smudger1951
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Posts posted by smudger1951
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3 hours ago, mjakob007 said:
Where is the incentive for EV if there are no commercial flights into Thailand yet?
mjakob007, yes, until airlines can see LOS is open for travel they can't re-schedule flights. Thailand will discover it was easier to lockdown back in March than open up again. They can't just snap their fingers. I won't need an EV unless thats an electric vehicle.
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11 hours ago, JensenZ said:
Just to remind you, we are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, without precedent in modern times. It's not like we can draw on recent history for parallels. The country is suffering. The tourist industry has closed down. It's not time to spend billions on a single aircraft when the country is basically broke, or rather it would be if it used its reserves to help their population. We suspected they were holding onto cash and crying poor - this proves it. Now you know, beyond doubt, how much the leaders actually care about their people. They are a disgrace to the human race.
Considering the enormous financial support measures put in place here in UK & elsewhere there must be conseqences for any government which does'nt help it's people and in turn the economy. Purchases like this just rub salt into a wound
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Considering the current lockdown situation airlines need to know when potential passengers can enter the Kingdom before restarting flight schedules and this all takes time. Package holiday companies cannot plan either. I can see the coming high season so many of us hope for just slipping away now.
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2 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:Who needs farang tourists, apparently 3.6 million Thai's have booked hotels since the government provided a 40% rebate for Thai's to holiday domestically and because the "hotels" are doing so good, some hotels have upped their prices by as much as 85% for the long weekend, no doubt they will be empty and crying poor after the long weekend.
Once again, the natural instinct is to introduce specific pricing incentives for thais.
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7 hours ago, Mops59 said:
Forbid all foreigners? Does.that mean Thai people who are registered living abroad with a foreign spouse too? Because they are foreigners too. Does it mean that all foreigners with property in Thailand who stay about 5 months a year in Thailand, go eat at restaurants, play golf, shop in expensive shopping malls, make trips with taxis and so on. Are.they not welcome anymore? Those.who sponsored and.delivered food packages to poor people and jobless people because of this crisis. People with retirement visas can not.come? Why? We like to be in Thailand. We help Thai people who are close. Make difference where needed. If you want to loose us please do keep rejecting our entrance into Thailand. We will spend our money somewhere else and let the government take care of you. I do hope the big moguls want to spend this kind of money.
Mops59, but this was probably a skewed survey. In view of the pandemic statistics scross the the world I understand the reaction. I hope testing, tracking and air bridges will win the day.
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"Gripped with fear" is one thing but judging my partners reaction they are shocked that these Egyptians were allowed to bypass the lockdoen to enter the Kingdom and move around freely. To be fair, Prayut has acknowledged that.
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13 hours ago, solent01 said:
And in the meantime millions are suffering from the economic decline and need government support....... yet the government waste money on a beach for the tourists they won't even let into the country, even if said tourists had an inclination to come.........
solent01, the best comment how true, every word.
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9 hours ago, SuwadeeS said:
First of all, the so called "new normal", I hate it, many people hate it.
Wearing a mask unnatural !!!!!
I like to see the face of people, I like to see the expression when talking to them.
For all the discomfort and disadvantage, somebody has to be responsible.
As a matter of fact, its China with all the lies and disinformation.
Why everybody here ignores it??
Massage is not fun anymore.
We all have to pay a price because of China.
Well said Sir, I am surprised how little China is mentioned for the impact it has caused all over the world.
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4 hours ago, Jingthing said:
Don't forget Russia.
Don't forget everybody else. Funny how the farang prejudices surface to slag off other nations.
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7 hours ago, keith101 said:
If tourism is only 15% of the GDP then the other 85% dont need us .
Keith101, agreed, but the 85% need to export to us. Also many foreign manufacturing companies have come to Thailand, some relocating or retrenching.
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6 hours ago, Wiggy said:
Could it be due to the continued extension of the State of Emergency that makes the UK wary? I mean, it’s almost like Thailand saying itself that things aren’t right.
Absolutely. if LOS is still in Emergency and prohibits us with more hoops to jump through than a dog agility show, what do you ecpect.
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12 hours ago, RichardColeman said:
so you now need two tests for covid, 1 for apply and 1 before fly ? Getting silly now
Going to test the water bring my wife to the uk for a few months, Thailand is dissapearing up its own bottom in paperwork currently.
Richard, I have all but lost hope in returning when the requirements are bewildering as if there were flights entering LOS anyway. Like you, I would love to have my wife come to UK but could she return. ?
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2 hours ago, blazes said:
Surely it's not Covid-19 that needs to be feared this weekend, but rather the carnage on the roads.....
blazes, yes, if only the people in power paid as much attention to road safety.
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4 hours ago, davidmann said:
why not just say thailand is closed to all ,what about north Korea. ,any good beaches
davidmann, yes, thainess is introding ever more impossible restrictions and requirements. Why don't they just say NO, we don't want farang here.
