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[2] Assaf, A. and Scuderi, R. 2020. COVID-19 and the recovery of the tourism industry. Tourism Economics, 26(5): 731–733. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1354816620933712
[3] Bangprapa, M. and Chuenniran, A. 2021a. Four flights to bring first tourists to Phuket Sandbox. The Bangkok Post. Retrieved from https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2141115/four-flights-to-bring-first-tourists-to-phuket-sandbox
[4] Bangprapa, M. and Chuenniran, A. 2021b. Govt: Phuket Sandbox going well, marred by fake news. The Bangkok Post. Retrieved from https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2147983/govt-phuket-sandbox-going-well-marred-by-fake-news
[5] Bianchi, R. V. 2020. COVID-19 and the potential for a radical transformation of tourism. ATLAS Tourism and Leisure Review, 2: 80–86.
[6] Braun, V. and Clarke, V. 2006. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2): 77–101. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
[7] Chancharat, S. 2011. Thai tourism and economic development: The current state of research. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 32(2): 340–351.
[8] Chudik, A., et al. 2020. Economic consequences of COVID-19: A counterfactual multi-country analysis. VoxEU.org, 19 October. Retrieved from https://voxeu.org/article/economic-consequences-COVID-19-multi-country-analysis
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[10] Deb, S.K., and Shohel Md Nafi. 2020. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on tourism: Recovery proposal for future tourism. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 33(4spl): 1486–1492. DOI:https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.334spl06-597
[11] Dickens, B.L., et al. 2020. Strategies at points of entry to reduce importation risk of COVID-19 cases and reopen travel. Journal of Travel Medicine, 27(8), taaa141. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa141
[12] Ford, M., and Vimonsuknopparat, S. 2021. Coronavirus is raging in Thailand, but Phuket has set itself up as a fortress for vaccinated tourists. ABC News. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-30/phuket-holidays-for-those-vaccinated-against-coronavirus/100249156
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[14] Garrido-Moreno, A., García-Morales, V.J. and Martín-Rojas, R. 2021. Going beyond the curve: Strategic measures to recover hotel activity in times of COVID-19. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 96, 102928. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.102928
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[16] Hall, C. M., Scott, D. and Gössling, S. 2020. Pandemics, transformations and tourism: Be careful what you wish for. Tourism Geographies, 22(3): 577–598. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1759131
[17] Lau, K., Tan, C. and Lee, Y. 2021. Bubble within a Bubble: The Phuket Sandbox. Fragomen. Retrieved from https://www.fragomen.com/insights/blog/bubble-within-bubble-phuket-sandbox
[18] Locker, M. 2020. Five things to know about travel bubbles: Neighboring countries are striking agreements that permit trips across their borders. Is this the future of travel? Smithsonian. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/five-things-know-about-travel-bubbles-180974983/
[19] Matiza, T. and Slabbert, E. 2021. Tourism is too dangerous! Perceived risk and the subjective safety of tourism activity in the era of COVID-19. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 36(2spl): 580–588. DOI:https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.362spl04-686
[20] Neal, J. D., Sirgy, M. J. and Uysal, M. 2004. Measuring the effect of tourism services on travelers’ quality of life: Further validation. Social Indicators Research, 69(3): 243–277. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-004-5012-3
[21] Pine, R., and McKercher, B. 2004. The impacts of SARS on Hong Kong’s tourism industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 16: 139–143. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110410520034
[22] Powell, R.A., and Single, H. M. 1996. Focus groups. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 8(5): 499–504.
