Nightcrawler Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Must be quite tough for business in places like Pattaya, Bangkok and Phuket etc who depend on tourism including bars, restaurants, hotels/guest Houses, shops, tour operators etc right down to m/c and baht bus taxis. There appears to be very low levels of C19 in these areas and I have read talk of the lockdown and restrictions being lifted maybe in the next month. But no one knows for sure But will many of these businesses reopen straight away (providing they have not closed for good)? It will be dependent on tourists and if they are not present, is it worth opening some of those businesses with few to no customers with overheads and staff salaries to pay etc? I am reading that some airlines may resume flights in July but we don't yet know much detail. If the 2 week quarantine on arrival is still in place by then, it will not be attractive for 2 or 3 week holiday makers Then there is the issue of the Virus itself and how the situation changes. I also wonder whether girls who have gone home to their villages etc will hurry back down to Entertainment areas and will bars be more inclined to take on freelancers on commission as opposed to salaried staff A lot of questions here and perhaps we can only guess as to how things will pan out. I would be interested to hear from any business owners on this forum In particular as well everyone's thoughts on the matter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcfc2007 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I've read, and been told, that a quite a few restaurants in Pattaya haven't bothered reopening yet. Some that did reopen have closed again. A lack of custom and staff being back in the provinces doesn't make trading easy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqualung Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Thailand for some reason seems to have gotten off lightly regarding the covid situation. If I thought for one moment the figures re deaths and infections were true I would be there as soon as affordable flights were available. Unfortunately.. I have my doubts and will sit this situation out and see what pans out. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcfc2007 Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 57 minutes ago, Aqualung said: Thailand for some reason seems to have gotten off lightly regarding the covid situation. If I thought for one moment the figures re deaths and infections were true I would be there as soon as affordable flights were available. Unfortunately.. I have my doubts and will sit this situation out and see what pans out. People say this, but if the hospitals in Thailand were bursting at the seams with ICU patients, there's no way that wouldn't have found its way on to social media. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Spice Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 23 minutes ago, dcfc2007 said: People say this, but if the hospitals in Thailand were bursting at the seams with ICU patients, there's no way that wouldn't have found its way on to social media. Agreed. Same here in Bali. If hospitals were overflowing with patients it would be all over social media with all the dramatically hyped videos etc..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forcebwithu Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 1 hour ago, Aqualung said: Thailand for some reason seems to have gotten off lightly regarding the covid situation. If I thought for one moment the figures re deaths and infections were true I would be there as soon as affordable flights were available. Unfortunately.. I have my doubts and will sit this situation out and see what pans out. In early February and into March I had serious doubts about the accuracy of Thailand's reported numbers. And I think the jury is still be out they may be guilty of misclassification of China virus hospitalizations as pneumonia. But if the hospitals were overwhelmed, or there were large numbers of infected people, social media and the jungle grapevine would be rife with reports. That's just not the case. So somehow Thailand has dodged a major bullet on this one, and it's not due to the competence of decision makers. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcfc2007 Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 1 minute ago, forcebwithu said: In early February and into March I had serious doubts about the accuracy of Thailand's reported numbers. And I think the jury is still be out they may be guilty of misclassification of China virus hospitalizations as pneumonia. But if the hospitals were overwhelmed, or there were large numbers of infected people, social media and the jungle grapevine would be rife with reports. That's just not the case. So somehow Thailand has dodged a major bullet on this one, and it's not due to the competence of decision makers. For sure the number of infections is likely to be many times higher than the number recorded. However, that isn't really important, what matters is hospitalisations and deaths, Thailand has had comparatively few deaths compared to most other nations. As a matter of fact there will have been more deaths and hospitalisations due to road accidents than Covid19 over the same period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forcebwithu Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 3 minutes ago, dcfc2007 said: For sure the number of infections is likely to be many times higher than the number recorded. However, that isn't really important, what matters is hospitalisations and deaths, Thailand has had comparatively few deaths compared to most other nations. As a matter of fact there will have been more deaths and hospitalisations due to road accidents than Covid19 over the same period. The number of road deaths in one day exceeded the total number of CV19 deaths in the 24hr period after the end of the alcohol ban. And I hope no one misconstrues that as advocating the return of the alcohol ban as I firmly believe you can't fix stupid, so why make everyone pay for the stupidity of the few. