Thais hope 2 million foreign tourists will visit from year end to March, despite all the restrictions

[Bim Smith]

With these restrictions still in place from an over hyped paranoia, hope is all that remains. 

[sambum]

"Thais hope 2 million foreign tourists will visit from year end to March, despite all the restrictions"

 

And it was on ThaiVisa only last week that the majority of Thais didn't want the tourists back because of Covid! Obviously, the average Thai on the street's opinion counts for ZILCH, and the Government/TAT's plucking of figures from the air is laughable. 

At least this time the key word in the statement is "hope"! 

 

P.S. I do realise that this is a forward projection, but I also noticed that there is no year mentioned - maybe we are talking the earlier part of 2022? 

Edited August 24, 2020 by sambum

[alyx]

Hey everyone

 

I did not get through all the pages but read the first and the last one as all the comments seem to squash that idea. Actually, it is not such a bad idea as so many, who already have ties with the Kingdom, are desperate to come back. Not sure if they are in the millions but I would bet it could match the 100,000 mark. That is if I read correctly the quarantine part.

It is my understanding that, unlike the returnees currently quarantined, they would not be confined to their room being forbidden to step in the corridor without being slapped with a further 14 day penalty. They would be able to move around within 1 km of their hotel. It would kind of staying at a small resort then. Do not ask for a link as I do not remember where I read this information. Under these conditions I would not mind getting out of the country in order to look into some matters back home, which I am not keen to do under the current restrictions, and be back a few months later

[wensiensheng]

5 hours ago, keith101 said:

You'll be lucky to get people in the thousands but more like hundreds if they have to quarantine for 14 days and pay for it .

The 14 day quarantine requirement is an irrelevance. Everybody will ignore it and there will be no enforcement. Nor will there be any follow up tests after the first week. So really the only safeguard is the preflight health certificate and innate fear people might have of flying at covid time.

[wensiensheng]

2 minutes ago, alyx said:

Hey everyone

 

I did not get through all the pages but read the first and the last one as all the comments seem to squash that idea. Actually, it is not such a bad idea as so many, who already have ties with the Kingdom, are desperate to come back. Not sure if they are in the millions but I would bet it could match the 100,000 mark. That is if I read correctly the quarantine part.

It is my understanding that, unlike the returnees currently quarantined, they would not be confined to their room being forbidden to step in the corridor without being slapped with a further 14 day penalty. They would be able to move around within 1 km of their hotel. It would kind of staying at a small resort then. Do not ask for a link as I do not remember where I read this information. Under these conditions I would not mind getting out of the country in order to look into some matters back home, which I am not keen to do under the current restrictions, and be back a few months later

I guess the definition of what is a “tourist” is drawn quite widely.

[PatOngo]

Come on TAT, shoot the works, I reckon you can try and spin 10 million! ???? 

[sambum]

"Foreigners would have to go directly to their destination by air (how this applied to Phi Phi was not explained)."

 

Absolutely brilliant! Maybe construct a raft out of all the straws they're clutching at!

[shackleton]

Can't see many Tourists wanting to come to Thailand and spend the first 2 weeks in Quarantine plus the  following 2 weeks going no where

I will wait to see if I am proved wrong 

It has happened before 

[CapeTown]

The Brits have a useful expression for ideas that you push out into the future, only to find your trousers are wet.

 

It would be handy if the TAT started with how many tourists it would like in 2021.

Then work back, right-to-left, back to the prep that needs to begin now, clearing the obstacles.

 

What could some obstacles be?

Expecting tourists to arrive directly at their destination from o/s Thailand?

Imagining tourists will be content with a sea view from their hotel window for two weeks? Seems unlikely.

And what happens if there are covid outbreaks at your gov hotel?

That tourists with six free weeks can be found at all, still less willing to spend half that time cooped up dreaming?

 

Dreaming ... hmmmm

[alzack]

5 hours ago, YetAnother said:

great plan ! prepare to welcome Zero tourists

Free quarantine

Free Bar girls

Free leo beers

 

The way to go, worth catching the  Kung Flu I think (And the clap)

[AAArdvark]

I thought drugs were illegal in Thailand.

[hashmodha]

Now I thought I ought to post this here! What do they know that these people here don't????

[aussiexpat]

8 minutes ago, Pikasso said:

But Phuket has their share of wealthy snowbirds, so it could be a possibility?

Make that home quarantine and they would certainly come....

But it isn't home quarantine and there aren't 2 million Phuket snowbirds

[mikeymike100]

No-one in their right mind would go to Thailand with all the restrictions when they have so many other options with far less restrictions! Its not rocket science.

Although some folks do have more than 2 weeks vacation, they are not going to spend it in quarantine, especially when they have to pay for the ridiculous price of the hotels, plus food in the hotel plus all the tests etc, plus Covid 19 insurance which many people can't get.

If Thailand was serious about encouraging tourists they would do what other countries have done. All testing would be free, the hotels would be free or subsidized and the quarantine if any would be 7 days. Self isolation would be better of course.

Having tests at the departing airport would improve things also, as there is now a 15 minute test available.

The Thai government just doesn't get it. you can't have your cake and eat it.

Many restaurants, shops, bars etc have closed already, the Thai government need make a decision before its too late!

[Pikasso]

20 minutes ago, MarkyM3 said:

If they offer a 6 month visa then I'd do it only because I need to get back to see my fiancee.

