Butch Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 (edited) Mods This is also cross post from the Pattaya talk forum, where I put it up an hour or so ago. Apologies if it is in the wrong area. https://www.ttgasia.com/2020/08/07/tat-deputy-governor-dashes-hopes-of-2020-reopening-for-thailands-international-borders/ Text paste: AT deputy governor dashes hopes of 2020 reopening for Thailand’s international borders By Marissa Carruthers / Posted on 7 August, 2020 18:50 Thailand is unlikely to reopen its borders to international leisure visitors this year, predicted a deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Speaking at a webinar hosted by Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and TravelMole, Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, deputy governor for international marketing at TAT, said that there has been no talk of or timeline issued for reopening the country to inbound or outbound leisure travel during weekly Covid-19 national meetings. He added that as part of the government’s “very, very cautious” approach to reopening borders, he does not expect Thailand to welcome leisure visitors until 2021. Noted Ayudhya: “I see no signal from the government that the country will open this year. That’s putting lot of pressure on the tourism industry. The Christmas period, usually the high season, is in jeopardy and I’m looking horribly even to Chinese New Year in February, which is an iffy proposition at best now. Unfortunately, this is not a rosy picture.” He added that discussions over creating travel bubbles have also been halted. Said Ayudhya: “Last month, there was talk about forming travel bubbles. That talk has not continued so far because of outbreaks in many of the countries we were hoping to get tourists from, unfortunately, including Vietnam.” However, the list of groups allowed into Thailand under strict measures has been expanded from diplomats, UN officials, as well as business people and investors who have an agreement with the government to include film crews and exhibition personnel. This is only applicable to visitors from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, China and Hong Kong. Every arrival must spend 14 days in quarantine. Thailand will also open up to select countries for medical tourism. Ayudhya added plans are being mooted for when safe bubbles can be formed for leisure travel, with a proposal that all visitors spend a minimum of 30 days in the country. This would be in designated areas – probably islands, such as Koh Samui or Phuket. “Currently, this is not moving forward as the government is taking a wait-and-see attitude. They want to see how the current groups of foreigners, such as film crews and diplomats, do first. There is still a lot of nervousness,” he said. With uncertainties surrounding the reopening of borders to international travel, Thai tourism operators are proposing a new inbound tourism plan, called Safe and Sealed, to replace travel bubbles, reported the Bangkok Post. The scheme is designed to help tourism businesses tide through and avoid layoffs this year, should Thai borders remain shut to international visitors. During a joint meeting of the Tourism and Sports Ministry and the private sector chaired by tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, tourism-related groups proposed to allow tourists to enter Thailand in 4Q, said the report. As compared to the travel bubble scheme, the plan envisages safer, more flexible screening procedures for many countries, it added. Under the plan, explained Vichit, only visitors from cities with a record of zero infections for at least a 30-day window will be selected, and they will be able to travel and stay in designated hotels and provinces. Other safety protocols will include a Covid-free certificate 72 hours before flights, as well as insurance and swab tests. The report also quoted Vichit Prakobgosol, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, as saying that although Thailand has started allowing entry for certain group of foreigners, the tally will be below 100,000, which is inadequate to buoy the tourism industry. The new inbound plan is expected to draw at least 500,000 tourists to Thailand and generate 50 billion baht in revenue, according to the report. TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said Phiphat will forward the proposal to related organisations, said the report. According to Yuthasak, the tourism sector employed four million workers pre-Covid, but with businesses having zero revenue over the past six months, unemployment in the sector could grow to 2.5 million. Edited August 9, 2020 by Butch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misteregg Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 Yes, read this. Not a throw away comment. But expanded on. No tourism till 20201 It’s difficult to see how many will survive without understanding landlords and government. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bexwell Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 1 minute ago, misteregg said: Yes, read this. Not a throw away comment. But expanded on. No tourism till 20201 It’s difficult to see how many will survive without understanding landlords and government. 20201, I'll be 20,034. I hope the pound has recovered against the baht by then. 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fforest Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 And what will happen when the flu season hits next winter?......You don't have to be a rocketsurgeon to figure this one out...... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 (edited) 2 minutes ago, fforest said: And what will happen when the flu season hits next winter?......You don't have to be a rocketsurgeon to figure this one out...... "They" (the rocketsurgeons) will say, "the flu is just like COVID-19..." Edited August 9, 2020 by lazarus gargling 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPK Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 I've written this year off already, I'm just looking forward to the massive blowout once i eventually get over next year sometime. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelers4Life Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 Who will be allowed into the kingdom in 2021? What criteria will be used for what countries will be allowed in? Just because Swampy opens up in 2021 doesn't mean all countries will welcomed in right away. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 12 minutes ago, Steelers4Life said: Who will be allowed into the kingdom in 2021? What criteria will be used for what countries will be allowed in? Just because Swampy opens up in 2021 doesn't mean all countries will welcomed in right away. Going to be a long, long time before Americans will be allowed in... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelers4Life Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 4 minutes ago, lazarus said: Going to be a long, long time before Americans will be allowed in... If they go by our numbers (which they most likely will) you're right. If they would only go by death rate per capita, we would stand a better chance. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 10 minutes ago, Steelers4Life said: If they go by our numbers (which they most likely will) you're right. If they would only go by death rate per capita, we would stand a better chance. Tell that to a Thai (government) person... They don't care about numbers...it's optics. They let one American in who infects a Thai person... Nowhere is the news more sensationalized than in Thailand. