STV gloves off!: Confusion reigns as gung-ho tourism minister and foreign ministry contradict each other

[webfact]

STV gloves off!: Confusion reigns as gung-ho tourism minister and foreign ministry contradict each other

 

 

Thai media has offered differing views about the prospects of the country opening up to foreign tourism this month. 

 

It all depends who you ask and the resulting tussle looks like a Thai boxing match.

 

In one corner is tourism minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn and TAT governor Yutthasak Suphasorn. Their fists are flailing.

 

In the other, is the foreign ministry's spokesman Natthaphanu Nopphakhun. He has a more steady, defensive approach.

 

The referee is a combination of the Thai government and health authorities who insist their regulations are followed to the letter. 

 

Meanwhile the crowd at this battle could yet have the final say. 

 

Rather like a Roman emperor with his finger pointing up or down, the Thai people could decide the issue for the bigwigs in what has now become a political hot potato. 

 

Channel 7 once again reported that not a single Chinese tourist had applied to come to Thailand at the Guangzhou consulate though Natthaphanu conceded that tourists there might piggy-back on a repatriation flight for Thai people on October 26th. 

 

He spoke of the Certificate of Entrance being more convenient after an online trial in places like the Netherlands and Hong Kong and contact having been made with airlines about special business class flights. 

 

The UK was left out of this story though it was mentioned yesterday. Thaivisa sources in London report that STV applicants there are being told that Thailand visits are unlikely to be approved due to the high number of Covid cases in the UK. 

 

This glimmer of hope for the start of foreign tourism was in stark contrast to a BEC Tero report quoting Pipat and Yutthasak who continued to insist that their STV (special tourist visa) plans were all systems go. 

 

Many posters on online forums yesterday suggested they had been economical with the truth. 

 

Now Pipat has told BEC that a group of 120 Chinese from Guangzhou will arrive in BANGKOK on Tuesday next week.

 

They will be locked up in a 14 day quarantine but the TAT will come up with some nice activities so they don't get too bored. 

 

 

Then he referred to the large group from the same city that were delayed on October 8th after the security council chief said they would have to remain in China until after the Vegetarian Festival. He didn't want Thai domestic tourists put off going to Phuket.

 

This was the first group that were virtually on the Guangzhou tarmac according to Pipat, but who it emerged yesterday were just on a list supplied from the TAT as having expressed an initial interest in coming to Thailand.

 

Pipat said they would now arrive on the 26th though the BEC report made no mention of a Thai repatriation flight in their written report. 

 

They would be locked up for 14 days in Phuket and would be coming for a total of THIRTY days, he claimed. There was now no mention of the original idea of the STV that it would allow "LOng Stay" visitors to remain for 9 months. 

 

Continuing his positive message the billionaire minister claimed that "no one will have Covid (in the first group) and Thais could be confident about that".

 

He continued that this was Phase One. 

 

 

Phase two would follow and this was a seven day room quarantine followed by a seven day period in which tourists would be allowed out of their rooms but must stay on hotel grounds. 

 

Phase three - when tourists are actually allowed to travel freely in Thailand - would have to wait for the successful conclusion of phases one and two, he said. 

 

Meanwhile Yutthasak only commented that reduction in the length of quarantine would be up to the health authorities to decide. 

 

Thaivisa notes that the conflicting reports are bound to confuse potential travellers to the kingdom even more.

 

The confusion is only made worse as the PM and his government are waiting in the wings before possibly quashing the whole plan because of pressure from a majority of Thai people, according to polls, who want the country sealed for now.

 

This fight is set to play out through October with no clear idea of who will be a winner, if one is declared at all. 

 

Sources: BEC Tero | Channel 7

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-10-13

 

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[YetAnother]

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

minister and foreign ministry contradict each other

prototype example of the current state of thai governance

[pkrv]

Round and round and round. It'd be funny if it wasn't so sad and pathetic. Some direction is needed, not this endless dithering, bait and switch, rudderless circus that the clowns are currently running.

Fingers crossed for a change in the wind...

[transam]

I wonder if they have thought of a........

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

They have all been using Chalerms ear medicine it seems.  What a bunch or morons.

[finnsk]

Even the chinese tourist dont like the STV visa, just like the western tourist dont like it, I do not believe there will be many chinese tourist on the 26 flight from China.

