Thai island Koh Samui re-opens with 'sandbox' quarantine for tourists

Footage shows travellers returning to Thai island Koh Samui today (July 15) for the first time in 16 months as the country battles to revive its flat-lining tourism industry.

The nine passengers - all of them ex-pats living in Bangkok - flew to the airport in the south of Thailand to mark the start of the 'Samui Plus' sandbox scheme, which allows vaccinated tourists who have tested negative for Covid-19 to 'quarantine' by roaming the island for 14 days.