Open up Pattaya to foreign tourists NOW! Russians/Europeans are willing to quarantine, say tourism leaders

 

Image: Manager

 

A crisis meeting between Pattaya's strongarm mayor and tourism and business leaders at City Hall pulled no punches.

 

The mayor was told that the resort is in a major crisis and the economy was in a complete mess. 

 

It was time that he made representations to the government to get them to include Pattaya in plans to receive foreign tourists. 

 

Present was the Tourism Council of Thailand chief Thanet Supornsahatsarangsee, local hotel reps, business leaders and the TAT.

 

The message to Sontaya Khunpleum was open up now or face more collapse. 

 

Thanet said that Pattaya was in an ideal position to join the "travel bubble" or "special tourist visa" schemes though he had some choice words for government dithering and lack of clarity in relation to the opening of Thailand. 

 

He said that there were 12 hotels already registered under the SQ or state quarantine system ready to receive foreigners. 

 

In addition 13 more hotels had proposed using their facilities for ASLQ or alternative state local quarantine.

 

He said that especially long term Russian tourists were keen to come but also other Europeans. 

 

They had contacted agents to say they were willing to do the 14 day quarantine.

 

He took a further swipe at Thai embassies abroad for "burdensome" regulations standing in the way of potential tourists.

 

Sontaya promised to take the groups' concerns forward to the relevant authorities in the government.

 

Thaivisa notes that it was interesting that Chinese tourists were not mentioned in the Manager story.

 

Source: Manager

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-10-17

 

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I seriously doubt legit tourists would be prepared to do quarantine.

Expats living/working here ...... maybe.

People with properties/families ........ maybe.

Criminals/illegal workers ......... maybe.

 

2-3 weeks tourists, not a bloody chance.

Edited October 17, 20205 yr by BritManToo

These people are absolute roasters....nobody is going to do 2 weeks quarantine bar extreme cases. Get that through your thick heads

With the baht getting stronger every day why would anybody want to come here as a tourist and lose money and quarantine for fourteen days at their expense .

Pattaya with all its nightlife is for sure the best place to allow foreigners from high risk countries to enter...

15 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

He said that especially long term Russian tourists were keen to come but also other Europeans. 

Tourists or "tourists"? 

 

There is no such thing as a "long term tourist". 

 

The Chinese, who are real tourists, spend on average one week in Pattaya or somewhere else. 

 

The Russians need more time to launder the suitcases of cash brought with them. 

 

Some Europeans, after having secured their unemployment benefits, would rather spend the winter sitting on a bar stool, watching the cars passing by and enjoying their fresh exhaust fumes. 

 

Exactly the kind of characters Thailand would be better off without... 

At least the leaders in Pattaya understand that Chinese people don't get long holidays so can't stay long enough to warrant staying in state prison quarantine for 2 weeks. Even if someone comes from a higher risk country they would have taken a covid19 test so would be covid19 free. The purpose of the two weeks of paid for quarantine prison is that the virus shows up within two weeks. TAT makes the tourist take out $100,000 of insurance against insurance so that would be a nice earner for the country. Russians and Europeans who can afford to come for 90 days will spend their money in Thailand and not on Zero Dollar tours like the Chinese. Someone must be earning money from brown envelopes. 

no they're not. 

Is it open now for those that are here?  thinking of taking a break.

 

 

 Very few tourists will be willing to jump over the onerous hoops this stunningly uncreative administration is putting forth. Perhaps a few thousand per year. Expats, yes. Tourists, no. Dumb and dumber. 

 

Any effective solution to the devastation of the tourism industry here, has to include a plan without the requirements of quarantine.

 

A simple plan. Require tourists to get a laboratory test in their home country, with negative results. Then, issue an antigen test here, upon arrival. A simple test, with results in 15 minutes. The new Abbott test system costs just $5 per test. Free testing upon arrival. You are negative. You have been subjected to two different tests, using two completely different systems. You are healthy. You are free to go, and please spend alot of money here, so you can help to revive our devastated economy, and put some people back to work. Thank you so much for coming!

The elephant in the room is thai people themselves with the overwhelming majority wanting to keep borders closed 

 

To bad for tourism based busssines. Prayuth is no dummy he is fully aware of the political implications of a failed re opening 

 

So in the meantime we go round and round in circles albeit very entertaining ones ????

1 hour ago, Chivas said:

These people are absolute roasters....nobody is going to do 2 weeks quarantine bar extreme cases. Get that through your thick heads

Why not, if I was in the UK and wanted to see 3 or 4 months of the winter out here, I wouldnt hesitate if allowed.

24 minutes ago, sungod said:

Why not, if I was in the UK and wanted to see 3 or 4 months of the winter out here, I wouldnt hesitate if allowed.

The point is you are the exception i.e. "extreme cases" he referenced.

 

To save Thailand tourism there has to be thousands if not tens of thousands arriving in the kingdom every day, 7 days per week, month after month.  The bread and butter is the 1 - 2 week tourists in a constant roll over.

 

All persons wanting or able to stay "3 or 4 months of the winter" would not be enough volume to pay electric bill at Suvarnabhumi.  Or keep all the airlines flying to Bangkok.  Or keep the hotels open.  Etc.  Etc.  Etc.

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Open up Pattaya to foreign tourists NOW!

The girl's will I'm sure once the f'rrangs come back ..

Are there any other countries open for Tourism? I know Australia has opened up to allow New Zealand tourists in however its a one way ticket at this stage. No quarantine required .

Keep Closed too many outbreaks in Europe 

5 years before any talk of tourism around the world.And that is if there was a vaccine this year...

