"Foreign tourists won't come if confined to their room for 14 days" but keeping them at resorts is OK, Pipat

[skorp13]

Long stay tourists and ex-pats looking to get back to their businesses or families will do the quarantine, no one else will. Real international tourism will not return until the quarantine is abolished no one else will even think about returning. Whether or not is it actually necessary is another topic but i think the writing is on the wall

[brucegoniners]

And then what happens if there's an outbreak in the resort? How about when one or more "escape" and go into the general public and spread the virus? Will these resorts have gates and bars like prisons so nobody can go in our out? How about employees? What happens when one or more of them get sick and take it home, bringing the virus into the community? This will not end well.

[Hayduke]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"Foreign tourists won't come if confined to their room for 14 days" but keeping them at resorts is OK, Pipat

 

It’s really astonishing how little this “Thailand is the center of the universe” Tourism “Minister” knows about tourists.

 

Typical of Thailand’s autocrats, he seems to think that foreigners will be happy to blindly swallow  government stupidity…the same way Thai people blindly swallow government stupidity.

 

He can’t seem to wrap his head around the fact that…foreigners actually have a choice in the matter.

 

 

Edited August 25, 2020 by Hayduke

[Aussie Col]

1 hour ago, Paiman said:

 

I don,t think so. 

 

Tourists will be careful with choosing an international holiday vacation. And being restricted for 2 weeks to a resort, they will just chose another destination.

And 2 weeks quarantine when they return to their home countries

[edwinchester]

Both my daughters and their families are planning on holidaying in Thailand next February. No way will they be coming if they have to remain in their resort for the whole 2 weeks.

[Bkktodd]

Still no mention for valid visa holders.  21days in house arrest for the pleasure of paying for it plus the money paid for my empty  condo.    Insane 

[GeorgeCross]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

Why would people take expensive long haul flights to be confined to a resort, when they could fly for a couple of hours and have a nice cheap holiday in the sun where they can go wherever they like?

 

I think this guy may have overestimated the lure of Thailand.

 

maybe they don't want tourists arriving on long haul flights but they want tourists that can fly for a couple of hours and have a nice cheap holiday?

 

like the Chinese for example

 

 

[Katipo]

Average European family, "Hmmm..... shall we go to Thailand and be confined to our resort for 2 weeks, or visit Greece and spend our time freely exploring the archipelago? Hmmmmm"  ????

[Hockeybik]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

These guys just can’t miss an opportunity for their moment in the media. 

 

When these people stop with the mentality that ‘tourists’ are poisonous and Thailand is doing tourists a favour by allowing them in to spend the money they just have to get rid of things may start to improve for the Thai tourist sector. 

 

There has to be more intelligent measures:

- Pre flight Covid-19 tests

- Arrival Covid-19 tests

- Testing of those working in the Tourist areas

- Track and Trace (of all incomers / and all in country)

- Ensure the R Number remains below 1 

- Emphasis on ’serious cases’ and ‘deaths’ rather than whole numbers of Covid-19 cases

 

 

Yeah, aiming for zero cases ever is pretty stupid.

[Hockeybik]

41 minutes ago, skorp13 said:

Long stay tourists and ex-pats looking to get back to their businesses or families will do the quarantine, no one else will. Real international tourism will not return until the quarantine is abolished no one else will even think about returning. Whether or not is it actually necessary is another topic but i think the writing is on the wall

If the goal must be "zero new cases" then the long stay folks must be the target not the pleasure tourist.

Edited August 25, 2020 by Hockeybik

[surfinglife]

2 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

If the resort was fully stocked with lovely Thai women I wouldn't want to leave my room for a month!

Lovely Thai women?! An oximoron...

[CapeTown]

2 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

If there were no other options around the world... however..... 

Its mostly staycations until a vaccine is found and distributed to all 7 billion of us.

Until then, the choice open to governments is to compromise or risk economic ruin.

[MRToMRT]

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

You think?? folks, This is why this man get the big bucks as a salary, an invaluable insight into the tourists mind...

His big bucks probably do not come from his government salary

[lensta]

2 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

The minister hasn't got a clue that no one will be coming with these or any other requirements for a holiday ????  

Exactly. This minister is a billionaire, how the hell did he manage that???

