the green light

about the 129,000 visitors - Their numbers came from their statistic modeling like that 

150passagers per plane - 20 planes per days for 45 days = 135k visitors in 2 month

for 7 airlines flying to Phuket with small airplanes to Phuket, the numbers should be  100 passengers - 7 planes  - 45 days= 30k arrivals for 2 months....

However,  in my estimation, the the arrival number will be close to 20k ..it is summer season in  Europe and Thailand is in the Monsoon season.. European would rather go close to home in the summer for now.

Domestically travel to Phuket has been always the norm during low season because of cheap hotels.  that market has always been there.

Looking at the picture of the article - great hotel on the beach...

it is  for sure a 5 star hotel. costing more than $150/ night

Phuket has always been for a 7 days holiday for a lot of tourists . high Cost of hotels  and availability of time off of the visitors.

I was wondering if a visitor want to just visit Phuket  for 7 days and not the rest of Thailand, would he be forced to stay in Phuket for 14 days and go through all those expensive tests before going home ?

We will know the rules  after July 1 if all visitors must buy 14 days in a hotel whether they stay 7 or 14 days? will hotels must be prepaid before arrival ?

Just because they come up with a plan...it  is assummed a s success.

It is still a quarantine outside your room. It will attract few who wants to return to their place of residence in Thailand. or other visitors who want just stay on Phuket only for the duration of their stay in Thailand.

They seem to be all missing few main issues for the regular tourist:

1. Cost of the quarantine- No freebies..14 days 5 stars in Phuket  $$$$$$

2.Inability to move to the rest of the country with high level infection .(not fun)

2. the hassle returning home and being quarantine again. (headache and more $$$$)

there will be some arrivals for sure  but not in the large number as they predicted. It is just nothing but the old rules with a flavor.  let me 5555555 for all these numbers of arrivals.

11 hours ago, jesimps said:

Guarantee that 20% are farang long-stay visa holders returning to their homes and families via Phuket. It's a better option than a quarantine hotel in Bangkok.

Great ....The plan works well for the returnees planning to stay long time in Thailand.

they will be few of them.

The idea of this plan is for the tourism masses to come to Thailand.. that will not happened

Just now, the green light said:

wrong word ?bypassing quarantine"

you have same quarantine just like Bangkok outside your room.. forced to buy a 15 days at a 5-star hotel and you can't leave the island , you are tracked, tested  just like Bangkok

 

so what is so great? i don't know

16 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

 

So "expected 20% occupancy". How many hotels will actually be open to receive foreign guests on this scheme? I suggest it is not 20% occupancy of total hotel rooms on the island of Phuket. "lies damn lies and statistics" is a comment that springs to mind.

 

 

wrong word ?bypassing quarantine"

you have same quarantine ajust like bangkok outside your room.. forced to buy a 15 days at a 5-star hotel and you can't leave the island , you are tracked, tested  just like bangkok

so what is so great? i don't know

I like this statement 

"if the Sandbox scheme goes smoothly, authorities plan to replicate it "

Reading all the feedback on this scheme, It will not go smoothly . It may benefit some people ( foreign or Thai) who are returning to their properties on the island and it will attract few of the hundred of them . It may make  a dent to the tally chart of arrivals to declare the success of the sandbox. 

But  the tourism masses will not be motivated to come to Thailand on holidays now.  The main reason the forced quarantine on both end.. Tourists have a limited time and money when they go on vacation. 

Due to this pandemic , I think that Hotel association and TAT services need to understand that the tourism game has changed. It is not about Chinese, Indian ,of Europeans or how many  and when. Those days are over and can't be recovered.

They need to come up with a good plan to lure tourism back with no hassle, and understand that there are competitive countries. They are beautiful beaches all over the world. So Why is Thailand so special and what attracts tourism to Thailand? is It the only jewel that the whole world need to see?

If the country safety is important and If the government does not have faith that the fully vaccinated tourism are safe and can enter the country with no quarantine, then international arrivals should be all stopped for now.