1 hour ago, pokerface1 said:

Are there any other countries open for Tourism? I know Australia has opened up to allow New Zealand tourists in however its a one way ticket at this stage. No quarantine required .

Maldives, Panama, SA and no doubt a few more

With the virus spreading like wildfire in Europe and the US again, this is really not the time to take chances. And what if a serious and far deadlier mutation occurs, as it did in the case of the Spanish flu a century ago? I'd keep the drawbridges up and hang in there until vaccines start appearing next year, and I'm pretty sure that most Thai people not dependent on the tourism industry (i.e. most Thai people) will agree with me.

2 hours ago, sungod said:

Why not, if I was in the UK and wanted to see 3 or 4 months of the winter out here, I wouldnt hesitate if allowed.

You've answered the question yourself !  Extreme case.  Very few regular tourists go for 3-4 months in one hit.

Myself and a few friends with similar trip counts of between 150-200 + but none of us go for that in one period of time

Cumulatively yes annually, but not single trips

Have the strongarm mayor and his buddies put up a 100 billion dollar bond to cover expenses in case Thailand has pandemic similar to US or parts of Europe. Problem solved.

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

 Very few tourists will be willing to jump over the onerous hoops this stunningly uncreative administration is putting forth. Perhaps a few thousand per year. Expats, yes. Tourists, no. Dumb and dumber. 

 

Any effective solution to the devastation of the tourism industry here, has to include a plan without the requirements of quarantine.

 

A simple plan. Require tourists to get a laboratory test in their home country, with negative results. Then, issue an antigen test here, upon arrival. A simple test, with results in 15 minutes. The new Abbott test system costs just $5 per test. Free testing upon arrival. You are negative. You have been subjected to two different tests, using two completely different systems. You are healthy. You are free to go, and please spend alot of money here, so you can help to revive our devastated economy, and put some people back to work. Thank you so much for coming!

Agreed in general, except that the weak link would the actual plane trip here, during which the risk of encountering this elusive virus would be at it,s greatest. How many times has one jumped on a plane feeling 110%, only to disembark several hours later feeling like you know what ? In my opinion there is no solution, this "thing" is so obviously totally out of control that the only sensible reaction would be to do a "Sweden".

They could be more willing if he pays for it ????

3 hours ago, Brunolem said:

Tourists or "tourists"? 

 

There is no such thing as a "long term tourist". 

 

The Chinese, who are real tourists, spend on average one week in Pattaya or somewhere else. 

 

The Russians need more time to launder the suitcases of cash brought with them. 

 

Some Europeans, after having secured their unemployment benefits, would rather spend the winter sitting on a bar stool, watching the cars passing by and enjoying their fresh exhaust fumes. 

 

Exactly the kind of characters Thailand would be better off without... 

Very nasty. Pray tell how many people from Britain go to Thailand who are on benifit and what kind of benifit is that affords over a thousand on flights and accommodation? I'm a Brit who has lived in thailand on and off since 2002 only recently 2019 returning to the uk to live. I always had brand new SUV's 4x4's and brand new motorbikes so am I one of these Brits you despise? What an attitude. Never judge a book by its cover.

Edited October 17, 20205 yr by Scot123

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The message to Sontaya Khunpleum was open up now or face more collapse

how can something collapse more if it already has collapsed to the ground?

Ohh I get it! You mean it can go further down 6 feet under ground...

Edited October 17, 20205 yr by pattayadude

3 hours ago, Brunolem said:

Some Europeans, after having secured their unemployment benefits, would rather spend the winter sitting on a bar stool, watching the cars passing by and enjoying their fresh exhaust fumes. 

2 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

Agreed in general, except that the weak link would the actual plane trip here, during which the risk of encountering this elusive virus would be at it,s greatest. How many times has one jumped on a plane feeling 110%, only to disembark several hours later feeling like you know what ? In my opinion there is no solution, this "thing" is so obviously totally out of control that the only sensible reaction would be to do a "Sweden".

Give this man a cookie.

 

Every single one of us will test positive for this virus at some point.  It is out in the world and can not be put back in the vial at the lab. 

 

Couple posts up notes  "...the virus spreading like wildfire in Europe and the US again..."  This is because more and more people are going about their normal lives.  Though positive tests are increasing deaths are not increasing, hospitals are not over whelmed.  We have learned this virus is not a death sentence.  It is not going to wipe humanity off the face of the earth.  Methods have been developed to successfully treat it.  

 

So, hide in the basement for another month or another 5 years.  Eventually, we will all be exposed and test positive.  Doesn't mean we will all get sick. Life has got to resume or the burden on society will be too great to over come.

1 hour ago, pokerface1 said:

Are there any other countries open for Tourism? I know Australia has opened up to allow New Zealand tourists in however its a one way ticket at this stage. No quarantine required .

Turkey for one

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Free testing upon arrival. You are negative. You have been subjected to two different tests, using two completely different systems. You are healthy. You are free to go, and please spend alot of money here, so you can help to revive our devastated economy, and put some people back to work.

If positive then what? Spend even more money in quarantine or will this be covered by the insurance scheme?

3 minutes ago, underthebridge said:

If positive then what? Spend even more money in quarantine or will this be covered by the insurance scheme?

Yes, of course. If positive you have to quarantine. A sensible approach. Far more sensible than asking healthy tourists to devote 14 days of their lives to prison, and thousand of dollars. While on vacation? What planet are these officials Iiving on? Planet Thailandia? The center of the known universe? 

 

Are these clowns serious? Or do they want to continue the sadism visited upon their people?