Thailand drops registration for visitors, outdoor mask rule

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand is lifting a pre-arrival registration requirement for foreign visitors that was seen as onerous and a drag on the recovery for a tourism industry battered by the coronavirus pandemic. An outdoor mask mandate also will be dropped as of July 1 except in crowded venues. The mask mandate was not controversial in Thailand and generally obeyed. Thailand began gradually easing entry requirements late last year. But the online registration process was seen as discouraging tourists. Visitors still have to show they’ve been vaccinated or have a recent negative test for the virus.