[MRToMRT]

44 minutes ago, brucegoniners said:

And then what happens if there's an outbreak in the resort? How about when one or more "escape" and go into the general public and spread the virus? Will these resorts have gates and bars like prisons so nobody can go in our out? How about employees? What happens when one or more of them get sick and take it home, bringing the virus into the community? This will not end well.

Even worse if one of them has ebola!

[Geoffggi]

2 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

so they all mix together in the resort.. and if they catch covid on day 14 from a new comer on day 1...?

 

seriously do they even try to think about this?

 

????‍♀️

 

Spot on, you beat me to it, how do they segregate new arrivals from people due for release into the population of Phuket, plus where do the new releases into the island community stay back at the resort ?? I believe they need to re-think this whole program .............LOL

[CapeTown]

The idea of gated communities is not practical because, as with care homes and hospitals, it is the service workers who are the super-spreaders.

Often they dont realise it as they are young and asymptomatic.

Best policy now is to hold the line - zero covid and an internal tourist industry only, with help for small business and monthly aid directly to individuals, and improve treatment available to all. Keep the economy turning rather than keep it in an induced coma from which it may never recover, not even in five years.

Hold the line and review at year-end. Looking forward to 2021, what needs to be done for when a vaccine is ready? And if there is little hope of a vaccine, get ready to sup with the devil. 

It means splash the cash in short and medium term projects to keep society together and retain in the long term the positions and wealth.

[K in BKK]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

He said he would be surveying the locals about their feelings of having foreigners in their midst once again

This could be it for me; I know some Thai are tired of us and take us for granted and some genuinely like us. Europe is a lot closer to me for work now so maybe I'll move to Croatia or somewhere similar. TBH I was getting kinda tired of being formally and informally taxed all the time

[PoodThaiMaiDai]

I am retired and I will have a Elite Visa soon.

 

When I first saw this I thought i twas 14 days quarantine then 7 days to spend money..

 

But if I am in a resort sharing common areas with others this worries me.

 

i may reconsider.

[tomauasia]

2 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

The minister hasn't got a clue that no one will be coming with these or any other requirements for a holiday ????  

You are forgetting. Thailand is the of the universe

.And the minister can fly.

 

Edited August 25, 2020 by tomauasia

[aussieinphuket]

please what do these people think, that every tourist has more then 2 weeks holidays to waste their time spending weeks in quarantine in a dump of a hotel or resort they cannot pick as obviously not all major and nice hotels will open if there is no guarantee of customers.

 

people want choice where they wish or want to stay, i know for one that if i was coming to thailand especially phuket there is really only 2 or 3 hotels or resorts i want to stay in and none are in patong or even close to there.

 

they want tourists to waste 100,000 on a 2 week stay in quarantine and then if they manage to leave there and have extra time to stay spend a further 100,000 in another resort, not all people or especially those with children are that affluent and if they came from australia would need to spend another 2 weeks in quarantine at their expense again.

 

please people just stay home, spend your money in your own countries where the economy's more then likely need money and wait until we see a vaccine to allow us all to be immune.

 

what if they allow tourists into phuket, will the rest of thailand allow those of us that live in phuket to travel to other parts of thailand or will this also affect us residents.  

 

i am sure most of what is being said is to try and appease the local thais into thinking things will change for the better shortly.. 

 

good luck to everyone and stay safe. 

 

[alyx]

3 hours ago, Paiman said:

 

I don,t think so. 

 

Tourists will be careful with choosing an international holiday vacation. And being restricted for 2 weeks to a resort, they will just chose another destination.

Not necessarily. Quite a few tourists are happy with spending a couple of weeks in the same area when it comes to leisure and not extensive visiting. At least that is what happens when Europeans take a break in Spain, Italy or another country. I, personally, have been doing that: one country, one place and barely visit any other places.

But I see a problem with this: let's say one spends 2/3 weeks in that resort. One will then be allowed to travel around...what if, in the last days of their stay one is exposed to the Coronavirus by another undetected traveller....Back to square one, aren't we.

[Airalee]

42 minutes ago, aussieinphuket said:

please people just stay home, spend your money in your own countries where the economy's more then likely need money and wait until we see a vaccine to allow us all to be immune.

 

what if they allow tourists into phuket, will the rest of thailand allow those of us that live in phuket to travel to other parts of thailand or will this also affect us residents.  

Do you see the irony in your post?

 

Enjoy your “gilded cage”

[alyx]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I think that may ended up a ‘global solution’ much like travelling into areas of Africa with a Yellow Fever Vaccination certificate. 

We may well end up requiring ‘Covid-19 Vaccination’ passports. 

 

If thats the case, they may as well add other vaccinations to the the ‘Vaccination Passport’ such as Flu Vaccine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reminding me that after spending a week in Bogota I was denied boarding to Costa Rica because I did not hold a vaccination book. After 8 hours stuck in the international zone ( I had gone through immigration without stopping by the registration counter of the airline) trying to find a solution, I eventually bought a flight to Panama (where that was not required when traveling from Colombia) and took a connecting flight to San José CR. No check upon arrival. Always loopholes.

[samsensam]

45 minutes ago, aussieinphuket said:

please what do these people think, that every tourist has more then 2 weeks holidays to waste their time spending weeks in quarantine in a dump of a hotel or resort they cannot pick as obviously not all major and nice hotels will open if there is no guarantee of customers.

 

people want choice where they wish or want to stay, i know for one that if i was coming to thailand especially phuket there is really only 2 or 3 hotels or resorts i want to stay in and none are in patong or even close to there.

 

they want tourists to waste 100,000 on a 2 week stay in quarantine and then if they manage to leave there and have extra time to stay spend a further 100,000 in another resort, not all people or especially those with children are that affluent and if they came from australia would need to spend another 2 weeks in quarantine at their expense again.

 

please people just stay home, spend your money in your own countries where the economy's more then likely need money and wait until we see a vaccine to allow us all to be immune.

 

what if they allow tourists into phuket, will the rest of thailand allow those of us that live in phuket to travel to other parts of thailand or will this also affect us residents.  

 

i am sure most of what is being said is to try and appease the local thais into thinking things will change for the better shortly.. 

 

good luck to everyone and stay safe. 

 

 

NIMBY; i once dared hope the virus experience would bring out the best in people. how wrong i was.

[SteveK]

People are just going to go somewhere else, and take their money with them. Sometimes I think that that is precisely what these idiots want. 

[aussiexpat]

So sick of this rubbish. I spent 6 million baht on a condo and I spend at least 100,000 baht a month in the 6 months I used to stay in Thailand per year. 

 

But I won't be blackmailed into a Phuket resort for 3 weeks just to get back there. Thailand I will see you again when I might be able to sell my condo and never come back

 

Thailand has shown such a lack of respect for us property owners and long stayers, I'm done while they focus on fantasy tourist bubbles

Edited August 25, 2020 by aussiexpat

[3NUMBAS]

and thats if they can even find a flight with a seat at sensible prices ,which is unlikely for years ..they exist in a parallel universe ,where every farang has tons of cash despite the hard times,they just dont get it

[richard_smith237]

7 minutes ago, aussiexpat said:

So sick of this rubbish. I spent 6 million baht on a condo and I spend at least 100,000 baht a month in the 6 months I used to stay in Thailand per year. 

 

But I won't be blackmailed into a Phuket resort for 3 weeks just to get back there. Thailand I will see you again when I might be able to sell my condo and never come back

 

 

To be honest, I can’t say I blame you. 

 

A lot of people with close ties to Thailand, retirees, those with property, those tied into lease contracts, even those with girlfriends, have been stuck outside of Thailand without a resonable solution to re-enter - Currently these people are not even offered the CoE and ASQ options. 

 

Meanwhile Thailand is racking their brains and making ridiculous statements about getting ‘tourists’ back in. 

 

Firstly, let those with ties to Thailand in - they spend money here at local establishments. 

 

-----

 

I was fortunate enough to re-enter 5 weeks ago (with CoE and ASQ) under ’married to a Thai’ conditions. 

We have a house in Thailand, son in school etc. 

 

I was already looking at moving back to the UK given the current restriction of movement / entry to Thailand. I may still be forced to do this given my work involves frequent travel (if when my work starts up again).

 

It would be impossible to jump through the current hoops on a frequent basis, doing a two week ASQ every couple of months is also not an enjoyable prospect, yet I work must take a priority when its starts up again. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SVC Porter]

2 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

and thats if they can even find a flight with a seat at sensible prices ,which is unlikely for years ..they exist in a parallel universe ,where every farang has tons of cash despite the hard times,they just dont get it

Thai Airways are advertising seats in Oct and November.  I'd imagine they'll be costly.