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code_slayer_bkk Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 Did anyone "really" expect different results ? Jeez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code_slayer_bkk Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 2 hours ago, lazarus said: Tell that to a Thai (government) person... They don't care about numbers...it's optics. They let one American in who infects a Thai person...Nowhere is the news more sensationalized than in Thailand. I would argue with you a little .. I think the USA .... But we are Bros .. so never mind ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code_slayer_bkk Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, lazarus said: Going to be a long, long time before Americans will be allowed in... What about the Chinese .. lol This wuhan virus has turned into a lot more .. it is all now becoming geo-political ... Edited August 9, 2020 by code_slayer_bkk 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, code_slayer_bkk said: What about the Chinese .. lol This wuhan virus has turned into a lot more .. it is all now becoming geo-political ... .... https://www.thaiwebsites.com/tourism.asp https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-cases/#case-distribution https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-cases/#case-distribution Edited August 9, 2020 by lazarus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Smooth Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 Case numbers are greater in America because there have been more tests in America than anywhere else, over 61 million as of August 8, 2020, nearly one fifth of the population. I don't believe those China statistics at all. If they tested a similar number of their own population, they would be number one in cases. But since hundreds of millions of Chinese will never set foot outside the border of China, it doesn't matter. I was hoping for booking a trip to Thailand just after Christmas but that looks grim. Figuring now maybe it could be a year later, December of '21. Now considering the Dom Rep as a back up plan but will have to wait and see what's going on there as a curfew is currently in place and the usual joints are either closed or just open for limited hours. For those of us who have planned our lives around foreign travel, which I suppose would include a huge number of members here, this entire Covid-19 situation has been one big, bad dream. Whether you think this is real or phony, a genuine healthcare crisis or a government conspiracy, if you enjoy foreign travel to specific countries for fun and good times, you are at the mercy of that particular countries government requirements for entry pertaining to their Covid-19 protocol. In the meantime, we all just have to wait it out and hope the wait is over sooner rather than later. But reading that news sure doesn't sound promising for a sooner end. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Spice Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 So everybody applauded loudly the things put in place by governments worldwide. Masks, social separation, destruction of social cohesion, mass destruction of the economy, millions of people losing their jobs etc .... And now the same people complain ? Sorry..... but you know what I think about it. 2 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayray Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 8 hours ago, lazarus said: Tell that to a Thai (government) person... They don't care about numbers...it's optics. They let one American in who infects a Thai person... Nowhere is the news more sensationalized than in Thailand. except in NY,LA, USA. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code_slayer_bkk Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 (edited) 48 minutes ago, grayray said: except in NY,LA, USA. Bro ... add SF, Chicago and Baltimore ... lol .. lol What f**k'ed up sewer holes .. jeez ... Edited August 10, 2020 by code_slayer_bkk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelers4Life Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 This is a bummer. Just another opinion being spewed, but a buzz kill nonetheless. Thai Doctor Opinion 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roobob Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 11 hours ago, lazarus said: Nowhere is the news more sensationalized than in Thailand. I would say that it runs a long way behind some other countries...lol. cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 (edited) 40 minutes ago, roobob said: I would say that it runs a long way behind some other countries...lol. cheers Guess you missed the stories about the Egyptian Air Force contingent in Rayong that jumped quarantine? Edited August 10, 2020 by lazarus lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roobob Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 25 minutes ago, lazarus said: Guess you missed the stories about the Egyptian Air Force contingent in Rayong that jumped quarantine? No I didn't miss them at all and quite rightly reported what occurred. I would say news is more sensationalised in countries like Australia.....England....and the US more than Thailand..... you only have to look the printed media outlets and some of the tripe that is televised in those countries..... especially on the old ABC in Australia. cheers 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 2 minutes ago, roobob said: No I didn't miss them at all and quite rightly reported what occurred. I would say news is more sensationalised in countries like Australia.....England....and the US more than Thailand..... you only have to look the printed media outlets and some of the tripe that is televised in those countries..... especially on the old ABC in Australia. cheers Never seen ABC Australia...so can't comment on that. Rarely watch US news on TV except for streaming PBS News Hour and that's fairly tame (which is why I watch it). The papers I read online are more of the mainstream variety. I avoid the tabloids. Thai language newspapers are mostly drama and sensation (at least from what I can tell). The Thai English papers less so. I read the Bangkok Post regulatory when I lived there. Thai TV News is blood and guts, car crashes, "perp" walks and reenactments, etc. Lots of photographers rushing stories, police showing off, politicians pumping it up. In Rayong I think the news played up the fear factor & the government screw-up stories. They may have reported it correctly but it sure got a lot of people riled up over what turned out to be almost nothing (i.e., no new infections). Yet, maybe that's a microcosm of the entire COVID-19 story. cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeb Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Its all about getting a safe effective vaccine and even though this normally takes years, it remains the best hope for all of us getting back to out normal lives including International travel. Its all I want for Christmas. This Christmas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roobob Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 I would not say the discovery of a person who was infected with the CV19 virus openly walking around in Rayong is almost nothing. Luckily it did not lead to more infections. cheers 21 minutes ago, lazarus said: They may have reported it correctly but it sure got a lot of people riled up over what turned out to be almost nothing (i.e., no new infections). Yet, maybe that's a microcosm of the entire COVID-19 story. cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts