Tourism Minister confirms more inbound flights of tourists

[snoop1130]

Tourism Minister confirms more inbound flights of tourists

 

Tourism and Sports Minister Phipat Ratchakitprakarn speaking to the press in Bangkok yesterday (Oct 1). Photo: MoTS

 

PHUKET:-- Tourism and Sports Minister Phipat Ratchakitprakarn has announced that a second flight of tourists to arrive in Thailand under the new Special Tourist Visa (STV) will land in Bangkok on Oct 26, followed by a third flight arriving from Europe on Nov 1.

 

Speaking to the press in Bangkok yesterday (Oct 1), Minister Phipat confirmed that a group of 150 Chinese nationals, all entering the country on the new Special Tourist Visa (STV), will be the first foreign tourists allowed into Thailand on a chartered flight under the conditional entry scheme for selected groups of foreigners, endorsed by the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

 

Mr Phipat explained the group will fly directly to Phuket on a chartered Air Asia flight, adding that another, smaller, group of seven Chinese businessmen will arrive at Suvarnabhumi International Airport on a private jet on the same day, reports state news agency NNT.

 

Full Story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/tourism-minister-confirms-more-inbound-flights-of-tourists-77521.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2020-10-02

 

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[charmonman]

I have sent multiple emails to the ThaiLongStay Company as directed by the official instructions to register for this STV program. No response. I think the whole thing is a scam. Only pre-selected groups are being let in under this program, everyone else is just wasting their time.

 

Can anyone in this forum report a positive response from them?

[khunjeff]

1 hour ago, charmonman said:

I have sent multiple emails to the ThaiLongStay Company as directed by the official instructions to register for this STV program. No response. I think the whole thing is a scam. Only pre-selected groups are being let in under this program, everyone else is just wasting their time.

 

Can anyone in this forum report a positive response from them?

There's certainly something strange going on, since the dates of the incoming flights and the number of people on each one were announced before (or at least very very shortly after) the STV was even officially implemented.

[Eibot]

1 hour ago, charmonman said:

I have sent multiple emails to the ThaiLongStay Company as directed by the official instructions to register for this STV program. No response. I think the whole thing is a scam. Only pre-selected groups are being let in under this program, everyone else is just wasting their time.

 

Can anyone in this forum report a positive response from them?

Have you mentioned you are "very lich" and "super VIP" to them?

[Gerefan]

Filled the form in 4 days ago....not even had an acknowledgment.

[Surelynot]

1 hour ago, charmonman said:

I have sent multiple emails to the ThaiLongStay Company as directed by the official instructions to register for this STV program. No response. I think the whole thing is a scam. Only pre-selected groups are being let in under this program, everyone else is just wasting their time.

 

Can anyone in this forum report a positive response from them?

You are sending the wrong thing.......think brown...think envelop.......yes?

[androokery]

2 hours ago, charmonman said:

I have sent multiple emails to the ThaiLongStay Company as directed by the official instructions to register for this STV program. No response. I think the whole thing is a scam. Only pre-selected groups are being let in under this program, everyone else is just wasting their time.

 

Can anyone in this forum report a positive response from them?

I have received responses from them, twice. I was informed that the first step, before they want their 10,700 baht, is to send a photo of my passport along with city and country of residence and place of my nearest Thai embassy or consulate. 

[86Tiger]

1 hour ago, khunjeff said:

There's certainly something strange going on, since the dates of the incoming flights and the number of people on each one were announced before (or at least very very shortly after) the STV was even officially implemented.

This right here.

 

If it looks like a duck......

[mickymouse1]

From day 1 and since I read the 1st report on special chartered flight arriving from China,I immediately said it is indeed an orchestrated exercise .ALL IS A SCAM TO LURE OTHERS.

WHO IS GOING TO SPEND EVEN A WEEK IN A QUARANTINE AS PART IF THEIR 10 OR 14 DAYS HOLIDAY?

 UNLESS IT IS FREE 

[mlkik]

You need to be Chinese to qualify !

[ronaldo0]

2 hours ago, mickymouse1 said:

From day 1 and since I read the 1st report on special chartered flight arriving from China,I immediately said it is indeed an orchestrated exercise .ALL IS A SCAM TO LURE OTHERS.

WHO IS GOING TO SPEND EVEN A WEEK IN A QUARANTINE AS PART IF THEIR 10 OR 14 DAYS HOLIDAY?

 UNLESS IT IS FREE 

Quite possibly as most Chinese groups I have seen in samui stay 4-10 days maximum before heading home . Is it a desperate way to make non Chinese think there will be hardly any visas due to thousands of Chinese applying to enter Thailand and make them all rush to apply for the visas . When in reality nobody is actually interested in paying to get locked in a room for two weeks !

[Knocker33]

Be interested in knowing what type of visa the 7 Chinese millionaires / businessmen are using. Because I can't see it being tourist visa

[cerox]

I contacted the long-stay company 5 days ago with general questions - did not get a reply.

 

Tried to contact the embassy in my home country on Oct 1st. Phone was disabled and e-mails have not been answered yet.

 

I guess they are overworked because of all the stuff they are usually not doing (COE, repatriation etc.). I also promised myself to wait and see if others actually manage to get this visa - so far it seems to be all very mysterious.

[Dan O]

I contacted the Thailand Longstay Company Sept 23rd and received the instructions for sending the initial info, passport photo, location and closest Thai Embassy within 2 days of contact. I received an acknowledgement that the initial clearance was received from Thai Police and Immigration check on Oct 1st. Email on Thursday saying "I have been registered to the list at the Longstay Company and once they are officially able to process applications they will notify me". I'm in the USA and don't expect to see any movement on the application in the short term. 

[Dan O]

6 hours ago, mickymouse1 said:

From day 1 and since I read the 1st report on special chartered flight arriving from China,I immediately said it is indeed an orchestrated exercise .ALL IS A SCAM TO LURE OTHERS.

WHO IS GOING TO SPEND EVEN A WEEK IN A QUARANTINE AS PART IF THEIR 10 OR 14 DAYS HOLIDAY?

 UNLESS IT IS FREE 

While I can't dispute that some areas will (are) receive quick processing and admittance, Thailand needs to do something to keep the process going to allow tourist to come back.  The STV is not intended for short stay tourists and has been advertised that way from the outset. It was created to encourage long stay tourist to come for extended times (90 days initial visa with 2 - 90 day extensions) in a semi controlled manner. Until they can prove that they can open without creating a huge infection inflow there won't be any meaningful flow of tourist back into Thailand.  

[David Bond]

I received this:

 

I am very sorry for getting back to you late as I was waiting for an official announcement from the Thai Government / Royal Thai Embassy. 

I have just received the updates from the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington D.C. about the visa approval for Non-Thai nationals to enter Thailand. Due to a high number of infection rates in the US, the APEC card holders and the applicants who are currently in the USA and wish to obtain Special Tourist Visa (STV) do not fail under the categories that could enter Thailand at the moment. However, things might change in a couple months if the situation in the US improves. There is only one type of general visa that passed the approval and can apply for the US applicants at the moment which is O-A / O-X Visa (Long Stay Visa for applicants aged 50 years and over). Please find the details and requirements of O-A / O-X visa in this link. 

[cjinchiangrai]

9 hours ago, mlkik said:

You need to be Chinese to qualify !

That doesn't work either. There are no flights. Thai Longstay and Thai Elite do not answer at all. 

 

The consulates at least respond but just to say there are no flights available and no schedule for flights. 

 

The only people getting in are from the UK on Emirates.

 

 

Edited October 3, 2020 by cjinchiangrai

[habuspasha]

5 hours ago, cjinchiangrai said:

That doesn't work either. There are no flights. Thai Longstay and Thai Elite do not answer at all. 

 

The consulates at least respond but just to say there are no flights available and no schedule for flights. 

 

The only people getting in are from the UK on Emirates.

 

 

To the contrary, I have found Thai Elite very forthcoming, including 2 email exchanges the same overnight (to the US). True, Longstay has retreated a bit, saying they have to wait for gov't.  No doubt waiting for gov't to accept Americans.  Most hopeful is inference that I could book my own flight.

[ChakaKhan]

17 hours ago, Eibot said:

Have you mentioned you are "very lich" and "super VIP" to them?

Solly Mista...mai dai...no hab no hab...cannot...must first take care sick buffalo..velly velly bad helf

[ChakaKhan]

6 hours ago, cjinchiangrai said:

That doesn't work either. There are no flights. Thai Longstay and Thai Elite do not answer at all. 

 

The consulates at least respond but just to say there are no flights available and no schedule for flights. 

 

The only people getting in are from the UK on Emirates.

 

 

Should be able to track on flight-aware site? of all planes all over the world...just thinking out loud

[Thechook]

Why would you even bother?  Arrive then get locked down in quarantine for 14 days then back on a flight home for another 14 days quarantine.

[charmonman]

On 10/2/2020 at 7:18 PM, charmonman said:

I have sent multiple emails to the ThaiLongStay Company as directed by the official instructions to register for this STV program. No response. I think the whole thing is a scam. Only pre-selected groups are being let in under this program, everyone else is just wasting their time.

 

Can anyone in this forum report a positive response from them?

They did get back to me as it turns out. It seems the Yahoo mail spam filter is so sophisticated that it actually puts emails that are direct replies to emails you have sent into your spam folder. I am in a "medium risk" country apparently so I'll have to wait. I'm not sure how "Scandinavia" got classified as low risk unless they're only talking about Iceland and Norway. Given the fact that they've now delayed the first flight from China by 2 weeks with little notice, I consider myself lucky.

[charmonman]

On 10/3/2020 at 3:07 PM, Thechook said:

Why would you even bother?  Arrive then get locked down in quarantine for 14 days then back on a flight home for another 14 days quarantine.

The point of the STV is that you want to stay for at least 90 days, and for as long as 270. In that context a 14 day quarantine at the start is not quite as bad, and hopefully in 270 days this whole nightmare is pretty much over and quarantines on return are no longer needed. This is for people with time, money and a serious desire to get back to Thailand. They should be more considerate to other categories such as people who are/were on retirement visa who got stuck outside the country when this whole thing went sideways. 

 

Also, they shouldn't change the rules on people without warning which they have done many times, including recently with the two week delay in the arrival of the first STV charter flight.