To open the country and make it difficult for the tourists, it is  sending not a positive image about visiting the country, considering that these tourists will have more hassle returning to their own country  with their own quarantine.

i really do not know how this plan will help Phuket gets on its feet.

23 hours ago, billd766 said:

<snip quote "

For its part, Phuket has been racing to vaccinate 70% of its residents - a requirement for reopening - with 60% having received a first dose so far, a rate far higher than capital Bangkok, epicentre of Thailand's worst outbreak yet. Phuket has recorded single digit cases most days since May, when it introduced negative test requirements for domestic arrivals. Bangkok, in contrast, recorded hundreds of new cases each day last month." snip>

 

Of Course Phuket has inoculated more people than Bangkok and of course Bangkok, in contrast, recorded hundreds of new cases each day last month.

 

All you need to do is to look at the size of the populations and the area that both Phuket and Bangkok cover.

one dosage of vaccines is not enough to get full protection. Without the 2nd dosage at 4 month apart, there is possibility that the virus will flair up for those of one dosage vaccination.

Looking at  Seychelles islands, they were fully vaccinated with SInovac. Recently the virus has flared up..  It will be safer when the 2nd dosage is implemented.

what do you expect?  Many farangs said "I told you so"

the Phuket sandbox has still a 14 days forced quarantine on the island. vs being quarantine in a room in Bangkok.

Phuket hotels are not cheap. It ads a lot of money. for the regular tourist to be forced to spend a lot of cash in one place.

the Phuket sandbox works well for people who are returning to their home in Phuket. They are living in Thailand ,Of course at an additional cost of roughly

Baht 50k

For the normal tourist, there is no value added to visit Thailand for the way it is structured.

It is always the catch-22.  For the economy to move forward, It depends on people spending money. 

The "happy" solution is vaccination , stimulus money and time. Hope for the best.

11 hours ago, cardinalblue said:

What’s most discerning is being a fully vaccinated foreigner counts for nothing...yet, all these requirements in place as they cite their own low vaccination rates....

 

As they say, speaking out of both sides of their mouth....can’t have both ways....

I think the only effective vaccines are the Pfizer and  Moderna..Chinese and AZ are not effective.

Latest news  from the Internet

"Costa Rica said Wednesday that will not purchase the Sinovac vaccine from China. - Some places using China's other vaccine - Sinopharm - have had unexpected surges in virus cases." 

Bottom line, they should allowed tourists vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna  only into the country with no quarantine. They are 90% efficient

This article is not telling anything to affect the trend of foreigners living in thailand. But merely who is doing business in thailand whether selling, buying or support their industries.. It has nothing to do with tourism.

owning Condos in Bangkok is not for the  "normal joe". they are expensive and the maintenance fees are quite high.

the main buyers are foreign businesses for themselves or their employees to live short term in Thailand and never for the  60 days tourist .

Some of them will buy them to lease them for profit  to bring certain group of people to live close by like the Russian and Chinese. Japanese and American typically lease apartments. It is just a preferred choice and not a trend

Retirees like to live next to the seaside  or buy a house in up country

Jus to say the top condo are own by Chinese.. does not say anything. a "sleeper" article

3 hours ago, RR2020 said:

 

And there is the trouble with Vaccinated people.

 

Vaccinated people can get the virus, can be sick with the virus, can spread the virus, and can die from the virus.

 

They should be treated no differently to non vaccinated.

 

If you dont want PCR tests, dont travel.  Simple as that. 

 

Vaccinated and non-Vaccinated should all be tested by PCR the same - to stop the spread of Covid in its many variant forms.

 

 

it is just a fear but never a proven factor and quite rare to get the virus after being vaccinated.  Vaccines has an efficient window. Pfizer has a 90% efficiency.

others in the range of 60%. 

Nobody died form the virus when being injected with Pfizer or Moderna. 

