Tourists on the new Special Tourist Visa will have to arrive on charter flights

By The Thaiger

 

 

After months of pondering when some tourists might actually come back through the turnstiles, the Thai Immigration Bureau says they’re dusting off the finger-print ID and cameras at arrival booths in Bangkok in preparation for the first wave of ‘general’ tourism back to Thailand. But the projected flow of around 1,200 incoming passengers under the new Special Tourist Visa will still fall a long way short of the 3 million monthly arrivals from last year.

 

On Tuesday the Cabinet approved, in principal, to allow a new Special Tourist Visa. The new visa, which comes into operation as soon as next month, allows tourists to arrive for a minimum of 90 days, then able to extend 2 more times for 90 days each, nearly 9 months in total. The major ‘stumbling block’ remains in place – the mandatory state 14 day quarantine – which many potential tourists say they are simply not prepared to tolerate.

 

Speaking after the Cabinet decision, the Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, said that the move was an important first step to reopen the country to tourism.

 

Speaking on the matter, the Department of Disease Control says that “reopening the country to foreign visitors will not raise the risks of local Covid-19 transmission from imported infections”.

 

Another impediment to the success of the new STV was revealed after the Tourism Authority of Thailand deputy governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said that the tourists would have to travel on chartered flights from overseas directly to their destinations in Thailand. The cost and infrequent nature of these flights would add a further barrier to the success of the visa.

 

The TAT predicts 1,200 tourists would visit Thailand each month under the STV program and acknowledged that they would be in the higher income groups due to the additional expenses involved in the flights, paperwork and state quarantine, most likely at a registered hotel, at the traveller’s expense.

 

A handful of scheduled flights, in and out of Thailand, mostly either as a transit or dropping off cargo, provide few options for a return to general tourism at this stage which is forcing the government to work with overseas embassies to organise charter flights for the STV program.

 

The deputy director-general of the DDC, Tanarak Plipat, foreshadowed that the new tourist arrivals would likely not bring in Covid-19 infections, “since the visitors would be subject to a stay at state quarantine facilities for 14 days”.

 

Over the past 4 months almost all the new infections in Thailand have been returnees testing positive whilst in state quarantine. But in the past 2 weeks there has been 2 local infections – a DJ who was in quarantine at a corrections facility and a Uzbek football player from the Buriram United football team.

 

Just yesterday it was also reported that a 2 year old Burmese boy tested positive after returning from Thailand. Dr Tanarak says the DDC were investigating the case but “no special measures had been imposed in Ayutthaya province where the boy had stayed before returning to Myanmar”.

 

Source: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/visa/tourists-on-the-new-special-tourist-visa-will-have-to-arrive-on-charter-flights

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2020-09-17

 

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2 minutes ago, webfact said:

allows tourists to arrive for a minimum of 90 days

 

I missed that "minimum" of 90 days.

 

And now another gem of :

 

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand deputy governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said that the tourists would have to travel on chartered flights from overseas directly to their destinations in Thailand.

 

....ha ha ha...so Thai Airlines misses out on even these well - healed  1,200 tourists.

 

Well thought through Cha Cha.

2 minutes ago, webfact said:

“no special measures had been imposed in Ayutthaya province where the boy had stayed before returning to Myanmar”.

But the border closure to Myanmar is tightened... 

14 minutes ago, DLock said:

 

I missed that "minimum" of 90 days.

 

And now another gem of :

 

 

....ha ha ha...so Thai Airlines misses out on even these well - healed  1,200 tourists.

 

Well thought through Cha Cha.

No they will more than likely be chatered Thai airways specific flights, get ready to pay some money its the only way the 14,400 estimated for the year will spend what TAT estimated at 12.3 billion Baht. Does not take much of an immagination.

22 minutes ago, webfact said:

The cost and infrequent nature of these flights would add a further barrier to the success of the visa.

just keep throwing obstacles and keep imagining people dont notice

Please, please, stop.

The idiocy is hurting my brain.

 

This has all the hallmarks of trying to be seen to be doing something but coming up with so many obstacles it is not possibly going to work in any meaningful way. Still, at least you get your departmental budget to spend.

 

If anyone complains “but look ! We did our best and offered the wonderful 90 day scheme”

 

You get the impression that there are hoards of tourists chomping at the bits to come to this paradise called Thailand, charter flights 90 days minimum finger printing insurance and 14 days quarantine, the ultimate destinations, come one come all...

Just now, ezzra said:

You get the impression that there are hoards of tourists chomping at the bits to come to this paradise called Thailand, charter flights 90 days minimum finger printing insurance and 14 days quarantine, the ultimate destinations, come one come all...

Be better if they just changed the name to the Shainghaied Tourist Visa.

Three words come to mind: ill-conceived, convoluted, unworkable

 

This new visa type will amount to nothing and rather sooner than later quietly go the way of the dodo... unless its complicated conditions (Charter flights directly to the destination? $100,000 Covid insurance undersigned by a Thai insurer? Restriction of movement? Compulsory Covid quarantine? Good luck with all of that!) are eased considerably and it encompasses a much broader demographic.

 

If anything, the visa is likely to be exploited and abused by people who otherwise would be unable to secure a retirement, marriage or business visa (including yearly extensions).

 

While TAT in its usual euphoric enthusiasm predicts 1,200 tourists per week taking advantage of this "scheme", I predict that it is going to be not half that number, perhaps not even a quarter.

