The first batch of travellers arrive at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport as Thailand reboots its tourism industry after 18 months of Covid curbs. The coronavirus pandemic hammered the kingdom's tourism-reliant economy, which last year saw its worst performance since the 1997 Asian financial crisis with arrivals down more than 80 percent. Thai authorities have given the green light to vaccinated tourists from more than 60 "low-risk" countries to skip hotel quarantine -- providing the sector a much-needed lifeline. IMAGES