3 months is not really enough given what we would be having to do. 

You stud, I'm impressed!!

[hlj]

This is better than reading comic books or watching cartoons.

[alyx]

5 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

I guess the definition of what is a “tourist” is drawn quite widely.

Not defining the tourist, only pointing out some categories ( stranded boyfriend or girlfriend, Elite members but alos some want to be bad boys who think that Thailand is better for their scams than the country where they actually reside

[robsamui]

This plan is obviously just grabbed out of thin air by people with severely non-functional minds - the initial government proposal to fly tourists to an island with no airport gives the first clue  . . . 

Then lets look at the numbers.

There are exactly 90 days in January, February and March 2021. Fitting 2 million people into that time (77 days) would necessitate 25,975 people arriving per day. That by itself is ludicrous enough when you realise that only 2 airports are available. (nb This is going to be calculated for SEVENTY SEVEN days . . . the final 13 days don't figure into the equation as there is not enough time left for 14 days quarantine.)

Boeing 747s hold 660 passengers - but with social distancing let's assume that's reduced to 330 passengers. Therefore to make up the quota of 25,974 people per day, it would mean 79 flights PER DAY coming into 2 airports, assuming all 'planes were filled to safe-distancing-capacity.

That means one full-to-capacity Boeing 747 arriving every 18.22 minutes . . . for the best part of three months.

And this is where the real fun starts.

18.22 minutes into January 1st, there are 330 beaming tourists to cart off to their expensive 5-star government quarantine hotel. A further 18.22 minutes later into day 1, there's another 330 tourists to quarantine. And 18.22 minutes after that, another 'plane arrives with 330 more tourists in it.

Thus at the end of the first 24-hour period 79 'planeloads of tourists with 330 tourists on each will need to have arrived for the Amazing Thai Government is to fill its "2-million in 3 months" quota. That's 23,700 tourists on the first day (24 hours) alone.

And another 23,700 on the second day, and the third day . . . all of whom need to be quarantined. So at the end of the first three days, we need to have 71,100 tourists in 5-star government approved hotels. And this number will increase daily, at the rate of 23,700 per day, right up until the 15th day, when the initial 23,700 tourists from the very first day will have finished their quarantine.

Bottom line - on the 15th day, before that first batch can be released, there will need to be 331,800  quarantined tourists.

And then this level will continue to run through until the end of March - every day there will be a balance maintained of 331,800 in quarantine while 23,700 each and every day for two-and a-half months are released to wander around Thailand.

Thailand has never, ever, been quite this amazing.

Edited August 24, 2020 by robsamui

[Seeall]

4 hours ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

How many more of these pointless, repetitive articles are we going to get with all this guessing, nonsense??

 

Must be 2 or 3 a day, and every one totally pointless.

You enjoy it....

[Burma Bill]

[dlclark97]

When much younger my dad often told me to wish in one hand and (use your imagination) in the other and see which one fills up first.

When most working people are lucky to get a two week vacation once a year why would anyone think they would want to spend the 14 days in quarantine no matter how luxurious the facility.  Somebody needs to take some educational courses logical thinking.  Major cut back on quarantine, better monetary exchange rates, discounts and bargain prices for foreign tourists.  Maybe then a few would come but I would not go buy a new Mercedes counting on the next few months of income to make the payments. 

[Letseng]

5 hours ago, YetAnother said:

great plan ! prepare to welcome Zero tourists

I will do it as it is a way in to get back to my flat after a month. Nothing wrong with a stay at a beach location.

[alzack]

5 minutes ago, Seeall said:

You enjoy it....

If the tourists come will the restaurants and bars serve them or will we see the signs outside

"NO FOREIGNERS SERVED HERE"

[alzack]

Thailand will NEVER be the same again. Looking back my 30 years in Thailand, we had the best all gone now

[Baggy]

5 hours ago, Paiman said:

May be because 98% of Thais think their country is better than other countries - logic to follow, 98% of all international Tourists have only 1 dream - holidays in the promised land  -  Thailand.

 

Sometimes I think my jar of peanut butter in the cupboard has an higher IQ than these official Lurers.

Please publish the salary of Thai government officials, eg. The prime minister etc.

[Berti]

3 hours ago, ourmanflint said:

Are you sure about that? A 2 week quarantine period can start any day between Dec/March, they overlap. so there are 120 or so in that time frame

If they overlap you need even more capacity than 230,000 !!!

[Tony125]

Returning from overseas or out of state? The CDC removes its 14-day quarantine recommendation

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/returning-from-overseas-or-out-of-state-the-cdc-removes-its-14-day-quarantine-recommendation/ar-BB18hP4i?li=BBnb7Kz

 

Guess the US figures  they can't be quarantinig everybody, maybe Thailand will figure that out.

[Manny]

Thais have told me one hundred times Thailand has everything it needs & is totally independent

I believe so. Who really needs Mercedes Benz, iPhones & Google when you have Tuk Tuks, Rice &

know everything already 

[Millcx]

5 hours ago, keith101 said:

You'll be lucky to get people in the thousands but more like hundreds if they have to quarantine for 14 days and pay for it .

There’s one hope which is No Hope 5555

[Miss Pickle]

Are they kidding do they honestly think people are going to come on Holiday to be locked up in a Hotel for 2 weeks we have been locked up for Months in Europe no chance of it happening.