Tourism-reliant Thailand shelves 'travel bubble' plan as Asia virus cases rise

[vermin on arrival]

1 hour ago, Anna Rak said:

The U.K. government has removed quarantine restrictions for people arriving from Malaysia and Brunei, this will be reciprocal and I do know from many previous trips that Malaysia in particular has some beautiful beaches, so good bye Thailand's tourism industry, you have missed the boat.

Actually found this for the other way, but uncertain what the UKs restrictions will be. I assume not allowed.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53273048

 

"Green" countries, such as New Zealand, have "very low" levels of coronavirus and will therefore have restrictions for UK arrivals

"Amber" countries - including France, Germany, Italy and Spain - will have "reciprocal arrangements" in place, meaning travellers from the UK will not have to quarantine on arrival

 

Malaysia will be green so no reciprocal relationship.

[7fish]

12 hours ago, ukrules said:

We already know that there's plenty of people who have a good measure of immunity against this disease because they don't get ill. What's the difference between those and the people who do get ill? Therein lies the answers..

between 80 and 90 percent show non to mild symptoms, this group is healthy and usually under 80

 

'What's the difference between those and the people who do get ill?'

 

 whereas those who get ill and die are usually over 80 suffering from various illnesses already. But that isn't where the answer lies, It's amazing ur all still trying to apply logic and science to a totally illogical scenario. The response to cornholio is politically motivated, very little to do with science or medicine, that should be blatantly obvious by now.

[Airalee]

4 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

i think it might be a tad more than that! the equivalent for New Zealand is running over 60 million baht lol

 

i can't see Thailand pricing itself in the Angola, Sudan price bracket ????

 

personally i think makes 1M baht for 20 year elite visa is actually quite a bargain in comparison

 

 

Don’t care what A first world country NZ charges and comparing Thailand to Angola and Sudan is a joke.  The Elite Visa used to be a lifetime visa and now it’s only 20 years.  What happens after that?  I might live another 40 years. Perhaps, since the economy here is in dire straits, reintroducing the lifetime Elite Visa might not be a bad idea.  It would certainly fatten their coffers.  I’ll pay for their insurance although I think that they are charging US prices when the cost of healthcare is less than 1/10th of what I would pay at home...and that’s at the private hospitals, not government ones.  

[ukrules]

2 hours ago, VBF said:

Then comes the decision...to get vaccinated and travel, or not get vaccinated and stay home (or wherever you are at the time) forever.

I don't really have any travel plans in the next few years so that suits me just fine.

 

[Kern24]

On 8/6/2020 at 11:18 AM, Patts said:

The Travel bubble was terminated a couple of weeks ago, e.g before the current new cases in Vietnam. As I said Thailand will not be open to tourism until a viable vaccine is available.  

The restrictions in place everywhere are going to cause more collateral deaths than the virus itself. the deaths to cases ratio is reducing quickly due to more knowledge on treatments and medication. For goodness sake get the borders open , test on arrival and save the liveleyhoods of millions. We have to learn to live with some risk. 

[Anna Rak]

1 hour ago, vermin on arrival said:

Link please. I am skeptical of Malaysia allowing this to a country with as many infections as the UK has had. Is it for all travelers? I searched and found nothing on Malaysia allowing tourists from the UK with no quarantine.

 

 I found this : https://www.thestar.com.my/news/focus/2020/08/02/bubbling-with-hope-for-malaysia

 

“Our next strategy is stimulating cross-border tourism, where we welcome international arrivals from short-haul markets like Asean countries through ‘travel bubbles’, ” he tells Sunday Star. and...

 

“We are also encouraged by the recent agreement between Malaysia and Singapore to implement the Reciprocal Green Lane and Periodic Commuting Arrangement, ” Musa says.

With the agreement, cross-border travel between Malaysia and Singapore on the Causeway will be allowed from Aug 17, but only for official, business and work purposes.

Malaysia has plenty to do while waiting for the borders to open up for other countries, though."

 

So looks very limited, only for neighbors and right now restricted to business travel with Singapore. Anything more than that seems for in the future.