[23] Quang, T.D., et al. 2020. Is Vietnam ready to welcome tourists back? Assessing COVID-19’s economic impact and the Vietnamese tourism industry’s response to the pandemic. Current Issues in Tourism, 1–19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1860916
[24] Rutynskyi, M. and Kushniruk, H.2020. The impact of quarantine due to COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry in Lviv (Ukraine). Problems and Perspectives in Management, 18(2): 194–205. DOI:https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.18(2).2020.17
[25] Sandelowski, M. 2000. Whatever happened to qualitative description? Research in Nursing & Health, 23(4) 334–340. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-240X(200008)23:4<334::AID-NUR9>3.0.CO;2-G
[26] Sangkaew, N. and Zhu, H. 2022. Understanding tourists’ experiences at local markets in Phuket: An analysis of TripAdvisor reviews. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 23(1)Ş 89–114. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008X.2020.1848747
[27] Sharun, K. et al. 2020. International travel during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications and risks associated with ‘travel bubbles’. Journal of Travel Medicine, 27(8): taaa184. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa184
[28] Sigala, M. 2020. Tourism and COVID-19: Impacts and implications for advancing and resetting industry and research. Journal of Business Research, 117: 312–321. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.06.015
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[33] Wnuk, A., Oleksy, T. and Maison, D. 2020. The acceptance of COVID-19 tracking technologies: The role of perceived threat, lack of control, and ideological beliefs. PloS One, 15(9)Ş e0238973. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238973
[34] Woyo, E. 2021. The Sustainability of using domestic tourism as a post-COVID-19 Recovery strategy in a distressed destination. In W., Wörndl, C, Koo, & J. L., Stienmetz (Eds.), Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2021 (pp. 476–489). Springer.
[35] Yasami, M., Phetvaroon, K. and Zhu, H. 2021. International tourists’ choices and satisfaction of small restaurants in Thailand: The influence of food safety indicators. Journal of Foodservice Business Research: 1–34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15378020.2021.1964340
[36] Yeh, Shih-Shuo. 2021. Tourism recovery strategy against COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism Recreation Research, 46(2): 188–194. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2020.1805933
[37] Zhu, H. and Yasami, M. 2021. Developing gastronomic resources: Practices of UNESCO creative cities of gastronomy. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 39(4spl): 1406–1414. DOI:https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.394spl11-784
[38] Zhu, H., Duncan, T. and Tucker, H. 2019. The issue of translation during thematic analysis in a tourism research context. Current Issues in Tourism, 22(4): 415–419. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2017.1411892
[39] Department of Tourism. 2020. Thailand Tourism Statistics 2019. Retrieved from https://tourism.go.th
[40] International Air Transport Association. 2020. Traveler survey reveals COVID-19 concerns. Retrieved from https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/pr/2020-07-07-01/
[41] Ministry of Tourism and Sport. 2020. Tourism Statistics 2020. Retrieved from https://www.mots.go.th/more_news_new.php?cid=592
[42] Reuters. 2021. Thailand loses 1.45 million tourism jobs from pandemic: tourism group. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-economy-tourism-idUSKBN2BL1F7
[43] TAT Newsroom. 2022. Updated! Sandbox entry rules from 1 March 2022. Retrieved from https://www.tatnews.org/2022/02/thailand-reopening-living-in-the-blue-zone-17-sandbox-destinations/
[44] United Nations World Tourism Organization. 2021. Tourist arrivals down 87% in January 2021 as UNWTO calls for stronger coordination to restart tourism. Retrieved from https://www.unwto.org/news/tourist-arrivals-down-87-in-january-2021-as-unwto-calls-for-stronger-coordination-to-restart-tourism
[45] World Bank. 2020. The global economic outlook during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A changed world. Washington, D.C: World Bank.
[46] World Travel & Tourism Council. 2003. World Travel & Tourism Council 3rd Global Travel & Tourism Summit, Vilamoura, 15‐17 May. Retrieved from www.wttc.org/mediaCentre.htm
[47] World Travel & Tourism Council. 2021. Economic Impact Reports. Retrieved from https://wttc.org/Research/Economic-Impact
Published
2022-03-31
How to Cite
ZHU, Hongrui; YASAMI, Mehri.
Sustainable Tourism Recovery amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Case Study of the Phuket Sandbox Scheme.
Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, [S.l.], v. 13, n. 2, p. 477-485, mar. 2022.
ISSN 2068-7729.
Available at: <https://journals.aserspublishing.eu/jemt/article/view/6904>. Date accessed: 05 july 2025.
doi: https://doi.org/10.14505/jemt.v13.2(58).17.
Section
Article
Copyright© 2025 The Author(s). Published by ASERS Publishing 2025. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of CC-BY 4.0 license.