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcfc2007 Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 8 minutes ago, forcebwithu said: The number of road deaths in one day exceeded the total number of CV19 deaths in the 24hr period after the end of the alcohol ban. And I hope no one misconstrues that as advocating the return of the alcohol ban as I firmly believe you can't fix stupid, so why make everyone pay for the stupidity of the few. They told us the lockdown was to flatten the curve. The curve in Thailand has been completely flattened. Now let's get those businesses up and running and let the Thai people get back to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Spice Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Can't help laughing when I read this.... How many times we read or heard the same stuff.... https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1917576/cp-chief-pushes-tourism-reboot Mr Dhanin proposed the government attract high-spending tourists from across the world by highlighting Thailand's success in containing the spread of Covid-19. ...... "This reflects the fact that our doctors and hospitals are the best and we need to tell the world about it," he said. ..... He said the government should take advantage of Thailand's low Covid-19 figures and turn the kingdom into a "safe haven" for wealthy individuals from around the world. "If we can make rich people feel confident that staying in Thailand is safer than their own countries then they will come." He said now is the time for Thailand to shift its tourism image from "quantity to quality". ..... Note : the comments section is worth a read as well ! 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homor Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 I heard that Thailand will reopen its airports soon with China the only country able to fly in . 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code_slayer_bkk Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 4 hours ago, Aqualung said: Thailand for some reason seems to have gotten off lightly regarding the covid situation. If I thought for one moment the figures re deaths and infections were true I would be there as soon as affordable flights were available. Unfortunately.. I have my doubts and will sit this situation out and see what pans out. Yea Bro -- you cannot trust the stats ... I don't believe the stats either ... I have been back in BKK the last week and other than 7/11's the place is a ghost town ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post code_slayer_bkk Posted May 14, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted May 14, 2020 (edited) 48 minutes ago, Homor said: I heard that Thailand will reopen its airports soon with China the only country able to fly in . China and South Korea .... Thailand is a puppet to China with the China Belt Road initiative ... billions and billions of baht ... Why? Because there are dirt poor people here ( cheap labor ) and gals that will do anything for 1K baht ... a baht hungry nation with leadership that is questionable at best ... Another nation that believes in "face" and baht over anything else Edited May 14, 2020 by code_slayer_bkk 3 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code_slayer_bkk Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 1 hour ago, Thai Spice said: He said the government should take advantage of Thailand's low Covid-19 figures and turn the kingdom into a "safe haven" for wealthy individuals from around the world. LOL ... all the Thais want is baht .. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code_slayer_bkk Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 2 hours ago, dcfc2007 said: They told us the lockdown was to flatten the curve. The curve in Thailand has been completely flattened. Now let's get those businesses up and running and let the Thai people get back to work. Bro -- it is about power .. not about the virus ... Places like Pattaya, Phuket, Nana, Cowboy, Khaosean Road, etc. ... its all about tourist baht ... No tourism .. no baht .... simple ... The Thai government knows this for sure .... why is the government supposed to start allowing fights from China back into Thailand ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcfc2007 Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 4 minutes ago, code_slayer_bkk said: Bro -- it is about power .. not about the virus ... Places like Pattaya, Phuket, Nana, Cowboy, Khaosean Road, etc. ... its all about tourist baht ... No tourism .. no baht .... simple ... The Thai government knows this for sure .... why is the government supposed to start allowing fights from China back into Thailand ? The TAT love the Chinese hordes because they come in big numbers. Like you allude to in another post, it saves face from the westerners that aren't traveling to Thailand as much now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roobob Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 (edited) I would say that many westerners would like to travel to Thailand..... but at the moment their Govts are restricting them from travelling.... that is not the Thais fault. It will be interesting to see what happens when the restrictions are lifted....especially the 14 day quarantine thing...I think that will go.... after all the Thais are considering of adding another tourist tax up to 300bhat for future Covid Insurance.... so it will be down to the money...555 cgeers Edited May 14, 2020 by roobob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roomark Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Just now, roobob said: cgeers Cgeers 🤔😷 Your temp ok Bob? 