Plan on the table to allow Europe’s ‘snowbirds’ into Thailand for up to 9 months

[Madeline Thompson]

6 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

A simple un-hoopy un-quarantining apart from in my house, inexpensive return to my wife would be a nice plan

Couldn't agree more - let foreigners who have family (Thai or foreign expats)

back into the country.  They've been trying for months to get back to their

families and are completely shut out by the Thai government in Thailand.

Embassies and consulates abroad are generally very sympathetic to these

people.

[visacrack]

As long as the world's govs keep avoiding to acknowledge that excess fat is the culprit for covid fatalities (most gov members are obese...), and that this issue needs to be tackled in a suitable way (never mind what this means for fastfood and farmacy trades) - we will not escape this hamster wheel 

[mr mr]

la de da de deeeeeee....la de da dee daaaaaaaa

[Time to grow]

This article begs the question why Thonburi Healthcare Group has so much interest in tourism? For that matter, why does Thonburi Healthcare Group have any clout at all in this matter. Healthcare is about healthcare not fleecing a population for exorbitant profit. It would be nice if they could get back to healthcare. It seems many developing economies around the world fail to learn from the mistakes made by more developed economies. Profit begets greed begets more profit... It's just hopeless.

[Pracha Duang]

6 hours ago, Kadilo said:

Spot on. It’s not exactly a welcoming party is it?

 

A prisoner for 2 weeks stuck in a hotel, let out for a weeks Parole all at your expense, not forgetting the testing. Then you can (Hopefully) finally make it to your destination. 
 

There’s the best part of a month gone of your summer break and a large chunk of cash. 
 

Will people suffer it? Maybe some who are desperate to see their separated families but I can’t see the uptake of people just looking to escape the winter months back home for a bit of sun. 

 

 

You might be surprised. Most of the 5 star resorts in Phuket ( currently at 90%  discounts ) are ocean front with "private beaches" and built so that you never have to leave the resort. It might be shocking to you to discover that a huge portion of these "snow birds" never leave the resort. They're mainly interested in staycationing, relaxing at the beach, getting tan, getting laid, and getting drunk. If you've ever been to Trisara or Amanpuri or Anantara in Phuket, you'd realized that the setup you've got there is shockingly amazing. Not to mention high-end luxury escorts from all over the world delivered to your doorstep at a 95% discount at present. And let's be honest, it's not like they're actually going to enforce this quarantine lol. I mean do you even live in Thailand and know how it works here lol? Do you not know how easy it is to do whatever you want here with a few dollars under the table? Definitely not going to enforce anything on the wealthy that are dropping major league FRANKLINS left and right in Thailand at a time when the Thais desperately need those tourist greenbacks. And bro, many people getting silly rich right now from the Nasdaq with nowhere to spend their money. I'm up 678% on my networth YTD trading options via Robinhood...and I'm just a hobbyist.  Imagine what the pros are up!!! Go Nikola ($NKLA)!!! Going to pop tomorrow, that's how easy making money is right now. Point being, lots of people are swimming in cash ( like straight swimming brah ), are bored in their home country and will happily come to Thailand for a month and shack up in a 5 star Phuket resort at a 90% discount with "girl doorstep delivery". A lot of folks on here are out of touch with the current clientele that visits places like Phuket. Agreed, Patong ain't coming back anytime soon because that is a place for cheap low class tourists but North Western Phuket will likely explode with snow birds once Phuket opens up Oct 1. Just saying.

[Peterphuket]

Friday last, I was saying to be happy no new proposals for 2 days, but I was wrong.

Yesterday there was a doctor, maybe he had a day off and came again with a proposal.

And today, a new week is starting and guess what.....YES! It starts again, for the whole week new proposals, it looks like they don't have other things to do on the departments.

[Curmudgeon1]

7 hours ago, samsensam said:

Then they’d be clear to roam around the island for their third week. After 3 weeks on the island the visitors would be free to travel to other parts of Thailand.

 

how are they going to know which tourists are which? which tourists have been in thailand for more than 3 weeks? which foreigners are tourists and which foreigners are long term residents, retirees, employees? will they have police checks all over the country continually stopping and checking foreigners? it's a mad plan.

Not sure I understand your question. It is assumed that after 3weeks confined on an island not to mention the 72hr clean health bill before departure to thailand, that said tourist would be covid free like every other expat living here. Why would they need to be harassed with more testing????. Based on the science 24 days negative is outside the incubation life of the virus, as I understand

[ajarnmarc]

6 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

Great idea - kick out the current long-stay tourists and replace them with others. Does that mean as I'm in Thailand now I could do a visa run to London and fly back to Thailand straight into quarantine?

We are expected to support the Hotel Industry, so most likely yes, if the government can figure out a way to justify all inbound passengers to quarantine, it's in their best interest to do so. 

