A big chain hotel, in Thailand, Director announced today to employees that the earliest they are expecting international tourists is October 2020. Maximum occupancy based on domestic tourism is forecast to be 40% until October 2020. Director's  statement was based on what he was told, "earliest date that they can expect Thailand to permit international tourist arrivals".

 

Has anybody heard any other date when international tourists can start arriving?

I expect that in June or July the first tourists from some Asian countries like China, Japan and South Korea are allowed to come. But there is no official news so I think the director is only guessing not knowing.

21 minutes ago, CNXexpat said:

I expect that in June or July the first tourists from some Asian countries like China, Japan and South Korea are allowed to come. But there is no official news so I think the director is only guessing not knowing.

Hotel is scheduling staff based on the forecast.  The hotel is not opening until July 1, so in June, they are expecting insufficient tourists to open the doors. As long as the tourist are virus free, the sooner the better for hotel owners and staff.

Edited May 8, 20206 yr by Banana7

Sounds like they just don't want to get the employees hopes up about getting their salaries back to normal anytime soon. Limited tourism will start by June-July for sure.

5 hours ago, CNXexpat said:

I expect that in June or July the first tourists from some Asian countries like China, Japan and South Korea are allowed to come. But there is no official news so I think the director is only guessing not knowing.

From what I consider to be a reliable source that is pretty much exactly the scenario that THAI Airways are currently planning for.

 

Of course they don't know for sure either but it would seem likely that as the national carrier, majority owned by the Ministry of Finance they have as good information as anyone.

What tourists? Chinese? Indians?  Good luck with that!

6 hours ago, CNXexpat said:

I expect that in June or July the first tourists from some Asian countries like China, Japan and South Korea are allowed to come. But there is no official news so I think the director is only guessing not knowing.

If that happens, tourists will still need a fit to fly cert and be required to do 14 days quarantine on arrival.

4 hours ago, anchadian said:

If that happens, tourists will still need a fit to fly cert and be required to do 14 days quarantine on arrival.

What makes you think that?  Those requirements died with the closure of the airport to all but a few groups, and the latest rules are quarantine only.  Nothing has been published regarding start up requirements AFAIK.

Thai citizens have to go in 14 days quarantine now when arriving, but tourists can travel in July without quarantine?

How to sell these news to the Thai people?

I think this can only be from countries with no/very low new infections daily. So China, HK, Taiwan, Korea.

European countries, even when successful, have a bad smell because of countries like UK, Italy,...

US also.

On 5/9/2020 at 8:42 AM, Puchaiyank said:

What tourists? Chinese? Indians?  Good luck with that!

Thai?

On 5/9/2020 at 8:42 AM, Puchaiyank said:

What tourists? Chinese? Indians?  Good luck with that!

I bet that as soon as it will be possible to travel, the Chinese will be first to knock at the door in their bus loads following a clown waving a flag.

12 minutes ago, lee b said:

I bet that as soon as it will be possible to travel, the Chinese will be first to knock at the door in their bus loads following a clown waving a flag.

They're packed & waiting. Didn't many Chinese say in a recent survey that 50% wanted to travel this year and 80% chose Thailand as their preferred destination. 

On 5/9/2020 at 1:50 AM, Banana7 said:

A big chain hotel, in Thailand, Director announced today to employees that the earliest they are expecting international tourists is October 2020.

 

Did this announcement offer a date? October 1? 15? 31?

 

One assumes this means standard visa exemptions/VoA? No fit-to-fly cert? No insurance? No quarantine?

 

A lot will depend on how the virus tracks between now and then. Given the current track, maybe. If there's a rebound, probably not.

 

And I'm not convinced people will want to travel to Thailand, or anywhere? Why would they? Heck, they'll probably get on a cruise ship first?

 

 

 

 

Sooner I can get back to the wife from the Uk the better, but I still fear for my visa extension due in January

40 minutes ago, lee b said:

I bet that as soon as it will be possible to travel, the Chinese will be first to knock at the door in their bus loads following a clown waving a flag.

85% of those polled want to travel as FIT so you can drop the cliche.

Think people think.

 

With international flights, both governments and both countries' civil aviation authorities are going to have to approve the flights.  Both governments are going to have to decide what quranatine measures will be in place when the tourists arrive for thier holdays and when they arrive back home.  And when the tourists arrive, how much freedom will they have to move around thier country of destination, in this case Thailand, and how much will be open?

 

Will Thailand happily accept tourists from Russia and the USA, for example, both countries currently having 10,000+ new cases daily?  In other words, how low will the number of new cases in a country have to be, before Thailand accepts tourists from that country?  And if any tourist brings COVID-19 with them, will tourism from that country be allowed to continue?