 

I do see that the UK has put them on the green list, but see no evidence that it is reciprocal.

Sorry I have no link, however it should be on the Sky News web site somewhere, as last night it came as Breaking news and my understanding of policy is, if quarantine is lifted for arrivals from countries then it has to be a reciprocal agreement.  

[Rockbottom]

On 8/6/2020 at 2:30 PM, webfact said:

"Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea were among those considered (for a travel bubble) because those areas had a low number of cases, but now they were in double-digits so discussions were put on hold," Taweesin said, referring to new daily infections.

 

Reviving talks would depend on the situation in each country, which the taskforce was assessing daily, he said, adding that was a widely accepted industry view.

 

Foreign arrivals plunged 66% in the first six months of the year, to 6.69 million. The industry has warned that 1.6 trillion baht ($51.50 billion) of revenue could be wiped out this year.

 

By comparison, Thailand had a record 39.8 million tourists in all of 2019, spending 1.93 trillion baht.

Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos have very few cases as well, but of course no cash cow potential for Thai tourism from the neighbors. However, I don't think dumping the travel bubble scheme is at all significant. The logistic nightmare of the bubble scheme was doomed from the beginning. I suspect there are ongoing and desperate discussions on how to jump start tourism $$$.

 

I disagree with the published 2019 total tourist revenue (1.93Tn THB). The correct number is closer to 2.5-3Tn (approx. 20% GDP). The unprecedented revenue loss in tourism is much worse than published as well with lots of T revenue unaccounted for. The loss is closer to 2Tn THB. Thailand would be wise to formulate a reopening "action plan" for Sept. or extend the amnesty to maintain some flow of tourist $$$ from expats now stranded in Thailand.

 

BTW, a vaccine will not take "years"to be administered in Thailand. In a July 7 interview with TIME, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said he believes that Food and Drug Administration approval could come as soon as October.

Edited August 7, 2020 by Rockbottom

[vermin on arrival]

40 minutes ago, Anna Rak said:

Sorry I have no link, however it should be on the Sky News web site somewhere, as last night it came as Breaking news and my understanding of policy is, if quarantine is lifted for arrivals from countries then it has to be a reciprocal agreement.  

Please read my post #121 above. It is only reciprocal with amber colored nations with similar infection rates as the UK. Since Malaysia is green, it will not be reciprocal. Malaysia will have no quarantine to UK, but the UK will have restrictions the other way. In this case, with my current understanding of the Malaysian situation there will be no tourists admitted from the UK to Malaysia. The best the UK may get sometime in the future will probably be business travelers with quarantine. Even Singapore will not be allowed to send tourists after August 17, but only business travelers. I wish it were otherwise

[vermin on arrival]

33 minutes ago, Rockbottom said:

BTW, a vaccine will not take "years"to be administered in Thailand. In a July 7 interview with TIME, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said he believes that Food and Drug Administration approval could come as soon as October.

I find that overly optimistic. I am very skeptical. First, must be approved and then needs to have billions produced and while it is being rolled out they will be checking for serious side effects because the early testing won't be as rigorous as normally needed. I expect it to go to the more advanced nations who will pay more first. I think the numbers that might get it next year in Thailand would be quite small, but maybe not...

[VBF]

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

I don't really have any travel plans in the next few years so that suits me just fine.

 

Well good for you! Pulled that ladder up yet?

[CANSIAM]

Exactly, flatten the curve and control the virus not eliminate it.....  they surely see what eliminating it is doing.   

[ukrules]

6 hours ago, 7fish said:

It's amazing ur all still trying to apply logic and science to a totally illogical scenario.

When it comes to the crunch, logic and science are the only things that actually matter.

[jerolamo]

On 8/6/2020 at 11:54 AM, Patts said:

Media have done there best to scare Thai's of the dirty farang. 

 

Thailand will keep the ban on international arrivals until a vaccine is approved. 

at this time, if this will happen really, who would be able to paid for this low tested vaccine ? Thai people ? Foreigner with a blackmail from this government: "paid your vaccine or not come" ?

Let's see tomorrow what it will happen.

