Why Thailand isn't reopening to international tourists yet

[anchadian]

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/thailand-international-tourists-covid/index.html

 

Kocha Olarn and Karla Cripps, CNN • Updated 27th May 2020

 

Bangkok (CNN) — With news that many countries in Europe are reopening to tourism in time for summer, travelers with their sights set on Asia are anxiously awaiting word on when they'll be given the green light to visit their favorite destination.

 

As of now, those with Thailand in mind will need to wait at least a few more months before packing their bags.

"It is still dependent on the outbreak situation, but I think at the earliest, we may see the return of tourists could be the fourth quarter of this year," Yutasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), tells CNN Travel.

 

And even then, he says, there will likely be restrictions on who can visit and where they can go.

 

[Relocated]

All the bar girls are not back from their home town yet to say hello to international tourists yet. 

[baansgr]

All these countries heavily reliant on tourism can open their borders tomorrow....fact is the masses won't come because of all the palavor of travelling, or can't afford to....it's gonna be a long wait I'm afraid

[Raphus]

I am just very surprised that a country so heavily reliant on tourism is staying closed.

As mentioned, so many other countries are opening up to foreigners.

 

People in many threads here keep mentioning the sex industry !! There is more to Thailand than just bar girls. Plus 95% of tourists are not interested or not in that demographic. They are couples or families ot single female back packers. Tarring every tourist with the same brush only instills more untrue gossip within this community.

[Chivas]

19 minutes ago, Raphus said:

 

 

People in many threads here keep mentioning the sex industry !! There is more to Thailand than just bar girls. Plus 95% of tourists are not interested or not in that demographic. They are couples or families ot single female back packers. Tarring every tourist with the same brush only instills more untrue gossip within this community.

Yes I was reading an article on Thai Immigration last week which made the the point just 0.9% of all unique visitors ended up in a residence close to the "fleshpots"  (Thats 9/10ths of 1% to avoid any confusion)

Millions and millions go nowhere near them as you rightly say

[BritManToo]

26 minutes ago, Chivas said:

Yes I was reading an article on Thai Immigration last week which made the the point just 0.9% of all unique visitors ended up in a residence close to the "fleshpots"  (Thats 9/10ths of 1% to avoid any confusion)

Millions and millions go nowhere near them as you rightly say

Would point out 'the fleshpots' are walking along every soi, in every town and village in the country.

[mrfill]

We will definitely not suddenly change the plan and fling open the borders - definitely no - absolutely no - well all right then.....  open the gates.... wallets ahoy...

[rupert the bear]

it would appear that even with the govt avoiding widespread testing the levels of virus are extremely low in the region.the economy is stunted the govt seems paralysed in some aspects of opening up and peoples incomes are declining and businesses failing.masks are generally worn by most people and hand washings widespread too,it appears effective.as for foreign tourists we go from one extreme to the other,no matter what ,the govt was allowing millions of PRC tourists in and in the end it took china to end it.now they are not allowing anyone in but im sure the first will be the original infectors!so many countries close by are clear ,vietnam hk ,taiwan,japan,s korea philippines malaysia,singapore .these countries can surely come and go by mid june.im seperated from my fiancee and many others from wives etc,we cant get them in or leave ,its frustrating given the fact asia by and large has defeated the problem,so why are we stuck at this impasse?well many of these govts are authoritarian.simple as that .even europes opening up for tourism,it will be possible for a singaporean japanese hk er etc to go to greece or spain but not visit here,credit that?it is possible to allow travel shortly,another few weeks and the virus is gone in the region.the above mentioned countries should be allowed to travel but not china as theyve shown they lied and thats not changed.this deceit resulting in death and poverty should not be rewarded.they even blamed africans for it in china.lets move forward using intelligence and get our economy,lives and people moving in the start of july

[Mulambana]

19 hours ago, Raphus said:

People in many threads here keep mentioning the sex industry !! There is more to Thailand than just bar girls. Plus 95% of tourists are not interested or not in that demographic

Where did you get the 90% figure. Of course you're right about the some demographics like families, couples, and female visitors who are not interested in sex. Most single or gorup male visitors to Thailand come for only three reasons. 1. To engage in sex orgy, 2. To find a bride, 3. For economic advanatage beceause they cant make enough money live in their home lands. They are sexobrimic migrants to Thailand and to some extents Vietnam, and Cambidia, and Phillipines.

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, Mulambana said:

............ and female visitors who are not interested in sex.

Never been to a full moon party then?

