100 billion baht rescue package for Thai tourism mooted - foreign tourists wanted before year's end

[Isaan sailor]

He seems to know so much.  Maybe we can ask him why the Baht rose today vs Euro, Pound and USD?  

Edited August 7, 2020 by Isaan sailor

[Alex80]

5 hours ago, NE1 said:

 

Have Europe and the countries mentioned got Covid under control now ?

Did i miss something ?

Yes, you did.

In EU virus spread is under control in the majority of countries and we have opened borders again within EU and Schengen area with almost no restrictions.
Here in Italy in 80% of the country the life is almost back to normal, with a few safety regulations. In my whole region we have about 10 new covid positive a week, and we are testing heavily.

In my opinion, "under control" means a linear spread of the virus (and not a geometric progression) well below health system capacity. This is what we have in EU now.

[GAZZPA]

7 minutes ago, whitfield said:

Covid test within 72 hrs of departure.  Covid test on arrival, tourist must stay in one pre-designated hotel/resort/address for 7 days.  Stay in hotel until result of arrival test is known which should be within 24 hrs.  It doesn't completely eliminate risk but it does massively mitigate it and is also compatible with an enjoyable holiday.

compatible with an enjoyable holiday,,,???? do you have any grasp on reality.... people will not do it, the tourist industry is dead for at least 2 years.

 

[Aussie Col]

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Of course it doesn't work for short-time holiday makers...

 

But if I was looking to come for the season and stay 3-4 months, I don't think an upfront two-week quarantine is so outrageous under the circumstances.  And, the ASQ hotel prices in reality aren't necessarily that far beyond normal prices, when you consider the required testing and monitoring.

 

50,000b packages for 14 days work out to about 3750b per night.  But that includes the required COVID checks and tests, and some level of meal service in most of the packages I've seen.

 

 

Trust me they wont be coming.

They will either stay in there own countries for Christmas and the New Year holidays or find a country that is Farang friendly foe the holidays and that certainly isn't Thailand

[tribalfusion001]

Some great flight prices in Europe at present and the cities are mostly free of tourists, just booked London to Rome to Athens to London for £75. Thailand and other locked countries are going to decimate their tourism industries by being closed. The risk opening up is having imported infections, catch 22.

Edited August 7, 2020 by tribalfusion001

[samsensam]

1 hour ago, kamma said:

The requirement for quarantine is not unique to Thailand.

 

Most countries in Europe are requiring tourists to quarantine upon arrival. France, Germany, Austria, Czech Rep, Estonia, Ireland and Bulgaria to name a few. Also N. America, many countries in S. America and Australia have quarantine rules for travelers in place.

 

And yet many are still holidaying this summer.

 

People here just wanna bash Thailand. The Thai government has many-many deficiencies in the way the country is run but all these armchair politicians here act as if they could run a country any better?

 

you'll find that many of the countries you mention are proactively moving forward to restart their economies, risk assessing, risk managing and taking workable precautions, thailand on the other had tends to come out with ridiculous statements and policies;  how does banning foreigners from a marathon make it safer? how will potentially making tourists jump through time consuming and expensive bureaucratic hoops restart the tourist economy?

 

it's not really thai bashing, it's looking at what they are imposing and proposing and saying that they are simply not logical, practical or workable.

[VBF]

And on the same page in the email as THIS topic, I see:

Left hand, may I introduce Right hand.........AGAIN!!!

[jwbrit]

OK look, forget tourism for a while. It can't happen. Your focus should be on encouraging businesses to relocated from China to Thailand. While you're sleeping businesses are moving to Vietnam and they will be the big winner. Get in the real game.

[3NUMBAS]

no flights and planes available and pilots are sacked so not much hope ,jumbos gone to the scrap yards in arizona

[DrTuner]

27 minutes ago, WhatsNext said:

2) Flood Pattaya so that it will be an island and the virus will stay there, everyone welcome

Excellent idea, cut all motorways from BKK. Start the flooding at the Central basement to get rid of the source of all evil.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

12 minutes ago, Aussie Col said:

Trust me they wont be coming.

They will either stay in there own countries for Christmas and the New Year holidays or find a country that is Farang friendly foe the holidays and that certainly isn't Thailand

 

If I was back in my home country right now (the U.S.), I'd be doing EVERYthing and ANYthing possible to get out, and a two-week quarantine coming into Thailand if I was gonna stay some months wouldn't be a deterrent.

 

But right now, they're simply not letting even willing people in, unless they meet one of the government's rigid entry qualification categories.

 

You might think, they'd want to accept ANYONE proven healthy with sufficient means who's willing to come.

