Vaccinated foreign tourists are due to fly into the Thai resort island of Phuket on Thursday, the first to return to its beaches and golf courses under a pilot program to revive a tourism industry devastated by the novel coronavirus.

Millions of people visited Phuket every year before the pandemic and the government and tourism industry hope the reopening will help save its battered economy.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha has flown to Phuket to oversee the reopening, with 249 tourists due to arrive on flights from Israel, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar.

"Most Israelis have been vaccinated and they will be the main group of tourists entering Thailand this time around,” said Taweesin Visanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's coronavirus task force.