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code_slayer_bkk Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 16 minutes ago, roobob said: I would say that many westerners would like to travel to Thailand..... but at the moment their Govts are restricting them from travelling.... that is not the Thais fault. It will be interesting to see what happens when the restrictions are lifted....especially the 14 day quarantine thing...I think that will go.... after all the Thais are considering of adding another tourist tax up to 300bhat for future Covid Insurance.... so it will be down to the money...555 cgeers Just like I said .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homor Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Tourist industry is 45 billion pounds every year to Thailand love to see a breakdown of that . How much do chinese pay compared with western vistors 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code_slayer_bkk Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 18 minutes ago, roobob said: I would say that many westerners would like to travel to Thailand..... but at the moment their Govts are restricting them from travelling.... that is not the Thais fault. It will be interesting to see what happens when the restrictions are lifted....especially the 14 day quarantine thing...I think that will go.... after all the Thais are considering of adding another tourist tax up to 300bhat for future Covid Insurance.... so it will be down to the money...555 cgeers I think the last 3 - 4 months ( maybe a little more ) the Thai Immigration ( the government ) was proposing ( passed into law - I think ) and then rescinded ... about farangs having to have at least 1M baht insurance policy before there annual visa expired and was renewed .... The government was also proposing that you keep at least 800K baht in a bank account 3 - 4 months before your renewal date .... I am not sure how that went ... I just got my annual visa approved again and there was no talk about me showing a bank account book ... so, this one I don't know .. Double pricing for farangs ... at many of the tourists attractions ( holes ) if not all If you walk into a local mom and pop shop .. for sure you never get the Thai price unless you have been going to them for years or another Thai is with you My list is endless ( or maybe and end ) about the double pricing here in Thai .... And I have lived here well over 20 years ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code_slayer_bkk Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 6 minutes ago, Homor said: Tourist industry is 45 billion pounds every year to Thailand love to see a breakdown of that . How much do chinese pay compared with western vistors I am sure there is a break down on China GDP spending here in thailand ... on Google .. sorry Bro .. I have been drinking to many beers and to lazy to look ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forcebwithu Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 1 hour ago, code_slayer_bkk said: I think the last 3 - 4 months ( maybe a little more ) the Thai Immigration ( the government ) was proposing ( passed into law - I think ) and then rescinded ... about farangs having to have at least 1M baht insurance policy before there annual visa expired and was renewed .... The government was also proposing that you keep at least 800K baht in a bank account 3 - 4 months before your renewal date .... I am not sure how that went ... I just got my annual visa approved again and there was no talk about me showing a bank account book ... so, this one I don't know .. Double pricing for farangs ... at many of the tourists attractions ( holes ) if not all If you walk into a local mom and pop shop .. for sure you never get the Thai price unless you have been going to them for years or another Thai is with you My list is endless ( or maybe and end ) about the double pricing here in Thai .... And I have lived here well over 20 years ... Health insurance is required for the non-OA, but if you have the non-O it's not needed. Money in the bank 2 months prior, and 3 months after for both visa types and extensions for either. IIRC, you posted before you use an agent, so part of the fee is probably going for a "waiver" of the money in the bank requirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigi Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 (edited) The Maison Saigon restaurant in Bangkok has put panda soft toys on the chairs. Placing one of these adorable pandas on the chairs seems friendlier than cordoning the areas off with signs to prevent people from sitting there. Edited May 15, 2020 by Sigi 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Spice Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 18 minutes ago, Sigi said: The Maison Saigon restaurant in Bangkok has put panda soft toys on the chairs. Placing one of these adorable pandas on the chairs seems friendlier than cordoning the areas off with signs to prevent people from sitting there. Nice idea.... But I can see T.S. going there with his mates and moving a bit the pandas... A table with 4 pandas, next to a table of 4 farang.....😁😁😁😄😄😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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