"Some hotels had the packages that included limousine and Covid-19 testing but also allowed visitors to reserve only rooms and seek RT-PCR testing themselves. This shows that such hotels intentionally deceived visitors," Sirirangson said.
Hotels then provided misleading details that allowed applicants to get QR approval for a Thailand Pass through the foreign ministry web portal.
Thailand Pass requirements include a full vaccination status, US$50,000 health insurance and a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours of boarding the flight.
However, once visitors arrived, they were forced to purchase a new package that included airport transport and testing or be turned away.
Following the tourism restart in March, airport authorities blocked 73 travellers from entering the country. These travellers were deported for not complying with Thai covid-19 immigration measures, reported the Bangkok Post.
Srirangson said some hotels had refused to provide refunds to customers who had to cancel their reservations and buy a package somewhere else.
Hotels had been warned in advance that passengers flying into Thailand would need to purchase a limousine service and Covid-19 test or be rejected at the border.
One possible explanation for the deceit is desperation.
Like most countries, Thailand's travel and tourism industry was devastated by the sudden halt in tourists. A recent survey from the Bank of Thailand and the Thai Hotels Association (THA) found 9 per cent of hotel operators wanted to permanently close while 52 per cent were considering a temporary shutdown.
On 1 November Thailand reopened to fully vaccinated tourists arriving by air from 63 different countries, making it one of the first countries in Southeast Asia to welcome tourists without quarantine.
