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 COVID-19 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 capitalize on northern hemisphere visitors aiming to escape the winter blues.