Thailand’s tourism and MICE business will first reboot with low-risk countries

[webfact]

Thailand’s tourism and MICE business will first reboot with low-risk countries

By The Thaiger

 

 

When Thailand’s international borders are prised open, sometime after July 1 this year (that’s the current date anyway), the first tourists and travellers are likely to come from a select group of fellow Asian nations who have had either low Covid-19 cases or been able to manage the number of cases to low, manageable levels.

 

Countries like Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, China and Hong Kong all have ‘manageable’ Covid-19 situations. Even Singapore, which has had a huge spike in cases since the start of April, mostly from its migrant worker population, now appears to be getting a grip on new cases.

 

Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn says that talks have already begun with some nearby Asian countries to set up short term ‘travel bubbles’. The idea behind the travel bubble is that countries can share travellers and tourists with low risk and allow them to enter other countries without having to do mandatory 14 day quarantine.

 

Yuthasak also noted that the first groups of travellers to Thailand could be for the MICE industry – Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions, Exhibitions. Thailand will be touted as a safe and reliable location for meetings but will probably need to rely on patronage from the regional ‘low risk’ countries in the early days.

 

Thailand MICE industry was already in decline before the Covid-19 crisis with the Thai baht and alcohol taxes making it difficult for Thailand to provide a price-advantage over other countries in the region. How the Covid-era MICE business will function is yet to be codified by the government although talks are underway between industry players and government officials about the new-look MICE business.

 

Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed talks between Tourism and Sports Ministry and other ‘low risk’ Asian countries to set up regional travel bubbles as a first step to re-opening Thailand’s borders and restarting the tourist engine.

 

Places like Pattaya and Phuket, that rely almost totally on tourism-related activities, are in desperate need of tourists to restart their local economies. Up to 60,000 workers have taken the opportunity to leave Phuket over the past month and return to their homes because of the lack of work. The island’s land border was opened for restricted provincial travel for Thai workers to return home at the start of May.

 

Source: https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/thailands-tourism-and-mice-business-will-first-reboot-with-low-risk-countries

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2020-06-08

 

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[Misterwhisper]

42 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand MICE industry was already in decline before the Covid-19 crisis with the Thai baht and alcohol taxes making it difficult for Thailand to provide a price-advantage over other countries in the region.

So... in the opinion of Mr. Yuthasak, the determining reason for attending MICE events is the availability of cheap alcohol?

[JCP108]

So what happens if as a U.S. citizen who has been in Thailand since the start of this Covid 19 mess travels to Japan for a nice week-long vacation once such a bubble gets created? What's going to happen when I arrive back in BKK via airplane from Tokyo with my U.S. passport in hand?

[JohnBZ]

If Thailand assign risk based on where you lived recently, you will get in without quarantine .  If Thailand assign risk based on your passport, you won't get in all all or need the 14 day quarantine with a US passport.

 

Enough talk from the government already.  When can we actually see new foreigners in Thailand??

[Sheryl]

I am surprised Cambodia is not on the list.

 

Lots of medical tourism from Cambodia.  And Cambodians coming for shopping.  Fewer cases there than Thailand and none at all for quite some time.

 

Then there is the issue of migrant workers from Cambodia, when will they be let back in?

 

 

[Mavideol]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

How the Covid-era MICE business will function is yet to be codified

nothing to worry about, that will be TAT posting for next week

[steevjee]

Why is China listed as a low risk country? Didn't they shut shop on reporting Covid stats very early on?

Or am I mistaken? If they did (and continue to) then there would be a very high risk involved in allowing Chinese tourists in I would think.

Surely the likes of New Zealand and Australia should be very high on their list with their stats

[trainman34014]

Smoke and Mirrors using Asean when what they really want and intend to go for is just Hordes of Chinese !

[Traubert]

19 minutes ago, steevjee said:

Why is China listed as a low risk country? Didn't they shut shop on reporting Covid stats very early on?

Or am I mistaken? If they did (and continue to) then there would be a very high risk involved in allowing Chinese tourists in I would think.

Surely the likes of New Zealand and Australia should be very high on their list with their stats

130 hospitalised, 201 quarantined, 1780 pui in China today.

[Geoffggi]

12 minutes ago, Traubert said:

130 hospitalised, 201 quarantined, 1780 pui in China today.

Quite correct, in addition I would not say South Korea or Singapore are out of the woods yet.....!!!!

[Saint Nick]

China is on the list?

Surprise, surprise...