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[DrTuner]

14 minutes ago, Alex80 said:

Yes, you did.

In EU virus spread is under control in the majority of countries and we have opened borders again within EU and Schengen area with almost no restrictions.
Here in Italy in 80% of the country the life is almost back to normal, with a few safety regulations. In my whole region we have about 10 new covid positive a week, and we are testing heavily.

In my opinion, "under control" means a linear spread of the virus (and not a geometric progression) well below health system capacity. This is what we have in EU now.

The "R". Yes, many places are below 1. Europe seems to be finding it's stride, putting the effort in management instead of fighting windmills. I think it'll be a good strategy.

Edited August 7, 2020 by DrTuner

[Ricky J]

Money promised for the country and given to the elite,,

Just like the money for the workers,

Nearly all of it was lost in the process,,,,

[tribalfusion001]

2 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

no flights and planes available and pilots are sacked so not much hope ,jumbos gone to the scrap yards in arizona

787 Dreamliner, 777-300 and A350 are more efficient planes than old 747s, even the A380 is too big for the long haul market now.

[Aussie Col]

1 hour ago, kamma said:

The requirement for quarantine is not unique to Thailand.

 

Most countries in Europe are requiring tourists to quarantine upon arrival. France, Germany, Austria, Czech Rep, Estonia, Ireland and Bulgaria to name a few. Also N. America, many countries in S. America and Australia have quarantine rules for travelers in place.

 

And yet many are still holidaying this summer.

 

People here just wanna bash Thailand. The Thai government has many-many deficiencies in the way the country is run but all these armchair politicians here act as if they could run a country any better?

Nobody's Thai bashing, but there has been lots of Farang bashing in Thailand.

If Thailand is serious about getting Farang tourists back it needs to be a lot Farang friendly tahn is has been in the recent past, otherwise Farangs will just go elsewhere.

[spidermike007]

As usual, both the tourism officials and the administration are disconnected from reality. The government should be doing everything to help small businesses stay afloat. Instead it is doing next to nothing. That is how little they care. 

 

And the tourism officials don't get it either. What are they thinking? Thailand is so irrestible, that a tourist will spend $2,000 to $4,000 for quarantine, spend a two week prison sentence in a hotel room, and then be subject to extreme restrictions? What planet are these people living on? 

 

At this pace, it could be a year or two before tourism starts to recover here. And by that time, tens of thousands of hotels, guest houses and related businesses will be bankrupted, vacated, or sold for massive discounts. 

 

The other aspect of this that is not being taken into account, as most Thais do not plan for the future, is that the longer tourists stay away from Thailand, the harder it will be to get them to come back. 

 

At most, let tourists from Any nation feel free to come here, and go into quarantine. Then they are done. Zero restrictions. A few will come. It is next to zero risk for Thailand. 

 

Doing nothing is sadistic and keeps millions of people out of work long term. 

[Jumbo1968]

2 hours ago, JimGant said:

Excellent post, with all the aspects to ponder. The key question is, of course, what is the trade off between a manageable infection rate and a viable economy -- with the equally subjective question of what defines "manageable."

With all the resources looking for a vaccine, are similar resources being used to look for a near-instantaneous test for corvid-19? If not, it should -- because if folks can be near-instantaneously tested before getting on the airplane, with a high probability of very few false negatives, international travel and tourism can once again take off. Presumably, a few false negatives could be dealt with (and maybe even another test prior to de-planing would be in order, to trap a previous false negative, or maybe a toilet seat encounter during the flight). Anyway, there may be testing soon that will eliminate the tourist-killing requirement for a 14-day quarantine. As such, all the world's pent-up tourists, particularly the affluent retirees whose incomes haven't been affected by the pandemic, may once again be able to travel. And where would they like to go? Well, probably to a virus free bubble like New Zealand or Thailand.... which requires these countries to keep doing what they've been doing, to a large degree anyway.

Interesting decision making for a yet defined perfect mix.

The only way forward currently is the testing before and after a flight as a vaccine is a long way of, of course the owners of the ASQ Hotels won’t be happy if they lose their 14 Day Quarantine Customers, I think they will be lobbying the government to continue with that to maintain their income.

[Megasin1]

This virus will never be under control, its stupid to think otherwise and for the really stupid who just think its a cold go and do some research and look up all the people who have had it and survived, young ones have to have a rest after climbing the stairs in their house, blood clots, heart attacks, strokes and brain issues to name a few. This virus results in major damage to organs with nobody knowing how, why or which will be affected. You do NOT want this virus in any form. Tourism in the sense of crossing borders freely is dead and gone for the foreseeable future. Do not listen to BS from any country trying to bolster its tourism industry they are just attempting to delay the inevitable, which is a total and utter collapse. Be careful, be safe.

