The island plans to buy enough vaccine doses to inoculate 70% of its roughly 400,000 residents by September 1 to reach herd immunity in the local population. The undertaking is to be funded by multiple business groups including the Phuket Chamber of Commerce. The plan, called “Phuket First October,” still needs to be approved by the government. Thailand reopened to foreign travelers in October with a new special tourist visa program, but tourists are still required to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival. In 2019, almost 40 million foreign tourists visited Thailand, bringing in more than $64 billion in revenue. In 2020, the year international travel all but evaporated, Thailand’s tourism revenue was a fraction of that.