 

The country deserves better people/ideas to start the tourism again.

 

To start a tourism buisness, you must make seriously analysis of your target groups, you must know the target groups culture, you must know what your target group can/will spend on your offers etc etc, all this demands well educated and serious people to set up a plan, this is not just left hand works for pensioned generals.

 

Western people like Thailand, but we will not be trated like dogs, it seems that even the chinese have the same feelings

 

 

[Thaiwrath]

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thaivisa notes that the conflicting reports are bound to confuse potential travellers to the kingdom even more.

As each day goes by, the number of "potential travellers" to the kingdom diminshes.

Couldn't organise a p1ss up in brewery, comes to mind !

[mr mr]

hey yo i think i can beat mike tyson. 

[steelepulse]

The virus is going to be a virus.  There's no way to keep a virus out forever, so the best thing is to protect the vulnerable and get on with life. 

 

Unfortunately the geniuses in charge have no viable plan.  Meanwhile, tourists will go elsewhere and forget about Thailand.

[JoePai]

When are people going to understand tourism (anywhere in the world) is dead - period

Until next year when there (might) be a vaccine and it has been distributed throughout the world then no, nil, zilch whatever you want to call it, travel will be allowed in any numbers, and yes that includes the Chinese.

[Boomer6969]

STV and whatever outlandish schemes they can come up with are just a reflection of the amazing Thai arrogance and ignorance of the outside world. They seem to believe that their country is so attractive that people would accept weeks of bureaucracy, maintaining bank balances, queue up for flights and end up in quarantine just to come to a place which has little to offer besides sleazy fun. While there are so many other, easily accessible, more COVID compatible, places to have the healthier kind of FUN.

 

The government must now accept the consequences of the (good) isolation policy they have chosen early in the crisis, stick to their gun, and manage the inevitable damage, near destruction, to one of the largest sectors of the Thai economy.

[madmen]

36 minutes ago, webfact said:

Phase two would follow and this was a seven day room quarantine followed by a seven day period in which tourists would be allowed out of their rooms but must stay on hotel grounds. 

 

So this is the Thai 7 day version of quarantine which is still 14 days same same but different? 

[madmen]

5 minutes ago, JoePai said:

When are people going to understand tourism (anywhere in the world) is dead - period

 

Until next year when there (might) be a vaccine and it has been distributed throughout the world then no, nil, zilch whatever you want to call it, travel will be allowed in any numbers, and yes that includes the Chinese.

 

Yes 100% correct. Some countries have the balls to say it eg Australia in yesterday's news, borders shut untill END of 2021 when a vaccine is expected. 

Other countries like Thailand don't have have the balls so come up with idiotic diversionary tactics 

 

[Bluespunk]

48 minutes ago, webfact said:

Then he referred to the large group from the same city that were delayed on October 8th after the security council chief said they would have to remain in China until after the Vegetarian Festival. He didn't want Thai domestic tourists put off going to Phuket.

 

Yeah, keep Thai domestic tourists people away from those diseased foreign devils, who incidentally will only be allowed in Thailand if they are covid free...

[Bluespunk]

49 minutes ago, webfact said:

They will be locked up in a 14 day quarantine but the TAT will come up with some nice activities so they don't get too bored. 

 

Yeah right...

[Bluespunk]

50 minutes ago, webfact said:

Phase three - when tourists are actually allowed to travel freely in Thailand - would have to wait for the successful conclusion of phases one and two, he said. 

Well yes, that's how phases work.

[ezzra]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Now Pipat has told BEC that a group of 120 Chinese from Guangzhou will arrive in BANGKOK on Tuesday next week.

Save by the bell, those 120 Chinese tourist will be what Thailand needed, no quantity but quality is the name of the here i guess ( i wonder if any of those tourists are being paid to come here just to prove a point and save face maybe?)...

[herfiehandbag]

24 minutes ago, JoePai said:

When are people going to understand tourism (anywhere in the world) is dead - period

 

Until next year when there (might) be a vaccine and it has been distributed throughout the world then no, nil, zilch whatever you want to call it, travel will be allowed in any numbers, and yes that includes the Chinese.