I plan to sale everything and leave the country with my wife if the situation will not come back to "normal". We cannot sacrifice our lives for cowardly people who want everything and their opposite without risk or blackmailers. It would have a time to do something definitely to survive them.

[sandyf]

21 hours ago, DirtyHarry55 said:

It's not about sacrifice it's about reality a new Virus has been released on mankind

and it's not going away any time soon so we have to learn to live with it.
Eventually it will die out and become less lethal as people become immune to it.
People die everyday from different diseases this is a new one we have to learn to live with and treat.
Keeping the boarders closed is just delaying the inevitable.
 

So you believe it cannot die out through spread prevention measures.

Remind me how many became immune to SARS and MERS.

[CANSIAM]

Somebody please tell me when Non O yearly extension holders will be considered, absolute BS, plenty of money in their banks, we are not tourists......  

[kiwikeith]

On 8/7/2020 at 4:41 AM, VBF said:

 

Manufacturing is the easy bit! There are reports all over (check Google) of companies already geared up to manufacture it...when it's been tested and approved by the scientists and authorities.  THAT'S the tricky bit, plus, how brave do you feel about an unproven medication?

 

The development cycles for vaccines usually take several years - this one's being crammed into a few months. Think about it..... and no, that's NOT a conspiracy theory just fairly obvious common sense.

I think Dr Bill Gates forecast this in a doco a while b4 the outbreak.

Probably the big money boys already had the vaccine and now will release it shortly.

 

The big pharma boys will make billions/ trillions from using handouts from the taxpayer to develop this,- one will never be allowed to travel without a vaccine certificate.

Your kids will not be allowed to go to school without one .

In the mean time all the elderly will get a severe trim, the homeless will be wiped from the map, and the rest of the world's population will develop brain disease, impotency, and many other illness.

Researchers are now alarmed at the above side effects from getting the virus

 

Just you wait and see. 

[Anna Rak]

19 hours ago, Anna Rak said:

Sorry I have no link, however it should be on the Sky News web site somewhere, as last night it came as Breaking news and my understanding of policy is, if quarantine is lifted for arrivals from countries then it has to be a reciprocal agreement.  

I never want to mislead people when I comment, so I have checked the HMO website and it appears that there is still inbound quarantine into Malaysia although it has been lifted the other way.

Holiday's on hold again.  ????

[pepi2005]

a) this virus won't go away.

b) forget the 'vaccine' hopium. Current trials have only a 50% success rate and/or extreme side effects.

c) there aren't even reliable tests available <deleted>!
d) lockdowns just slow down, but don't prevent the inevitable - look at Sweden vs. China.

 

The sooner the govt realizes and accepts this, the better - because the damage due to the spread of panic and fear and the inevitable closure of countless of businesses and factories (directly and *indirectly* related to tourism plus many of the ones where foreigners are involved - no actual manager wants to be locked up in overpriced, mandatory quarantine for 2 weeks when entering this country) is most likely already WAY higher than the potential deaths within the risk groups would have been.

Edited August 8, 2020 by pepi2005

[Aussie Col]

4 hours ago, CANSIAM said:

Somebody please tell me when Non O yearly extension holders will be considered, absolute BS, plenty of money in their banks, we are not tourists......  

Also what about the men who work overseas and are married to Thai Ladies, or the men who have decided to retire in there home countries and come to see their wife's on 3 month visas twice a year

[CANSIAM]

On 8/6/2020 at 3:18 AM, Patts said:

The Travel bubble was terminated a couple of weeks ago, e.g before the current new cases in Vietnam. As I said Thailand will not be open to tourism until a viable vaccine is available.  

Lock your doors, crime is on the rise.......

[tomauasia]

On 8/7/2020 at 1:10 PM, bkk6060 said:

Boy, lets hope there is a vaccine.

Still2 waiting for HIV, Herpes, etc.

And Hepatitis C keeps mutating they cannot find a vaccine.

If Covid keeps changing along the way, who knows.

Australia are in the end stages of a successful trial vaccine as announced on TV. They say 3 4 months away.