 

[Logosone]

13 minutes ago, Pracha Duang said:

You might be surprised. Most of the 5 star resorts in Phuket ( currently at 90%  discounts ) are ocean front with "private beaches" 

Yah, all true, but those beaches are terrible and dotted with the occasional large sewer hose.

 

Most people in the resorts avoid the beaches in Phuket because they're terrible.

[spidermike007]

Again, this is a situation where nobody is attempting to get to the root of the problem. Of course, in Thai society, it is not particularly popular to look within for the source of the problem.

 

Plans, plans and more plans. They have already forgotten the massive decline in Western tourism, that has been taking place over the past TEN years.

 

Perhaps a few decades from now, they will have tourism classes at university, where they will discuss how Thailand lost the golden egg of Western tourism. Those tourists, unlike most Chinese tourists, spent anywhere from $200 a day, to over $2,000 a day. They brought real money into the country, and in exchange, were treated with utter and complete disregard, scammed, disrespected, and abused. Eventually, most said no more.

 

Thailand thought the country was something very special, and that nobody would ever say no, or find alternative places to visit. The fact is that there are countless other spots, many in this region, that offer better service, more expertise in food and beverage (especially wine service and selection at fair prices, which rich tourists demand), reasonable import duties to sustain a luxury goods market (rich tourists love to spend money while on vacation - they can't here due to punitive taxes) better training, and far better english skills. Thailand simply lost sight of the big picture, and had very little vision, with regard to big spending tourists, who need to be catered to, instead of scorned.

 

So, what happened? The Western tourists started to decline in number, and the genius minds at the TAT decided it was time to "lure" the Chinese. Then the Indians. They came. They came in droves. But, they did not spend much money. Hotels, restaurants, gift shops, jewelers, galleries, spas, massage shops, bars, go-go's and countless other businesses suffered, and will continue to suffer from this extreme myopia, on the part of the officials in charge of tourism. Oh well. Can't say they were not warned. Zero baht tourists are perhaps the majority who visit Thailand now. Sure, they spend some money in restaurants, and in 7/11. But, that is about it, for some of the super low budget Chinese tours. Not many rich Chinese are not visiting Thailand, for a dozen good reasons. They have too many other options.

 

Quantity over quality rarely works, unless you are selling one dollar items at a flea market. 

 

And all of this happened pre-Covid. Now? You assume you open back up and they will just rush back in? Educated and non ignorant minds may think otherwise. 

[JaneM]

4 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Again, this is a situation where nobody is attempting to get to the root of the problem. Of course, in Thai society, it is not particularly popular to look within for the source of the problem.

 

Plans, plans and more plans. They have already forgotten the massive decline in Western tourism, that has been taking place over the past TEN years.

 

Perhaps a few decades from now, they will have tourism classes at university, where they will discuss how Thailand lost the golden egg of Western tourism. Those tourists, unlike most Chinese tourists, spent anywhere from $200 a day, to over $2,000 a day. They brought real money into the country, and in exchange, were treated with utter and complete disregard, scammed, disrespected, and abused. Eventually, most said no more.

 

Thailand thought the country was something very special, and that nobody would ever say no, or find alternative places to visit. The fact is that there are countless other spots, many in this region, that offer better service, more expertise in food and beverage (especially wine service and selection at fair prices, which rich tourists demand), reasonable import duties to sustain a luxury goods market (rich tourists love to spend money while on vacation - they can't here due to punitive taxes) better training, and far better english skills. Thailand simply lost sight of the big picture, and had very little vision, with regard to big spending tourists, who need to be catered to, instead of scorned.

 

So, what happened? The Western tourists started to decline in number, and the genius minds at the TAT decided it was time to "lure" the Chinese. Then the Indians. They came. They came in droves. But, they did not spend much money. Hotels, restaurants, gift shops, jewelers, galleries, spas, massage shops, bars, go-go's and countless other businesses suffered, and will continue to suffer from this extreme myopia, on the part of the officials in charge of tourism. Oh well. Can't say they were not warned. Zero baht tourists are perhaps the majority who visit Thailand now. Sure, they spend some money in restaurants, and in 7/11. But, that is about it, for some of the super low budget Chinese tours. Not many rich Chinese are not visiting Thailand, for a dozen good reasons. They have too many other options.

 

Quantity over quality rarely works, unless you are selling one dollar items at a flea market. 

 

And all of this happened pre-Covid. Now? You assume you open back up and they will just rush back in? Educated and non ignorant minds may think otherwise. 

Spot on!

[Marco100]

1 hour ago, whitfield said:

Come on, let the snowbirds quarantine in their own homes with an App which reports their location every 4 hours between 9am and 10pm.  2 food shopping trips per week.  Mandatory covid test at the end of the 14 days and if clear free to roam.  Time to get real.  I know lots of these people.

