Thailand opened its gates to fully-vaccinated tourists on Monday, welcoming the first wave of visitors in 18 months who will not have to quarantine in a hotel.

The relaxation contrasts with tightening lockdowns elsewhere, notably in eastern Europe where infections have hit record numbers, and in parts of China, which has taken a zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19 despite relatively few cases.

Hundreds of vaccinated foreign tourists arrived in the Thai capital for quarantine-free travel after the Southeast Asian nation approved visitors from more than 60 countries, including China and the United States.

-Reuters -