13 hours ago, Poet said:

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.

 

Poet,  we will find out soon enough if 1,200 people enter the Kingdom with this STV. I can't help thinking this is the way they want to continue for what ever reason. Just let them find out if they can survive on the well-heeled where ever they are coming from.  "Up to them" 

Obviously this 'charter flight' idea is not going to work and not well thought out. They are talking about regular charter flight from the UK or where ever - not going to happen.

Maybe a quarantine in Bangkok or a connection flight to Phuket. At best i can see international carrier arranging direct flights to Phuket. Charters need regular number every day or week.

 

Well, cheer up. I'll bet it is over sooner than you think. Vitamin D shows a lot of promise and everyday they are coming up with new drugs to treat the virus.

Edited September 17, 20205 yr by Don Chance

One cannot help but get the impression that Thailand has a massively distorted impression of its worth as a tourist destination.

Barring stranded ex pats next to nobody will jump through hoops and pay exhorbitant amounts of cash to visit a country that acts as if it is doing tourists a huge favour by allowing them entry.

I will miss some of my Thai friends but until their country comes to its senses , there are many other options.

8 hours ago, Darkside Gray said:

Charter flights? What air line is going to fly special flights for 100 people?

Coconut Airways.

Absolute stupidity, well done Thailand for being a failure to humanity... its like a secret Island of Darwin survivors, lost in there own minds...  

Charter flight? They should allow LSv holders on the repatriation flights organized by consulates and embassies. There are one or two every month from Vancouver and I can’t imagine they are fully booked. Adding a few tourists every month couldn’t be a huge problem.

The more I learn about this plan, the less appealing it becomes.

22 minutes ago, charmonman said:

Charter flight? They should allow LSv holders on the repatriation flights organized by consulates and embassies.

Those are charter flights. They have to use charter flights as the scheduled flights are virtually non-existing at the moment.

 

Not particularly aimed at you but it seems a lot of people in here doesn't know what a charter flight is. A charter flight is simply a rented plane. The airlines would gladly offer planes for charter flights, and they wouldn't care if there would be 300 passengers, 100 hundred passengers, or 10 passengers aboard.

3 hours ago, impulse said:

I'm amazed that TVF posters keep taking this special visa program at face value. 

 

A few chartered jets full of cashed up foreigners from a little north of Thailand could give a significant boost to the condo market.

 

Perhaps it's not about tourism at all?  It could be a very successful program for its actual intended purpose.

 

You could be on to something here 

 

These could be Real Estate, snap up the bargain flights for wealthy Chinese investors in disguise. 

Charters are impossible economic nonsense otherwise. 

300 a flight from Wuhan 90 days to sort through the bargains looks good, construction renovations can kick off immediately after purchase, Burmese guma gons will be happy, the elite will be happy, 

What a great idea! 

 

 

 

 

"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"
Thais have serious problems with numbers (except the double prices for the farang), 1,200 tourists are the 0.04% of 3 millions, better nothing

Edited September 18, 20205 yr by farangroby

14 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Is that what these test really costs? What is the mark up, about 99%? Another excuse to increase Cha Cha and his Generals billions fortune.

Erring on the Bangkok Hospital's charge of 6,000 Bt per Ovid test which is different to the Covid test because I misspelt Covid.As these new tourists are supposedly the well heeled type then I'm sure they'll be charged the top price to make them feel like they are in Thailand where ripoffs rule the tourist roost. 

Do these STV's come with STD's included or do you have to pay extra?

what a mine field, imagine sitting on that plane waiting to land, will there be beautiful ladies with flowers waiting to greet them

18 hours ago, Zikomat said:

The first group of well-healed tourists on their way to 14 days Thai quarantine.
 

 

Well-healed? What was their illness?

On 9/17/2020 at 9:59 AM, cjinchiangrai said:

 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.

Maybe a good reason for that 

9 hours ago, fraggleRock said:

Absolute stupidity, well done Thailand for being a failure to humanity... its like a secret Island of Darwin survivors, lost in there own minds...  

Hi there! Which part of the secret island are you on then?

1 hour ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Erring on the Bangkok Hospital's charge of 6,000 Bt per Ovid test which is different to the Covid test because I misspelt Covid.As these new tourists are supposedly the well heeled type then I'm sure they'll be charged the top price to make them feel like they are in Thailand where ripoffs rule the tourist roost. 