Best Solution ! And no need of Thai Embassy COE as most have Retirement Visa alreay ...

[Kadilo]

41 minutes ago, Pracha Duang said:

You might be surprised. Most of the 5 star resorts in Phuket ( currently at 90%  discounts ) are ocean front with "private beaches" and built so that you never have to leave the resort. It might be shocking to you to discover that a huge portion of these "snow birds" never leave the resort. They're mainly interested in staycationing, relaxing at the beach, getting tan, getting laid, and getting drunk. If you've ever been to Trisara or Amanpuri or Anantara in Phuket, you'd realized that the setup you've got there is shockingly amazing. Not to mention high-end luxury escorts from all over the world delivered to your doorstep at a 95% discount at present. And let's be honest, it's not like they're actually going to enforce this quarantine lol. I mean do you even live in Thailand and know how it works here lol? Do you not know how easy it is to do whatever you want here with a few dollars under the table? Definitely not going to enforce anything on the wealthy that are dropping major league FRANKLINS left and right in Thailand at a time when the Thais desperately need those tourist greenbacks. And bro, many people getting silly rich right now from the Nasdaq with nowhere to spend their money. I'm up 678% on my networth YTD trading options via Robinhood...and I'm just a hobbyist.  Imagine what the pros are up!!! Go Nikola ($NKLA)!!! Going to pop tomorrow, that's how easy making money is right now. Point being, lots of people are swimming in cash ( like straight swimming brah ), are bored in their home country and will happily come to Thailand for a month and shack up in a 5 star Phuket resort at a 90% discount with "girl doorstep delivery". A lot of folks on here are out of touch with the current clientele that visits places like Phuket. Agreed, Patong ain't coming back anytime soon because that is a place for cheap low class tourists but North Western Phuket will likely explode with snow birds once Phuket opens up Oct 1. Just saying.

Try again with paragraphs.

It helps if you want anyone to read what you are writing. 

[Marco100]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

Did anybody ask the Thai people who live on Phuket how they feel about this plan to bring all these potential sick people to their island?

 

What happens if someone makes it through the two week quarantine and then travels around the island for a week only to start showing symptoms? Many cases to prove 14 days may not be long enough. What if that person got a massage from a woman who went home to her family and her three children went to three different schools the next day? What if one of her children was a beautiful uni girl who happened to fly back to Bangkok and went clubbing every night with hundreds of hiso people in Thonglor? 

 

What if I was hitting on that same girl. You see the problem here.

 

Will they seal the island up like last time? 

 

Would you get on a plane knowing that you could contract the China virus and arrive in a foreign country with a potentially long hospital stay? 

 

This new coffee I am trying might actually have mild hallucinogens in it. 

 

what about Burmese Workers wich works in fishing industry ? Do you think that Thailand , by opening land borders to Myanmar ,   Laos , Cambodia,  Vietnam,  is not subject to possible infections ? And you think they are subjected to Covid Test before passing Land Border ? Covid Test at Land Border ? 14 days quarantine? 

Now wich of the 2 scenarios is more risky according to you ?

[Captor]

6 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

I know several guys keeping contact who would be willing to do the 2 weeks or 3 of quarantine as they usually stay here for 6 months.  But, they have some money. Those who cannot afford it or in some way have being controlled issues, will probably have to stay home.

If they don't have money they are not welcome. Money is the whole point!

[agood1963]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Dr. Boon claimed his company had been contacted by European retirement communities that could realise up to 50,000 seniors heading to Thailand for the coming northern winter. He says the government should target the retirees and high-income earners who could value-add during the visit to the country.

Another Dream don't they understand the only ones who want to get back are the ones with families , and they have not got lots of money , why should high-income earners want to come to Thailand there are many other places in the world where they can spend money .

[Mavideol]

nothing to worry about, this is the weekly BS post just trying to keep us busy for all week, friday new one will be posted to cover the week end....

[Mavideol]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

“Many seniors don’t want to spend their time in a cold harsh winter. They want tropical weather.”

nope, you getting it wrong, most of the seniors are looking for hassle free places to spend their time, places not requiring insurance, quarantine, no trouble visa, etc.,

[Mavideol]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Plan on the table....

all of their plans are same same but no different, just a name change... this one is a continuation of the 5B's, 5S's, or 5T's or maybe the 5R's, they are just blowing some hot air, nothing will happen.... their main concern for now is the 2 new submarines

[oznomad]

3 hours ago, Poet said:

Well, this shows that your perceptions of the world, and your understanding of economics, are roughly on par with the generals.

While Indian and Chinese billionaires staying in five-star hotels may be more impressive, the most important feature of those Western long-stayers is that they actually exist. They have been coming here in their millions for over half a century. Their spending over the decades was the seed capital that led to Thailand's wealth today.