[Jumbo1968]

And the tourism officials don't get it either. What are they thinking? Thailand is so irrestible, that a tourist will spend $2,000 to $4,000 for quarantine, spend a two week prison sentence in a hotel room, and then be subject to extreme restrictions? What planet are these people living on? 

 

Nail on the head, the Thai adage of thinking all farangs are walking ATMs, even to the extent on some Repatriation Flights there are only Business Class seats available. Then again who would want to sit near or with Thai returnees who hadn’t been tested ?

[GAZZPA]

30 minutes ago, Aussie Col said:

Trust me they wont be coming.

They will either stay in there own countries for Christmas and the New Year holidays or find a country that is Farang friendly foe the holidays and that certainly isn't Thailand

Absolutely right fella,, the UK have been advertising local holidays like crazy lately, all the bookings for holidays for next year are firmly aimed at local holidays... People who believe the international holiday market is going to recover soon are completely delusional. The market is dead, it will be dead for a long time yet, not just the terrible inconvenience and aggravation of travelling but also it the worst economic recession for 100 years with massive rises in unemployment so people won't have the disposable income they would normally have.. Anybody with half a brain can see this is obvious,, just ignore the buffoons.. There may be some old duffers with pensions who are willing to spend time doing all that nonsense but they are hardly going to save the tourist industry are they and are not exactly a measurement of the masses,,, they are living in their own bubble blind to what is going on and seeing things from their own perspective only... 

[86Tiger]

We keep reading posts stating 14 day quarantine is not so bad for several month stay.  But reality is those on several month holiday are very much a small minority and are not going to keep the hotels open and the planes flying.  They need tens of thousands arriving and departing every day or it is finished.  Those tens of thousand are overwhelmingly on short stay and will not travel to a country they are imprisoned (although soft prison) for 2 weeks of their precious 2 - 4 weeks yearly vacation time.

 

On top of it all there is not facilities or staff to quarantine tens of thousands arriving every day.

 

Face the reality, tourism is either everything open full throttle or closed until further notice.

 

 

[John CS]

6 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

This is the third time i have posted this, but it is still quite relevant.

 

I think it is time for Thailand to re-evaluate its Virus Response policy.

 

Thailand has been following a 'Zero-Tolerance' policy, but I think it is time to move to a 'Managed-Tolerance' policy. I make this suggestion based mainly on two factors; I think it is inevitable that the virus will return to Thailand and a calm, managed response is more effective than hysteria. Secondly, the economic damage being done to millions is more harmful than the virus itself and needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

 

We recently saw new cases in Vietnam, and I think that we are going to see new cases in Thailand soon; like most people I take the government's claim of zero cases with a grain of salt, although it seems like they have done a very good job overall. However, I don't think it can last. A better policy is to prepare, both medically and in terms of public opinion/education, for the return of the virus. Is this a radical idea? No, not really. Members will recall the phrase "flatten the curve", but perhaps a reminder is needed that the idea is to manage the virus so that the health system isn't overwhelmed; a policy of Zero Tolerance is incompatible with an open society and/or open economy. It is time to re-enforce the precautions needed, but also to allow for an economic re-start which includes outsiders/foreigners. A final point; humanity's best minds and a boat-load of resources are being thrown at the problem. This global effort, propelled by the power of competition, is expected to produce a vaccine either this year or early next year while treatments are being developed and refined daily; we as a species are going to beat this scourge, and relatively soon.

 

The economic damage being done to Thailand is immense. Yes, I know that we don't hear about it too much, but there is a reason for that. The people talking in the (not quite free) Media are almost all in a 'Virus-Proof' economic situation; they aren't directly affected so they don't feel the urgency of fixing the problem. Firm numbers are difficult to come by, but it seems around 6-9 million Thais are very badly hurt by the economic fall-out of the virus, and those people need to be both helped and heard. The damage done to these people is egregious and growing worse; some government support is being withdrawn, the option of 'Go Back to the Farm' isn't really possible anymore (and not a great idea regardless), and they will soon need more food and rent support to survive. Further, many aren't well-educated and don't have transferable skills, so their options are limited. Finally, even before Covid-19, their economic situation was in decline; it is in free-fall now and they can't be ignored. Simply put, plans for their economic regeneration must to be formulated now and implemented soon.

 

When people are hungry, all bets are off.

 

How to proceed?