Charter flights won't be cheap. By the time you add in compulsory 14 quarantine hotel, flights, CV19 insurance, other admin costs you are probably looking at min. $5K before you even start your holiday on day 15...

2 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

1,200 tourists per week taking advantage of this "scheme

Thats per month

These 1200 people equal to about 4 long haul flights. per month. now if this is not going to rescue Thai tourism, nothing can be done. 

It could be more if there were more ASQ hotels. For some reason it is hard to get approved, particularly in Phuket. It should not be that hard, particularly in hotels with open air stairs.

1 minute ago, Shuya said:

These 1200 people equal to about 4 long haul flights. per month. now if this is not going to rescue Thai tourism, nothing can be done. 

Or ten A320's from China, Vietnam, Korea. It is still nothing, I have been in longer lines at Swampy.

1 hour ago, DLock said:

1 hour ago, webfact said:

allows tourists to arrive for a minimum of 90 days

 

I missed that "minimum" of 90 days.

The first entry stay is 90-days. The two subsequent extensions are 90-days each. Thus the 'minimum' stay is 90-days.

 

1 hour ago, DLock said:

And now another gem of :

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thailand deputy governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said that the tourists would have to travel on chartered flights from overseas directly to their destinations in Thailand.

 

....ha ha ha...so Thai Airlines misses out on even these well - healed  1,200 tourists.

 

Well thought through Cha Cha.

Q. Who provides a little over 80% of passenger charter flights worldwide?

 

A. Regular, commercial airlines.

 

Thai Immigration and THAI (the airline) have this one stitched up IMHO.

1 hour ago, RotBenz8888 said:

But the border closure to Myanmar is tightened... 

Meanwhile the government in Yangon announces that Myanmar's border with Thailand is also tightened.

 

Next?

each new "scheme", and I use that in the shady meaning of scheme, knocks a few percentage points off of the amount of people who will be willing to jump through all the thai government's hoops.

 

the government seems oblivious to the fact that tourists are drawn to thailand due to its relative low-cost

and decent tourist infra-structure....both of which they are eliminating with their hare-brained ideas

This sexy new 90 + 90 + 90 'tourist' visa is to bring back the Chinese so they can restart making payments on all the empty condominiums they bought before the pandemic.

 

All others including farangs can carry on applying for their existing visa entitlements + PCR test + F2F letter + SQ/ASQ.

 

Thanks for your attention.

And they said it couldn't be done.

 

They have fought their way into a new wet paper bag. You wonder how long it will take to get out of this one.
 

What a load of bollacks.....

Please use your brain...

 

Folks there is no need for chartered flights.....

 

Tourist and expats only need to use their private jets to get to Thailand......Guys just hop on your private jet and you will be in Thailand in no time..... 

 

So not only must the potential tourist purchase insurance from an approved company and purchase quarantine from an approved supplier, they will also have to purchase flights from an approved supplier!

 

Blinded by the thought of all the cash they expect to milk from these "well healed' tourists, their delusion is complete!

Charters seems a particularly short sighted response.

 

One of the highlights of Bangkok is it's role as an airline hub to the region. If they don't encourage a reboot of those international routes there are plenty of hubs to take their place. That's a long term economic impact.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Another impediment to the success of the new STV was revealed after the Tourism Authority of Thailand deputy governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said that the tourists would have to travel on chartered flights from overseas directly to their destinations in Thailand. The cost and infrequent nature of these flights would add a further barrier to the success of the visa.

 

The TAT predicts 1,200 tourists would visit Thailand each month under the STV program and acknowledged that they would be in the higher income groups due to the additional expenses involved in the flights, paperwork and state quarantine, most likely at a registered hotel, at the traveller’s expense.

So what they are saying is that the STV program is geared toward those with private jets.  Ah-huh.  Ok. 

3 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

So not only must the potential tourist purchase insurance from an approved company and purchase quarantine from an approved supplier, they will also have to purchase flights from an approved supplier!

 

Blinded by the thought of all the cash they expect to milk from these "well healed' tourists, their delusion is complete!

Well, they are lining up the golden geese to be plucked, stewed, and roasted.  However, astute golden geese will see the nature of the trap, avoid it, and then take wing on a migratory route to more hospitable locations.

They will fill the 1,200 seats per month but only because so many people are desperate to get back to their loved ones.

Hopefully the generals will have the good sense to use this as simply the first step in re-opening tourism, and use the "success" of the first month as grounds to rapidly expand access.

Hopefully they will also be smart enough to know that, beyond these initial desperate folks, the quarantine requirement is simply not going to fly with regular tourists.

 

39 minutes ago, Shuya said:

These 1200 people equal to about 4 long haul flights. per month. now if this is not going to rescue Thai tourism, nothing can be done. 

2 x A380s could do it, maybe one in the morning and one the same afternoon, and everyone can have the rest of the month off.

Not why so many expats here are concerned about tourists' visas. Frankly, I couldn't care less. 

2 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Not why so many expats here are concerned about tourists' visas. Frankly, I couldn't care less. 

A remarkably self-centred sentiment for someone using a picture of Ganesh as their avatar.

 

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Thats per month

Oops, you're right. Still doesn't change anything, though. It's going to be a fraction of what they're hoping for. Mark my words.