[BMW Overlander]

7 minutes ago, Mulambana said:

Where did you get the 90% figure. Of course you're right about the some demographics like families, couples, and female visitors who are not interested in sex. Most single or gorup male visitors to Thailand come for only three reasons. 1. To engage in sex orgy, 2. To find a bride, 3. For economic advanatage beceause they cant make enough money live in their home lands. They are sexobrimic migrants to Thailand and to some extents Vietnam, and Cambidia, and Phillipines.

Speak for yourself.

[HeijoshinCool]

19 hours ago, Chivas said:

Yes I was reading an article on Thai Immigration last week which made the the point just 0.9% of all unique visitors ended up in a residence close to the "fleshpots"  (Thats 9/10ths of 1% to avoid any confusion)

Millions and millions go nowhere near them as you rightly say

.

I have a bridge for sale in Bang Na.....

[mr mr]

24 minutes ago, HeijoshinCool said:

.

I have a bridge for sale in Bang Na.....

good location ? front road access ? pm me right away. 

[Phil McCaverty]

1 hour ago, rupert the bear said:

it would appear that even with the govt avoiding widespread testing the levels of virus are extremely low in the region.the economy is stunted the govt seems paralysed in some aspects of opening up and peoples incomes are declining and businesses failing.masks are generally worn by most people and hand washings widespread too,it appears effective.as for foreign tourists we go from one extreme to the other,no matter what ,the govt was allowing millions of PRC tourists in and in the end it took china to end it.now they are not allowing anyone in but im sure the first will be the original infectors!so many countries close by are clear ,vietnam hk ,taiwan,japan,s korea philippines malaysia,singapore .these countries can surely come and go by mid june.im seperated from my fiancee and many others from wives etc,we cant get them in or leave ,its frustrating given the fact asia by and large has defeated the problem,so why are we stuck at this impasse?well many of these govts are authoritarian.simple as that .even europes opening up for tourism,it will be possible for a singaporean japanese hk er etc to go to greece or spain but not visit here,credit that?it is possible to allow travel shortly,another few weeks and the virus is gone in the region.the above mentioned countries should be allowed to travel but not china as theyve shown they lied and thats not changed.this deceit resulting in death and poverty should not be rewarded.they even blamed africans for it in china.lets move forward using intelligence and get our economy,lives and people moving in the start of july

The government banning tourists is to prevent a resurgence of the virus. Its precisely because the numbers are low here that the ban exists. Currently many countries are in the midst of the pandemic. This is illustrated to the Thai authorities by the number of positives found in Thai citizens returning from a variety of countries.

 

I need to return to the UK for surgery but know that if I leave, currently I won't be able to return to my family and home. So we both face the same dilemma really. Me? I just sit and watch the news daily and wait.

 

I do feel that there will be news for us soon, in the form that people in our situation will be able to re-enter Thailand, albeit subject to a 14 day quarantine.

 

It is the right policy to keep Covid out of Thailand, unfortunately it sucks for us.

[NCC1701A]

19 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Would point out 'the fleshpots' are walking along every soi, in every town and village in the country.

i can attest to that.

[Tropicalevo]

At the moment, Thailand is only accepting returning Thais plus a few exceptions.

Daily, we read that some of these Thais have the virus or are suspected of having the virus. The number of returnees each day is in the 100's.

How bad would it be if Thailand was accepting 1,000's or 10,000's every day???

Safer to keep the borders closed for a few more months even though my business is suffering as we depend on tourists.

[Guderian]

Sounds like they're waiting on orders from Beijing.

[Titan1962]

I know Thailand relies heavily on tourism,but they need to look after their own backyard first. Keep the borders closed until they are certain they have the situation under control. Yes there are businesses and people suffering,but if they open up too soon and they get a second wave and need to shut down again,all hell will break loose. 
As for tourists coming here,would you want to come here for a holiday and be in quarantine for two weeks. I don’t think we will see things get back to anywhere near normal for at least 2 to 3 years. It will be a gradual return to normal,but the hardest hit will be the business that totally rely on tourist or let’s say the spots the foreigners eat at and the entertainment venues. Most Thais do not frequent these places because of the cost involved, But with the close relationship Thailand has with China,anything is possible.

[DJ54]

Reckon it’s the old better safe then sorry... I would think

it will be opening a little July 1... and as long as low count

it will open more...

[eeworldwide]

Its very difficult to really predict where we are.

I remember seeing a BBC article months ago about the discovery of a new virus (covid19) and "should we be worried?" At the time, I just shrugged my shoulders and assumed it was another China Centric cock-up and nothing to think twice about.

None of us could have predicted where we are now.

 

The most difficult element is the possibility of a second wave.