 

When anything approaching mass tourism resumes to South East Asia resumes: and it will be from nearer Asian countries (Japan, Korea, Taiwan and inevitably China) then unless Thailand can respond fast and flexibly to the demand then other countries, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sri Lanka will capture the market. The prize of becoming the centre for tourism in South East Asia will go to the country which can set up and operate a simple cost neutral checking/testing system for entry to the country. Visitors might buy producing a pre-flight medical certificate, a test on arrival with a short wait for results. The palavers which are being currently discussed here, not a chance. The most that Thailand will be left with is the classic "Zero Dollar" tour packages from China. Flown in, bussed around, quartered and shopping/feeding in Chinese owned hotels, restaurants and shopping centres.

[Pib]

Sad...pathetic...little to no inter agency coordination...lying...fear...confusion...a boat adrift in a storm....the Thai tourism industry is incurring severe long term damage due to ineffective leadership at many levels.

[Surelynot]

6 minutes ago, Pib said:

Sad...pathetic...little to no inter agency coordination...lying...fear...confusion...a boat adrift in a storm....the Thai tourism industry is incurring severe long term damage due to ineffective leadership at many levels.

Say what you mean....no need to wrap it up with a fancy bow....5555

[KhunKenAP]

The more hair brain schemes and stupidity they publish only makes it less likely in the future tourists will even want to risk coming here. Would you go to a country that changes it mind daily/twice daily on if, or when you can come for your 14/10/7 day quarantine? 

 

Oh and by the way you may get caught up in a rebellion.

 

Tourism and Thailand, Rest in Peace.

 

 

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Confusion reigns ????

 

[Sametboy2019]

The UK was left out of this story though it was mentioned yesterday. Thaivisa sources in London report that STV applicants there are being told that Thailand visits are unlikely to be approved due to the high number of Covid cases in the UK. 

 

Why is this relevant? Isnt that what the 14 day quarantine is for.

[AbeNormal]

1 hour ago, madmen said:

Other countries like Thailand don't have have the balls so come up with idiotic diversionary tactics 

indeed, they also don't want to believe that tourism is a major part of their GDP and have no idea how to run things without it, they better get up to speed real quick and start treating tourists and expats with the respect they deserve and stop making them jump through bureaucratic nonsense to visit or stay here, there is a general negative sentiment growing and they need to do something sensible about it

[PETERTHEEATER]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

They have all been using Chalerms ear medicine it seems.  What a bunch or morons.

Chalerm ear medicine very good....Hic! ????

[ukrules]

It sounds to me like they've rounded up 120 stooges and given them a free holiday to make things look good.

 

In order that zero COVID cases make it into the country I would not be surprised if these 'special ones' are in quarantine in China right now before they fly to Thailand just to be sure.

 

There's no way in the world China would want to allow anyone infected with COVID out of the country right now because it will expose their lies and incompetence and Thailand has already stated that this must not fail and there must be zero cases in the first batch of tourists into the country.

 

I have a feeling this accounts for the unexpected 'last minute' delay - it's the only way they can be 100% sure of achieving their aims - to rig it.

 

[worgeordie]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Now Pipat has told BEC that a group of 120 Chinese from Guangzhou will arrive in BANGKOK on Tuesday next week.

Even if we have to kidnap them.....they are coming.

regards Worgeordie

[Bundooman]

This Certificate of Entrance, (COE), could prove a little confusing:

 

76 years ago, I was initiated into the Church of England, (CoE

 

In the late 80s, I required a Certificate of Exemption, (COE) to enter the Sultanate of Oman.

My daughter came home from school on Saturday with a Certificate of Excellence, (COE).

It also means, according to Google:

Council of Europe, Corps of Engineers, Center of Excellence, College of Engineering - together with another 60+ meanings 

 

Try slapping all of those in front of the Immigration Officer at BKK airport!

"Take your pick, Sunshine!

[JusticeGB]

Most people living in Asian countries are lucky to get 2 weeks holiday a year plus the various bank holidays. I doubt if many could come for 30 days. The rules for coming are extremely onerous and half of a 30 day trip would be spent in an expensive prison.

[Benmart]

For any "product" to successful it must have:

Attractiveness

Accessibility

Value for cost

Ease of use

Reliability

Trust 

Sadly, this "product" fails in all areas.