[ukrules]

3 hours ago, Traubert said:

130 hospitalised, 201 quarantined, 1780 pui in China today.

That's terrible, it will take decades to spread across the full country at this rate. The rest of the world will have long recovered while the Chinese continue to cower and hide.

[Deli]

5 hours ago, Sheryl said:

I am surprised Cambodia is not on the list.

 

Lots of medical tourism from Cambodia.  And Cambodians coming for shopping.  Fewer cases there than Thailand and none at all for quite some time.

 

Then there is the issue of migrant workers from Cambodia, when will they be let back in?

 

 

Prior to calling back migrant workers, shouldn't all now unemplyoed Thais being put back to work 1st ? Yes, they won't like the hard labor but it would pay their bills and feed the families.

[craigieboy1973]

6 hours ago, JCP108 said:

So what happens if as a U.S. citizen who has been in Thailand since the start of this Covid 19 mess travels to Japan for a nice week-long vacation once such a bubble gets created? What's going to happen when I arrive back in BKK via airplane from Tokyo with my U.S. passport in hand?

You go into lock down on your return pretty stupid but this is thailand 

[Deli]

4 hours ago, Saint Nick said:

China is on the list?

Surprise, surprise...

Immediate VIP status wherever they go to, spitting on the floor is no offence any longer, as washing feet in the sink isn't as wll.

[Deli]

6 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

So... in the opinion of Mr. Yuthasak, the determining reason for attending MICE events is the availability of cheap alcohol?

The MICE guys fill NEP and Cowboy, finally away from the wife for 2 days or 3

[Misterwhisper]

I see a new hub in the making: the bubble hub.

[bodga]

5 hours ago, Traubert said:

130 hospitalised, 201 quarantined, 1780 pui in China today.

Didnt I read recently several million in new lockdown in China? lose track so much cack info out there.

[JCP108]

5 minutes ago, bodga said:

Didnt I read recently several million in new lockdown in China? lose track so much cack info out there.

This NYT article is from May 21st...

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/21/world/asia/coronavirus-china-lockdown.html

 

[Scouse123]

7 hours ago, Sheryl said:

I am surprised Cambodia is not on the list.

 

Lots of medical tourism from Cambodia.  And Cambodians coming for shopping.  Fewer cases there than Thailand and none at all for quite some time.

 

Then there is the issue of migrant workers from Cambodia, when will they be let back in?

 

 

 

 

Me as well, unless they consider places such as Cambodia and Laos a foregone obvious conclusion!

 

There have already been a number of demonstrations both sides of land borders from traders.

 

The Khmer times have reported today that Cambodia intends to open international travel and borders around June 18th, which is next week!

 

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50731349/cambodias-hotels-to-reopen-shortly/

Edited June 8, 2020 by Scouse123

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, Deli said:

Prior to calling back migrant workers, shouldn't all now unemplyoed Thais being put back to work 1st ? Yes, they won't like the hard labor but it would pay their bills and feed the families.

 

I really, really doubt those unemployed due to COPVID would be willing to do the sort of work the Cambodian migrants do. Very, very much doubt it but if they are, nothing stopping them from starting right now.

 

 

[Sheryl]

26 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

 

 

Me as well, unless they consider places such as Cambodia and Laos a foregone obvious conclusion!

 

There have already been a number of demonstrations both sides of land borders from traders.

 

The Khmer times have reported today that Cambodia intends to open international travel and borders around June 18th, which is next week!

 

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50731349/cambodias-hotels-to-reopen-shortly/

 

I don:t see any mention of land borders, that would need to be worked out bilaterally with VN, Cambodia and Laos.

 

For the flights, soem already coming in, but there is a mandatory 14 day quarantine for all arrivals. They test all the passengers on arrival, takes several hours, and if all passengers are negative they can then self isolate at their home or hotel but if even one passenger as positive the whole planeload has to go into state supervised quaranatine. So far every flight I have heard of has had at least one case.

 

Some other requirements as well e.g. insurance but it is the quarantine that is the stickler.  It will certainly deter tourists...if in fact tourist visas start to be issued again, which so far hasn't happened as far as I know.

[Scouse123]

6 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

I don:t see any mention of land borders, that would need to be worked out bilaterally with VN, Cambodia and Laos.

 

For the flights, soem already coming in, but there is a mandatory 14 day quarantine for all arrivals. They test all the passengers on arrival, takes several hours, and if all passengers are negative they can then self isolate at their home or hotel but if even one passenger as positive the whole planeload has to go into state supervised quaranatine. So far every flight I have heard of has had at least one case.