On 5/8/2020 at 9:15 PM, CNXexpat said:

I expect that in June or July the first tourists from some Asian countries like China, Japan and South Korea are allowed to come. But there is no official news so I think the director is only guessing not knowing.

Japan? Not if they publish infection figures.

12 minutes ago, Letseng said:

Japan? Not if they publish infection figures.

Search Japan on the list. They have much less problems with the virus than many other countries. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

On 5/9/2020 at 10:32 AM, Berti said:

I think this can only be from countries with no/very low new infections daily. So China, HK, Taiwan, Korea.

European countries, even when successful, have a bad smell because of countries like UK, Italy,...

US also.

 

I should travel on my New Zealand passport next time rather than my UK one then ????.

However the arrival card will give things away though, from memory you have to disclose your foreign home address. And the immigration computer that would link the two passports on biometrics etc. And it would need to be something with a transit destination like Qatar or Emirates rather than a direct flight (Thai, EVA)

 

Edited May 11, 20206 yr by Tuvoc

The hotel manager is probably right, and maybe optimistic.

 

International tourism will be the last thing to resume...with strings attached.

 

Before expecting hordes of Chinese to arrive in Thailand, the Chinese government will have to lift the ban on international travel, which may take a long time, especially if new cases pop up and there in the country.

 

 

As long as nothing major happens, such as much improved tests or a vaccine becoming widely available, an international traveler is bound to face quarantine TWICE, when arriving at their destination and when returning home. I wonder how many potential tourists will be willing to add an extra 28 days for this to their trip.

 

Flying, in itself, also remains a major risk.

 

On 5/10/2020 at 3:55 AM, garygooner said:

They're packed & waiting. Didn't many Chinese say in a recent survey that 50% wanted to travel this year and 80% chose Thailand as their preferred destination. 

Was the survey in Chinese?

It will also take the airlines a while to bring their stored aircraft back into action and depending on the passenger numbers, routes etc how many and of what type they will need.

2 hours ago, Tuvoc said:

 

I should travel on my New Zealand passport next time rather than my UK one then ????.

However the arrival card will give things away though, from memory you have to disclose your foreign home address. And the immigration computer that would link the two passports on biometrics etc. And it would need to be something with a transit destination like Qatar or Emirates rather than a direct flight (Thai, EVA)

 

Would not make sense to judge by passport-nation. What about the Russian who arrives from HK and has been there for 3 months? Or the New Zealand who stayed in Russia?

 

But who knows.

On 5/9/2020 at 2:43 AM, anchadian said:

If that happens, tourists will still need a fit to fly cert and be required to do 14 days quarantine on arrival.

 

Nobody is going to say that they believe tourists will arrive on such and such a date if they think that 14 days quarantines will be in force on that date.

 

It would mean the vast majority of tourists spending their entire holiday in quarantine.

 

It is reasonable to assume that the speaker believes that 14 days quarantines will have been lifted by then.

 

There may well be a requirement for very recent, possibly point of departure, health certification.

 

The ability to create such health certification is probably being considered/designed, by a variety of state and commercial agencies, worldwide, right now.

 

It goes without saying that suitable medical insurance will be an absolute essential.

 

But I would not be surprised to be spending Christmas in the UK.......for the first time in 9 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 20206 yr by Enoon

On 5/10/2020 at 9:09 AM, RichardColeman said:

Sooner I can get back to the wife from the Uk the better, but I still fear for my visa extension due in January

I second that. I'm stuck in N. Wales, which while far superior to London, is no match for my home in Thailand. I'm hoping that there might be a relaxation of the rules whereupon spouses, and those with visas with 'marriage extentions might be permitted to return to their wives and children. As should those with retirement visas. But in the meantime, keep safe until the' green light' comes on. As my marriage extention expired March 26 I'm hoping that I'll still be permitted entry and not have to do the VoA. as that might be an October sticking point. My other fear is that those in the UK will not be permitted entry at this time. ????

Edited May 11, 20206 yr by victorpeeke
Further detail added.

International travel to Thailand will not resume until the 14 day quarantine has been lifted.  That will be the determining factor provided that everything else surrounding the coronavirus continues to decline in relation to positive cases and deaths.  Luigi from Italy, Fritz from Germany, Sven from Sweden, and Johnny from the USA aren't coming to Thailand for a holiday until that 14 day quarantine is lifted.  When that will happen is anyone's guess but I would say December might be a possible start date to western international tourism if all goes well.

I’m in the same situation.  Not much we can do except hope spouses get a break soon.