 

It is the beginning of August; continue/speed up the current repatriation policy 'as is', but ramp up the public education aspect of change. Announce that by October 1st (perhaps Nov. 1st?) that the airspace around Thailand will be open to commercial air travel, long-term tourists (Snow-Birds who 'winter' here), remaining residents and retirees will be allowed to return with a few restrictions (test before boarding or on arrival, reasonable insurance, self-isolation at home on arrival, etc. BUT no mandatory state quarantine), implement common sense visa issuance (sorry Floridians and Texans!) and most of all prepare the Thai people for the idea that although there will be cases of the virus, they will be managed, and the benefits of re-opening are a risk worth taking. Yes, the end of mandatory state quarantine is essential if this is going to work; I believe that the long-term visitors will respect the self-isolation policy and Thailand's million strong public health volunteers can monitor them, but they won't come if they are going to be locked up. Moreover, the selection of the residents/retirees and 'Snow-Birds' as an initial group isn't accidental; these people already know the Kingdom and understand life within it, are good 'testers' of a new system, have a lot of money to spend, and can be excellent examples of a working policy of re-opening. Finally, allowing these kinds of visitors would build confidence, test whether short-term tourists could actually visit (I think not yet, but...), and help protect the tourism infrastructure from further and/or irreparable damage.

 

There are those who will argue that it is better to keep the borders closed and wait this out, and I honestly have trouble arguing against that idea (I don't want to catch the <deleted> thing). However, those who make that point rarely take the next step; what do you do with the 6-9 million people damaged by the current policy? Will those that advocate for closed borders take in homeless people? If so, how many? One family? Two families? Three? Will those that advocate for closed borders give up a percentage of their salaries/pensions to help? If so, how much? 25%? 35%? 45%? Will those that advocate for closed borders pay school fees and related costs for all the children of unemployed/underemployed parents? How many kids? One? Five? Twenty? The question isn't merely an intellectual exercise, it has real-world implications and consequences. 

 

If you want those 6-9 million people to sacrifice for you, what are you going to sacrifice for them?

 

To sum up, I think that the question of whether or not to keep the border closed is incomplete. The question should be: if you keep the border closed, then what will you do for the 6-9 million people economically-eviscerated by the response to the virus? Opening the Kingdom to visitors in November for the high season would likely see a few cases of the virus, but the Thai medical system can handle that (it did before, right?) until a vaccine is widely available. It would begin the process of re-starting the tourism industry in Thailand (20% of GDP!!!), begin the process of building trust again, re-start the employment of huge numbers, give Thailand a 'leg up' on future tourism business in the region, and alleviate some of the damage done to the poorest in the Kingdom. The alternative is a policy of rot, idleness, atrophy and decline with an indefinite timeline. 

 

History is replete with examples of people hiding behind walls for protection, but it rarely ever works (especially against something the size of a virus); see the 'Maginot Line', the Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall, and more. History shows that a combination of pro-active tactics coupled with reasonable, layered defenses provides a better outcome to almost any problem.

 

The question is; is anyone listening? Or are public officials just spewing nonsense to get their name in the paper?

 

I've given you an outline on what and how to do it; can you take it from here?

 

 

 

Samui B

Great Post , only one point to further contribute is that the vaccine may never actually arrive, or be effective.It will make Pharma companies a lot of money, guaranteed  though they have yet to effect a flu vaccine ,how about the Govts call the charade off, just accept and manage the virus for what it is , an influenza variation and actually look after people at risk.

 

[Mung]

2 hours ago, paulikens said:

@Destiny1990 thanks for speaking for the whole of europe.  funny that cuz plenty of people flying already around europe now so what difference is flying further gonna make? also you obviously dont read the comments on here theres plenty of people still willing to fly to asia vaccine or not.

I know plenty of people going on holiday, I know someone who's from the UK and in Turkey right now 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Mung

[sambum]

"Under this plan only those from countries deemed to have the virus under control would be allowed entry and they would then be subject to quarantine and severe restrictions on where they are allowed to go." 

 

"Countries that would be eligible were China, Taiwan, the US and those in Europe"

 

With more than  5,000,000 (5 MILLION) cases, and HUNDREDS more each day (sometimes THOUSANDS) I would hardly deem them to have the virus under control - or do the Thai politicians believe everything that comes out of Trump's mouth in the same way as they believe everything their own Ministers say?

 

And even in Europe, with the number of cases in the UK sitting at 308,134, with 46,413 deaths and hundreds of new cases each day resulting in places like Leicester under lockdown again. and many other places facing new restrictions, I wouldn't think that they have it "under control"

(P.S. I am a Brit, and the way my countrymen ignore the rules is sickening - kudos to the majority of the Thai people for at least recognising the danger, and taking the advice seriously - pity the Army didn't!) 