 

Some other requirements as well e.g. insurance but it is the quarantine that is the stickler.  It will certainly deter tourists...if in fact tourist visas start to be issued again, which so far hasn't happened as far as I know.

 

 

Sheryl,

 

I feel quietly confident they will drop the quarantine in favour of travel corridors/bubbles between countries with very low rates of infection. Cambodia is bleeding with the lack of tourist revenue far more than Thailand, which obviously, is a far bigger economy. However, the powers that be are decimating these economies by holding out far too long in the face of very low rates. Thailand hanging on for the Chinese,.............................. stupidity beyond belief!

 

It's daft really when Europe is nearly back to normal with far higher infection rates.

 

On a different note, my pal who is teaching in Siem Reap and has cash to ride this out anyway, says apart from some bars and hotels shut, and obviously very quiet down there, most other places are open and trading as normal.

 

Surely land borders between Thailand and Cambodia and Laos, with such low rates of Covid19, would make much more sense, because any cross border travellers have been nowhere except in the country they wish to travel from, as opposed to airports where they could come from anywhere in the world via third countries.

[madmen]

So even though oz and kiwis are not Asian they are part of the Asia pacific region but with stellar covid numbers its my guess is they wouldn't want to be a part of what appears to be  a way over inflated bubble.!

 

Feel sorry for oz expats with families and GFs stuck in no mans land, govt won't let the!m out and Thailand won't let em in...no end in sight 

[Scouse123]

21 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

I really, really doubt those unemployed due to COPVID would be willing to do the sort of work the Cambodian migrants do. Very, very much doubt it but if they are, nothing stopping them from starting right now.

 

 

 

I 100% agree, they think it is below them even if they are unemployed!

 

It's called bone idleness and not prepared to help themselves, they, the Thais, would sooner ask to ' borrow money '

[wotsdermatter]

The original version Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck and published in 1937.  It tells about two migrant ranch workers, moving from place to place in California looking for work during the Great Depression.

 

A new version Of MICE and Men has been written by the Thai Government and published in many revised versions over a number of years.  It tells of a country seeking new tourists to their country after a shift to a democratic/dictatorship government and during the recovery period from a pandemic virus.  They seek tourist from countries that still have high infection numbers but decry that fact and believe them to be much lower that published.

'nuf sed.

Edited June 8, 2020 by wotsdermatter
added info

[JCP108]

8 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

 

 

Sheryl,

 

I feel quietly confident they will drop the quarantine in favour of travel corridors/bubbles between countries with very low rates of infection. Cambodia is bleeding with the lack of tourist revenue far more than Thailand, which obviously, is a far bigger economy. However, the powers that be are decimating these economies by holding out far too long in the face of very low rates. Thailand hanging on for the Chinese,.............................. stupidity beyond belief!

 

It's daft really when Europe is nearly back to normal with far higher infection rates.

 

On a different note, my pal who is teaching in Siem Reap and has cash to ride this out anyway, says apart from some bars and hotels shut, and obviously very quiet down there, most other places are open and trading as normal.

 

Surely land borders between Thailand and Cambodia and Laos, with such low rates of Covid19, would make much more sense, because any cross border travellers have been nowhere except in the country they wish to travel from, as opposed to airports where they could come from anywhere in the world via third countries.

What if I were to fly from the U.S. to Cambodia, then cross at a land border into Thailand? Crossing at the land border wouldn't always mean the person hasn't been somewhere else recently.

[NoshowJones]

What is MICE apart from little furry creatures with long tails?

[NoshowJones]

12 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

 

I 100% agree, they think it is below them even if they are unemployed!

 

It's called bone idleness and not prepared to help themselves, they, the Thais, would sooner ask to ' borrow money '

I have to admit that nothing would ever have made me do manual labour for a living.

[Scouse123]

3 hours ago, JCP108 said:

What if I were to fly from the U.S. to Cambodia, then cross at a land border into Thailand? Crossing at the land border wouldn't always mean the person hasn't been somewhere else recently.

 

And that is why they can flick through your passport at immigration as they are so fond of doing, so that they can see where you have been, and where you are coming from!

 

If they go through mine, they would see I was stamped out of Thailand and into Cambodia in March the same day, then four days later stamped out of Cambodia and into Thailand, backed up by a one year extension.

 

I believe these are the things they would be looking for, I might be wrong and off the mark, but to me it makes sense.

 

 

 

Edited June 9, 2020 by Scouse123