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17 hours ago, bluesofa said:
Of course not. There's no Covid in Thailand, so it must be the dastardly foreigners importing it.
bluesofa, yes, this is what I dread when the doors open to arrivals and if they bring it in the doors will close 14 + 1 days later.
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7 hours ago, johnarth said:
I was an AA member up till I was 75 for accident cover only after that was told to old so how are you going to get cover? I think the government should come up with a plan to cover us oldies as the insurance companies will not, as for a certain lady probably not have a job now, have been told if you have insurance from age 65 through to 70 it is an unknown law that if you want to carry on with your cover the insurance company has to comply, I got 5 years accident cover only, but better than nothing I guess, like I have now, so come on government get a insurance plan going for us oldies, but I think they are using this gimmick as a way of stopping older people from coming to Thailand
Johnarth, at 69 myself I don'nt think the government have a problem with an age group but it's just about restricting arrivals by imposing impossible requirements..
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6 hours ago, TERMINATOR3AB said:
It is really sad but all I read about this virus and Thailands responses I think it will be a long time until normal travel does continue.
I have a wife in Thaialnd but sadly the hoops that the Gov through up are very hard to jump through.
I will gamble on a vacine and bide my time .
Never made a post before but will say the Gov rules I try to understand however feel they will lose more than they will gain for tourism
I feel for the poor people of Thailand ..Good luck all
From what I have seen in my visits the rich will not be affected and as it seems most Gov ministers are very rich
So do they really care ??????
Terminator3AB, I share your pain and frustration. I last saw my thai partner December last year and I do not envisage getting a flight for another 2/3 months. Brits are not at the front of the queue.
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3 hours ago, silverhawk_usa said:
I don't see anyone mentioning the 'Fit to Fly' certificate. Last I heard this was not available in most countries. Updates welcome.
Yes, I could not board my flight on 23rd March, 1st day of lockdown. UK doctors did not issue "fit to fly". Will this change ? Insurance required was 1000,000. Basically, instead of saying NO, the authorities just impose impossible requirementd.
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Judging by the exchange rate to the baht he must be doing something right which the financial world likes. It has'nt shifted throughout this lockdown emergency.
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35 minutes ago, Benmart said:
Ravaged? That describes the roadway carnage in the Land of Safety. How's that for a Thai comparison of death?
Agreed, following the logic we should lockdown all road vehicle traffic until there are no accidents for a month or more, then gradually open up..
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17 hours ago, reallyaffiliated said:
Open for inbound travel but WITH 14 day quarantine.
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2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:In January, prior to Covid, international tourism was down dramatically here. These problems did not start with Covid. Though it is an easy scapegoat now, it is only a part of the reason for the decline in tourism. Some of the following was written prior to Covid. But, it relates just the same, as they will have these same issues down the road again.
This is a situation where nobody is attempting to get to the root of the problem. Of course, in Thai society, it is not particularly popular to look within for the source of the problem. I think perhaps a few decades from now, they will have tourism classes at university, where they will discuss how Thailand lost the golden egg of Western tourism. Those tourists, unlike most Chinese tourists, spent anywhere from $100 a day, to over $2,000 a day. They brought real money into the country, and in exchange, were treated with utter and complete disregard, scammed, disrespected, and abused. Eventually, most said no more. Thailand thought the country was something very special, and that nobody would ever say no, or find alternative places to visit. The fact is that there are countless other spots, many in this region, that offer better service, more expertise in food and beverage (especially wine service and selection at fair prices, which rich tourists demand), reasonable import duties to sustain a luxury goods market, better training, and far better english skills. Thailand simply lost sight of the big picture, and had very little vision, with regard to big spending tourists, who need to be catered to, instead of scorned.
So, what happened? The Western tourists started to decline in number, and the genius minds at the TAT decided it was time to "lure" the Chinese. They came. They came in droves. But, they did not spend much money. Hotels, restaurants, gift shops, jewelers, galleries, spas, massage shops, bars, and countless other businesses suffered, and will continue to suffer from this extreme myopia, on the part of the officials in charge of tourism. Oh well. Can't say they were not warned. Zero baht tourists are perhaps the majority who visit Thailand now. Sure, they spend some money in restaurants, and in 7/11. But, that is about it, for some of the super low budget Chinese tours. Not many rich Chinese are not visiting Thailand, for a dozen good reasons. They have too many other options.
There are countless things the government could be doing, if they wanted to attract the high quality tourists. Granted, they will need to get beyond the Covid phase, but this is the perfect time to be laying the groundwork. The problem with that, is it requires an admission that you are doing things wrong to begin with, and some vision. None of which is going to happen.