My friend paid 13,000 Baht for the covid test he went to the hospital over something else and they wanted to do a test he forgot to ask first how much

On 9/17/2020 at 9:28 AM, realfunster said:

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”

 

So tell us all what you would do?

 

As usual all the this is a stupid idea comments however as usual not 1 poster comes up with a good idea on how to start tourism again

 

So come on what would you do to start tourism again?

2 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

My friend paid 13,000 Baht for the covid test he went to the hospital over something else and they wanted to do a test he forgot to ask first how much

Ok then I'll make the necessary adjustment to my calc:Don't forget the 39,000 Bt for the three covid tests!I think they must have seen your friend coming,there are sharks swimming in every pond in this shark infested country.These are the people we trust our lives to but not,apparently,our wallets. 

20 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Well-healed? What was their illness?

It was the Bee Hive hairdo Illness, to much honey.

9 hours ago, farang51 said:

Those are charter flights. They have to use charter flights as the scheduled flights are virtually non-existing at the moment.

 

Not particularly aimed at you but it seems a lot of people in here doesn't know what a charter flight is. A charter flight is simply a rented plane. The airlines would gladly offer planes for charter flights, and they wouldn't care if there would be 300 passengers, 100 hundred passengers, or 10 passengers aboard.

Yes, same as renting a bus.

How will they ( charter group ) price the tickets?

Cost of rental divided by 'probable' number of pax or number of cofirmed pax? Cost of charter divided by number of actual seats on the plane?

The conditions for entry will be the big problem I think. 

Edited September 18, 20205 yr by overherebc

All these entry rules and restrictions contravene everything that a holiday is all about - on a holiday I want hop on the plane of my choice and do whatever I want (legally) after arrival.

 

OK, it's the Age of Covid-19, so a minimum of restrictions are acceptable. Otherwise it's better to stay at home or spend a few days in the village next to your hometown.

 

One has to be utterly desperate for one reason or the other to sign up for this latest Thailand Gitmo Follyday Scheme (TGFS).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 18, 20205 yr by Ganesh108

Big spending tourists being told they have to travel on charter flights, stay in specific places, and restricted travel.

 

Sounds like a package holiday to me. 

1 hour ago, darrendsd said:

So tell us all what you would do?

 

As usual all the this is a stupid idea comments however as usual not 1 poster comes up with a good idea on how to start tourism again

 

So come on what would you do to start tourism again?

Good idea. far too much Pavlov's doggery going on here so to get this debate started, what would you suggest?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...anything yet?

 

Hello?

26 minutes ago, phetphet said:

Big spending tourists being told they have to travel on charter flights, stay in specific places, and restricted travel.

 

Sounds like a package holiday to me. 

Yes Sir, the Zero Dollars tours have been reconfigured.

1 hour ago, darrendsd said:

So tell us all what you would do?

 

As usual all the this is a stupid idea comments however as usual not 1 poster comes up with a good idea on how to start tourism again

 

So come on what would you do to start tourism again?

Many people have offered sane, competent ideas on how to restart tourism in the country. But nobody wants to hear it because they're spooked by the virus and restarting tourism involves letting the tourists in. Until people like you are able to come around to that fact, this is going to be a nowhere conversation. Meanwhile, 65 people died on Thailand roads today, and the government doesn't care. They don't want tourists, simple as, economy be damned.

 

I have made Thailand my winter destination for the last 10 years. I thought the STV suited me perfectly. But I won't be jumping through all these hoops just to get it.

Edited September 18, 20205 yr by roxnadz

57 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Good idea. far too much Pavlov's doggery going on here so to get this debate started, what would you suggest?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...anything yet?

 

Hello?

I have no idea whatsoever - that was not my question though was it?

 

My point is that amongst all the usual laughing (from people who sit on bar stools for a living) at whatever the Government try to do there is not one good idea from posters

I am sure only a few will use this.

A few that is married unofficially ( not registered married ) might use it.
It will bring about half as many to Thailand, as they are now forcing to leave after the 26 this month.  

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Yes Sir, the Zero Dollars tours have been reconfigured.

Well there must be hundreds of Chinese tour operators still stuck in Thailand, they need jobs too and the illegal hotels need to be filled and money needs to flow back to Motherland.

Yeah right.????????????????

Anybody knows if Cambodia or Laos also has a 14 day quarantine, need to go for a Non-Immigrant B, impossible to get here. Thanks