The reality is that you or I have no idea of how much money any individual expat may or may not be bringing into Thailand. Unlike Indian billionaires, we are not going to put up a big front to impress you or anyone else. Common sense should tell you that even the poorest Westerner is bringing money into Thailand that would otherwise not be here. He might not be driving a Mercedes but there is a pretty high chance that some Thai family in some remote corner of the country is in some way financially assisted by him. Possibly several families.

You can sneer at the older guys in Chang shirts having a beer in the early afternoon, but each bottle supports a business, supports jobs, and the taxes on alcohol are significant too. You might not impressed by the apartment or room they stumble back to but the rent they pay plays a direct role in the plans the landlord's family have for their future. The money he pays every second Wednesday to shtumpf some wee lady from Isaan provides cash her family cannot get from anywhere else.

Again, I do understand your more simplistic viewpoint, I can agree with the generals that it would all be so much tidier if all the foreigners who visited Thailand would fly in, haemorrhage a few million baht over a week or two, then conveniently fck off back home. Unfortunately, the economic reality of Thailand is far more complex, and those scruffy westerners, en masse, play a more important role than you realize, shinier replacements may not be so readily available.

 

Bloody newbies - coming in here with all that logic and common sense.

Boooooo. Hisssssss.

????????

 

[khunPer]

8 hours ago, samsensam said:

how are they going to know which tourists are which? which tourists have been in thailand for more than 3 weeks?

An earlier article mentioned GPS armband...????

[Kadilo]

3 minutes ago, khunPer said:

An earlier article mentioned GPS armband...????

Yeah different coloured shackles depending when you arrived. 

[Dialemco]

The Government is right high end tourism only. Introduce strict laws sale of alcohol with all Bars to close latest 10PM which should also help with reducing road accidents. Make realistic arrangements to reopen to Foreign Tourism some time next year or even 2022 when Covid situation should be hopefully under control.

[Chivas]

The Thais can come up with as many hare brained ideas they like but whilst 2 weeks quarantine remains at our own considerable expense they are literally wasting their time.

[Flying Saucage]

28 minutes ago, Marco100 said:

what about Burmese Workers wich works in fishing industry ? Do you think that Thailand , by opening land borders to Myanmar ,   Laos , Cambodia,  Vietnam,  is not subject to possible infections ? And you think they are subjected to Covid Test before passing Land Border ? Covid Test at Land Border ? 14 days quarantine? 

Now wich of the 2 scenarios is more risky according to you ?

The virus is in the country anyway. It never left.

 

Honestly, who believes any governmental numbers here? And who believes the honest and honorous governments of the only three countries in the world self-claiming to be free of Covid, namely the banana-state-dictatorships of Turkmenistan, North Korea and Thailand?

 

And no, having Covid in the country does not necessarily mean that scores of deaths are lying on the roads. There are about 200 countries in the world handling this better than the US and Brazil, and having a quite normal life going on now. Not only Thailand.

[khunPer]

15 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

Yeah different coloured shackles depending when you arrived. 

Including the free-of-charge feeling of a Full Moon Party or concert event...????????

[moe666]

8 hours ago, expat1010 said:

What a joke. Most western tourists and snowbirds are not going to jump thru stupid hoops just to come to Thailand. Sure the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese will but they are very close by. The westerners will just go somewhere else that is easier and warm; Columbia, Panama, Bahamas, Dominican, Cuba, Red Sea, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cabo etc.. There are lots of warm places with beaches as nice or nicer than Thailand. I suspect many will just stay home and tough it out this winter until a vaccine becomes available.

Is Vietnam open. They maybe leary after the out breaks in Europe after allowing people to travel the last few months. Cases up all over europe tied to travel

[moe666]

12 minutes ago, Flying Saucage said:

The virus is in the country anyway. It never left.

 

Honestly, who believes any governmental numbers here? And who believes the honest and honorous governments of the only three countries in the world self-claiming to be free of Covid, namely the banana-state-dictatorships of Turkmenistan, North Korea and Thailand?

 

And no, having Covid in the country does not necessarily mean that scores of deaths are lying on the roads. There are about 200 countries in the world handling this better than the US and Brazil, and having a quite normal life going on now. Not only Thailand.

if they had cases it would be all over Thai social media. Social Media here is a force not much gets by these people, check out the red Bull end around they tried and the Submarines. If the had a snif of covid it wold be all over the media

[Chongalulu]

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiMqKvq3MTrAhVMSBUIHWoEAVEQwqsBMA96BAgLEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DWPBJh-wWOXM&usg=AOvVaw2KV5u2j2RSWWVOxmZkv58o

.

Edited August 31, 2020 by nchuckle

[Kadilo]

7 minutes ago, khunPer said:

Including the free-of-charge feeling of a Full Moon Party or concert event...????????

......in the form of an injection at the hotel on arrival alongside the COVID test.