If we use your point of view, the infection in  Thailand  will never go away even with vaccines.  Your opinion is not proven correct. People are spending a lot of money for the vaccines and it shows that it is working to control the infection

If you have tested negatively by the airlines to come to Thailand , you should not be quarantine or keep testing again. - waste of money 

Bottom line . "NOBODY WILL COME WITH ALL THESE RESTRICTIONS.===> DO THAILAND WANTS THE TOURISTS  BACK IN OR NOT?"  making it so restrictive is not the answer

4 hours ago, Excel said:

Well to be serious I can think of a few

1) People who have families living there

2) People who have, or thought they had, a business there

3) People who bought property there many of whom at grossly inflated prices there

4) Drug dealers as it is  renowned location for freely available drugs

 

ok fine.. the plan will just work for the foreigners who wants to return to their place in Phuket.. but not 129,000 of them.

another miscalculation on 2 points

1, Many of tourists who travels are fully vaccinated. They are not happy with all the strict requirement to be in Phuket and unnecessary  expenses. Nobody will ever consider using this scheme. the number s are few or zero to none.

2. how can they say the people in Phuket are  vaccinated when the majority has only received one dosage. and I think that there is not enough for the 2nd dosage. The virus will spread because they are not fully protected, It has nothing to do with fully vaccinated people .  

It has never been proven that fully vaccinated people can carry the disease and infect others. so why in Thailand they are worry to catch the infection from fully vaccinated people? 

In reality, the government is not ready to open the country...and it is just a formality  to just add more money in the hotel business and that it shows that something is done.

It is like this . " "you go fishing with all the things you need to catch fish but use the wrong bait, you will catch no fish"

Just now, the green light said:

there are better places to go than Thailand now for a holiday

Just now, the green light said:

quarantine + health insurance ( useless) + covid19 test upon arrival for fully vaccinated tourists + app on the phone + bracelets to be tracked.

 

These things will not lure tourists to come over again like 2019

there are better to go than Thailand now for a holiday

2 hours ago, sahibji said:

It is good to be optimistic but opening up to international tourism in 120days is a difficult bet.

quarantine + health insurance ( useless) + covid19 test upon arrival for fully vaccinated tourists + app on the phone + bracelets to be tracked.

These things will not lure tourists to come over again like 2019

Just now, the green light said:

Nothing has been said about quarantine and health insurance? Until the government removes the quarantine and proof of health insurance and no covd19 test upon arrival.. No visitors will come to Thailand.  It is all fluff air to make everybody feel that we will be back to normal.

 

The united states started vaccinated since January. We are 6 month down the pike  and the country is not yet in order.. things are costing more and there is a shortage on many items. It is an indication that factory is not operating at full speed. And 4 month later ,  most American  got another stimulus. Things take time to get fixed. there is no quick quick fix.

 

Without vaccination and relaxing the immigration rules.. nobody will come to Thailand this winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

11 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

They'll be made in China so won't work for 14 days anyhow ????

and you have to pay for it too probably at a cost of Bht3k-5k including battery

we can say,, it is not happy fun Phuket but happy jail time 

DO TAT believe that farang tourists would enjoy being watched and tracked on vacation.?

all these restrictive ideas do not help opening the country for tourism.

Just now, the green light said:

OK putting aside all restriction.

 

I need to ask  TAT the questions

What will attract to lure tourism back to Thailand.? 

 

their travel  competitions are Greece , Spain, Morocco and Turkey..etc

They have  no quarantine ,  no health insurance. cheap flight, easy of mobility in the country , beach amenities, variety of food, girls( I am sure for fun) and bars. Overall reasonable cheap..

 

so the question is "WHY ANYBODY WOULD THINK GOING TO THAILAND?"

EVEN Asian tourists would consider Europe over Asia for holidays

OK putting aside all restriction.

I need to ask  TAT the questions

What will attract to lure tourism back to Thailand.? 

their travel  competitions are Greece , Spain, Morocco and Turkey..etc

They have  no quarantine ,  no health insurance. cheap flight, easy of mobility in the country , beach amenities, variety of food, girls( I am sure for fun) and bars. Overall reasonable cheap..

so the question is "WHY ANYBODY WOULD THINK GOING TO THAILAND?"