 

[0815]

7 hours ago, ezzra said:

this is sound like a PR stunt and for public consumption to show that the are still relevant and justify their positions and big salaries where many airlines are not predicting things to go back to normal anytime soon but that will not those talking heads from dreaming big...

... while most of their fired employees and tour guides did not even receive the 5000b.

[GAZZPA]

3 minutes ago, John CS said:

Samui B

Great Post , only one point to further contribute is that the vaccine may never actually arrive, or be effective.It will make Pharma companies a lot of money, guaranteed  though they have yet to effect a flu vaccine ,how about the Govts call the charade off, just accept and manage the virus for what it is , an influenza variation and actually look after people at risk.

 

I agree very sensible post, it is what the rest of the world are trying to do. You cannot stop this virus, that is now impossible. It will burn out over time and history has shown us from previous global pandemics that the duration is 2 years. I am however much more optimistic then you about a vaccine, Oxford University are a long way down the road and very confident they have a vaccine, of course it take time. I do not buy any conspiracy nonsense, of course pharmaceutical companies will make money but the reason why there are thousands of the top scientists working on it is because the money is there to do it from the big pharmaceutical companies,, you need to realise that.

 

Thailand keep patting themselves on the back drawing comparisons to other countries with higher infection rates praising themselves,, what a load of rubbish.. Of course all the while people are losing jobs, their homes and the poorest people are struggling to feed their own children relying on foreign donations for food parcels, i think thats disgusting for the biggest economy in SE Asia..

 

My view is investment is the key, the government need to invest in infrastructure which they desperately need, it will leave them open for future investment and perhaps even a tourist industry to rival countries such as France in the future.. of course whilst they are doing this people are getting paid by the government and spending which in turn comes back in taxes,, better to spend public money on that kind of thing rather then flogging a dead horse to boost a tourist industry that is not coming back anytime soon..  History has taught us this is the best way,,, look at Germany post war! huge government investment and they now are one of the biggest exporters in the world dominating industries such as cars and solar panels with an enviable reputation for engineering excellence. 

 

they need to wake up and realise that this is about careful management not shut everything before crime gets out of hand and the country ends up in chaos.

[Aussie Col]

1 minute ago, sambum said:

"Under this plan only those from countries deemed to have the virus under control would be allowed entry and they would then be subject to quarantine and severe restrictions on where they are allowed to go." 

 

"Countries that would be eligible were China, Taiwan, the US and those in Europe"

 

With more than  5,000,000 (5 MILLION) cases, and HUNDREDS more each day (sometimes THOUSANDS) I would hardly deem them to have the virus under control - or do the Thai politicians believe everything that comes out of Trump's mouth in the same way as they believe everything their own Ministers say?

 

And even in Europe, with the number of cases in the UK sitting at 308,134, with 46,413 deaths and hundreds of new cases each day resulting in places like Leicester under lockdown again. and many other places facing new restrictions, I wouldn't think that they have it "under control"

(P.S. I am a Brit, and the way my countrymen ignore the rules is sickening - kudos to the majority of the Thai people for at least recognising the danger, and taking the advice seriously - pity the Army didn't!) 

 

Thailand has a lot of work to do if it wants free spending farangs to come back here when they open up the country again, and asking people to quarantine for 2 weeks isn't one of then and neither is jumping through hoops to get a 3 month visa.

The Farangs will find other countries to go to if Thailand doesn't become more Farnag tourist friendly.

[Older bolder]

If they think tourists are going to come in by the thousands with a lot of restrictions  they need to think again... if they are going to let some tourists in they need to sort things out now..ie flight going in,3 of the biggest tourist companies are pulling out Thailand now..

[GAZZPA]

8 minutes ago, Mung said:

I know plenty of people going on holiday, I know someone who's from the UK and in Turkey right now 

oh well, we all must be misinformed then, all is well in the tourist industry, don't know what all the fuss is about cause your mates in Turkey so must be alright.... wake up.

[ukrules]

6 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

 

I think it is time for Thailand to re-evaluate its Virus Response policy.

Not really, it's far too late for that.

 

If Thailand really has had no mass spread of this virus of whatever it mutated from then it will quickly become the worst currently affected country in the world at the time.

 

Everyone news channel will be watching, everyone will be talking and reporting on it as they go through the same stages that other countries like the UK, Spain, Italy and France have already been through.

 

Nobody would want to come until it's all over which will take us into next year sometime.

 

I suggest they stick with what they have and make the most of it. Then gear up for a return to normal in about a years time, if they're lucky.