The very first thing would be to repeal the anti farang wine bill, that was passed by a few very corrupt senators way back when, to protect an anemic local wine industry, that produces an highly inferior product. They are losing billions of dollars a year in revenue, that would be had from a 100% wine duty, instead of 360%. The five star hotels would have major wine events, and the entire industry would flourish here. Then they could lower the luxury taxes. Rich tourists like to spend money when they travel. And they cannot do that here, as they do not like getting taken for a ride. Most wealthy people are smart with their money. Thailand could be making a fortune on a 25% luxury tax. Instead of the 100% of more, which discourages most people from buying. How many people do you see in the luxury stores here? They are almost always completely empty. Inane. Beyond inane.
They will continue to get more Indian and Chinese tourists. But, it will be lower income, and lower middle income tourists. Thailand just cannot attract higher end tourists anymore. The focus on quantity over quality will continue to erode the nation on countless levels. More is rarely better. It just lowers the quality of life for nearly everyone, creates more congestion, more smog, more traffic, longer lines at immigration, and makes life difficult, especially in the big cities. There are countless things the government could be doing, if they wanted to attract the high quality tourists, and go for quality over quantity.
Quantity over quality is never a good thing, unless you are selling one dollar items at a swap meet. It just lowers the quality of the experience for all. This is an emergency situation. It needs to be dealt with, and it needs a high degree of intelligence and competence. Not something Prayuth or Pipat possess. Someone else needs to handle this, and it needs to be handled yesterday!
You know what they say about putting all of your eggs in one basket? I have been warning of the dangers of becoming too dependent on China for years. Now, after you have made your bed, you get to sleep in it. You have alienated all tourists but Indians and Chinese. Westerners are not coming here anymore for a dozen very good reasons. You insulted us. You demeaned us. You accused us of being evil, and you accused us of being criminals. You mounted campaigns touting us as bad for the nation. You demonstrated deplorable amounts of racism and xenophobia, and fear of the outside world. And now you want us to come back? Really? How soon you forget. Sorry, but we have not forgotten what was done and said. What we have forgotten is the nation named Thailand. There are too many alternatives now, and they are not only trying harder, they actually have competent people in charge! Surprise!
Sorry to say, but the high spending tourists are lost for good. They WILL NOT come back to Thailand, for a dozen different reasons. And places like Pattaya, Phuket and Samui will continue to go downhill. So, the goons at the TAT continue to pursue ever higher numbers, regardless of the noxious air, unbelievable congestion on the roads, and woeful service at the airports, that this policy only exacerbates.
I was recently with a group of friends, and we wanted to order a bottle of wine, at of one of those high end restaurants in the EmQuartier complex. It was Bella Rocca Restaurant. I asked about a 2011 Chianti they had on the list. I was told they were out of stock. I asked about a Barbaresco, at 2,600 baht. Again, out of stock. How about this Nebbiolo? Do you have the 2010, as stated on the list? No, we only have the 2015. OK, what is that wine like? Is it drinking well now? I do not know. Is there anyone here that is familiar with this wine list? No. Sorry sir. Wait a minute. You have hundreds of bottles on this list, ranging from 1200 baht to 10,000 baht per bottle, and NOBODY who works here knows anything about the wine? Are you serious? We all just looked at each other, and got up and walked out. We realized the restaurant was a pretender. And more than likely the food was marginal at best. It was all dressed up to look like a very nice Italian restaurant. But, it appeared to be only window dressing. High end tourists have little patience for that lack of quality and lack of service.
But again, the lack of vision, combined with a naive, surly, silly, churlish, and ignorant sense of nationalism, bites the country in the butt. And again, who is the loser? The Thai people. The entire country is suffering from a declining tourism industry. And that will not change. It is a permanent declining trend. For a hundred valid reasons.
It is a real shame, as I find most Thai people to be quite lovely, friendly, warm, helpful and fun to be around. There are many aspects of life here, that I truly enjoy. I am sure many feel the same way. Just wish the country was not moving backwards, (and was instead moving forward under the leadership of progressive minds) due to a system of meritocracy, and a complete lack of forward looking vision. A nice dream indeed.
Moving the country forward? I think not. More like "Moving Thailand backwards at an alarming pace".
spidermike007, a very good comment and analysis of blinkered policies in LOS. Also, just imajine the inflow if foreigners could truly buy a property in their own name. The difference between LOS and UK is total.
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You are right the lockdown kicked on 23 rd March, the day I was booked to return by chance. I await the stats for June- August which would be 100 % as there is no info on opening up.
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1 hour ago, meinphuket said:As none of these are on group tours, and travel on different dates and months, what airlines are willing to operate near empty flights just because Bangkok wants to limit the numbers ? Another idea not thought through properly.
Yes, my thoughts exactly, until the doors are opened to larger numbers of travellers from mainstream countries airlines will not put flight schedules in place.
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PM urged to ease visa restrictions for foreign teachers and students
in Thailand News
Posted
How can airlines restart flight schedules when only small numbers are permitted to enter the Kingdom. Or is it only Thai Airways operating in the future ? Stop the charade and open travel corridors with reciprocal countries.