We also don't know if the climate in S.E Asia is having something to do with the relatively low rate of infection, or whether that has been the result of less handshaking and french style greetings (kissing cheeks) etc out here.

If I understand the basics properly, It would seem that all it takes is one asymptomatic carrier to get on the bts for this whole nonsense to start again - UNLESS every Tom Dick and Harry are vigilant in personal handwashing etc.

 

I still maintain that the possibility of a second wave is extremely high, and if  as second waves traditionally are - the second wave is worse than the firs, the damage to Thailand economy will be historic and of biblical proportion.

So -I think they're doing the right thing in terms of border control, but I would suggest some kind of visa amnesty or relaxation of the rules - ESPECIALLY for those who are long term residents with Thai spouses on a Non O, for example.

This is the perfect time and "excuse" to really review their archaic immigration legislation and make it far less offensive to the foreign community.

Also - I suspect that it is correct to assume that we won't be seeing the Kao San Road backpacking bunch for quite some time  - so there's naturally going to be quite a shake up in the type of tourism we've experienced in bygone years.

 

IF handled correctly, this could be a renaissance time for Thailand. Having worked closely with TAT For 10 years, I'd be advising them to really take a step back and. have a look at how they're marketing the place right now.



 

[Brian Burgess]

Hi all

 When the flights start and tourist to come to beautiful Thailand, give the visitors an incentive, make their visa free for the rest of this year

[topt]

3 hours ago, Mulambana said:

They are sexobrimic

Please give me a definition for this word which does not seem to exist, in English anyway?

[Traubert]

4 hours ago, rupert the bear said:

not china as theyve shown they lied

About what?

[KhunKenAP]

Took them forever, to stem the flow of Chinese potentially infected COVID-19 into the country. Now it will take forever to reopen. Can't have the foreigners arriving while there are food lines with starving people. Problem is they don't understand this is a Catch-22.

[eeworldwide]

33 minutes ago, KhunKenAP said:

Took them forever, to stem the flow of Chinese potentially infected COVID-19 into the country. Now it will take forever to reopen. Can't have the foreigners arriving while there are food lines with starving people. Problem is they don't understand this is a Catch-22.

It a nice theory, but I can't imagine for 1 minute, Thailand delaying re-entry for any of your reasons..... Money is king, they're not going to try and hinder, they will open as soon as is feasibly posssible.

[tomauasia]

On 5/27/2020 at 12:58 PM, baansgr said:

All these countries heavily reliant on tourism can open their borders tomorrow....fact is the masses won't come because of all the palavor of travelling, or can't afford to....it's gonna be a long wait I'm afraid

Absolute <deleted>

[tomauasia]

On 5/27/2020 at 1:13 PM, Raphus said:

I am just very surprised that a country so heavily reliant on tourism is staying closed.

As mentioned, so many other countries are opening up to foreigners.

 

People in many threads here keep mentioning the sex industry !! There is more to Thailand than just bar girls. Plus 95% of tourists are not interested or not in that demographic. They are couples or families ot single female back packers. Tarring every tourist with the same brush only instills more untrue gossip within this community.

Nobody give a toss about temples m. Shopping woman and drinking. They can dream all they want

[shy coconut]

On 5/27/2020 at 6:13 AM, Raphus said:

I am just very surprised that a country so heavily reliant on tourism is staying closed.

As mentioned, so many other countries are opening up to foreigners.

 

People in many threads here keep mentioning the sex industry !! There is more to Thailand than just bar girls. Plus 95% of tourists are not interested or not in that demographic. They are couples or families ot single female back packers. Tarring every tourist with the same brush only instills more untrue gossip within this community.

Did you not see the name of the poster you quoted?

 

If you go to Thailand for the girls,boys and others, then you will most likely stay

in an area full of like minded people, so would come to the conclusion that 

sex tourists form a significant percentage of all tourism.

 

But even a place like Pattaya, I would imagine the percentage of mongers to 

regular tourists is pretty small outside of some of the grottier parts of town.

[newnative]

29 minutes ago, shy coconut said:

Did you not see the name of the poster you quoted?

 

If you go to Thailand for the girls,boys and others, then you will most likely stay

in an area full of like minded people, so would come to the conclusion that 

sex tourists form a significant percentage of all tourism.

 

But even a place like Pattaya, I would imagine the percentage of mongers to 

regular tourists is pretty small outside of some of the grottier parts of town.

Correct and well-said. 

[geisha]

I think the Thai government is just waiting for the EU etc to go ahead and open their borders. Then they will open the Thai borders , but, big but , with restrictions, health insurance covering Covid 19 , and health certificates ? These might not be readily available for tourists.