Tourism minister tells the Chinese: Come to Thailand, STV is not group tours

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Thailand's minister for tourism and sports has responded to what he called "confusion" after the Chinese ministry for tourism and culture extended their ban on tour groups travelling abroad and added a block on inbound tourism to China.

 

Pipat Ratchakitprakarn said he may need to have a word with the Chinese authorities so that their people will understand this ban doesn't apply to those seeking entry on the STV or special tourism visa that is an entirely different matter. 

 

All they have to do is get the paperwork together, do the 14 day quarantine and the tests and they are free to travel in Thailand as they wish. 

 

There is no ban on their movements, just tour groups on regular visas.

 

This was also stressed by Chatthathan Kunchorn, the TAT rep for Asia and the Pacific, who said it just applied to tour groups and had been in place since the start of the pandemic to stop the spread of Covid-19. 

 

Addressing the Chinese he said: "There's no problem  - come to Thailand. We know you want to!"

 

He told Daily News that lots of Chinese would like to come to Thailand but many were just waiting to see how arrangements for the first visitors - who arrived on Tuesday in Bangkok - panned out.

 

He described this group as being "ambassadors" leading the way for others to follow.

 

Meanwhile speculation online was rife about the group who arrived from Shanghai, with many questioning if they were really "tourists" at all, notes Thaivisa. 

 

In other news Pipat addressed concerns coming from Pattaya after business leaders claimed consulates in Russia had told potential STV tourists that they could not get the coveted CoE (certificate of entry) to come to Thailand.

 

This was due to problems over where they would quarantine. 

 

Some had made bookings to do the Alternative Local State Quarantine in Pattaya then had their permission to come denied, reports coming out of Pattaya suggested. 

 

Pipat said that he had contacted the Foreign Ministry indicating that they should inform people that there were facilities in Pattaya for ALSQ.

 

Earlier reports suggested that three hotels in the resort had been approved and 13 others had applied to be allowed to offer ALSQ.  

 

Thaivisa notes that this case is another where it appears that one Thai ministry is not communicating adequately with another. 

 

Source: Daily News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-10-23

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thaivisa notes that this case is another where it appears that one Thai ministry is not communicating adequately with another. 

So everything running normally.

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

He described this group as being "ambassadors" leading the way for others to follow.

Except that they were not tourists.

From another spokesman from the CCSA - The successful trip of a government delegation from China.

Thailand the masters of miscommunication and misunderstandings.... Done deliberately or is it due to incompetence, probably a mixture of both...

The Chinese have banned tours and tourists in and out. So no change here!

48 minutes ago, webfact said:

All they have to do is get the paperwork together

And therein lies the problem.

50 minutes ago, webfact said:

All they have to do is get the paperwork together, do the 14 day quarantine and the tests and they are free to travel in Thailand as they wish. 

Wow, a holiday of a life time, visiting Thailand is so coveted that tourists actually be willing to jump through hoops be locked up and pay for it just to visit Thailand,  this tourism minister is deluding himself that people are that gullible and that this will actually happen in significant numbers to justify all this brouhaha...

Panic goes through Chinese leadership: ????

 

Pipat Ratchakitprakarn said he may need to have a word with the Chinese authorities

2 hours ago, webfact said:

All they have to do is get the paperwork together

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

All they have to do is get the paperwork together, do the 14 day quarantine and the tests and they are free to travel in Thailand as they wish. 

 

555555 is that all? And what about the Thai insurance we HAVE to buy as a tourist?? Is that finished?

2 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

So everything running normally.

 

Yes, the circus rolls on!

Hey there, hoopla the circus is in town,

have you seen the dinosaurs

Have you seen the clowns!

1 minute ago, PatOngo said:

 

Yes, the circus rolls on!

Hey there, hoopla the circus is in town,

have you seen the dinosaurs

Have you seen the clowns!

I hear they have a killer elephant show ????

6 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

I hear they have a killer elephant show ????

That's actually a bit distressing!  What happens if the elephants go nuts and start killing tourists???

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Pipat Ratchakitprakarn said he may need to have a word with the Chinese authorities

No need for words, just Ben Dover and lower the pants!

1 minute ago, Grumpy John said:

That's actually a bit distressing!  What happens if the elephants go nuts and start killing tourists???

The elephants in this circus only kill locals!

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Pipat Ratchakitprakarn said he may need to have a word with the Chinese authorities

Is this guy just a senile old git, or what.  "I think I may need to have a word", what planet does he think he is on.  Oh I forgot Thailand is the center of the universe.

This guy is a master of advertising. I am sold. It seems so easy to come. Oh i forgot to read the small print. 

1 hour ago, RotBenz8888 said:

 

 

Looks the same as my Non-O visa application...how did you know?

As most would claim on this site, it's easy, you just have to follow the rules, it is not that hard. Truly the paperwork can be ran through, as in life; anything worth doing can be done. The issue here is, there is always something either not good enough i.e. photo quality, or lacking the figure pointing to the address, or placement of where the address to the house is placed, the map, not being hand drawn well or every road labeled near your home, because they not want to except a screen shot of google map, quality of photos not be done perfectly, or the placement of the items they want copied multiple time, not being placed vertically one year, or horizontally the next year, background of the id photo not be white, or blue; this too can change year to year or officer to officer, not having your landlord come with you in some cases, or not show adequately that they register your stay on their property, even though you provide a screen shot showing they did register online with the Government site. You name it, they will find something to default back on, and when they do, best to duck, for they will likely throw the passport back upon you, like you're a child who should not make mistakes and who should know better. Especially if you've been here for any period of time, it gets even worse, on how they might react. Expats are not what they truly want, unless you come bearing gifts and a nice padded envelope, then you're treated like the fish they want you to be...follow the rules as they develop them, and pay as you go, then pay some more, would be greatly appreciated, with a Thai Wai.

These ????????s need to wake up sooner rather than later tourists of any kind and any nationality are not going to come until this quarantine ruling has been thrown in the garbage can if they don’t it will be many more trillions of baht lost as we approach the peak season

11 minutes ago, ajarnmarc said:

Looks the same as my Non-O visa application...how did you know?

I went to CW last week for extension of stay, that's why????. And yes, they wanted an extra document from me, as always. This time a copy of the Tm30. 

There is no hope of a recovery if all do is invite the Chinese as if they are the only important market.

Whatever happened to the realization that the Chinese were the paragons of "Zero Baht Tourists", who paid for everything in China and spent next to nothing here ?  The main spenders here were the Europeans, Americans, Russians, and Australians, but the authorities here seem to have their heads where the sun never shines, incapable of coming out with any sensible realistic solutions ????

16 minutes ago, IamNoone88 said:

There is no hope of a recovery if all do is invite the Chinese as if they are the only important market.

They are going to set their stall out for the Chinese market and go down the same road.....all their eggs in one basket.

 

Tourism from the rest of the world will slowly shrink.....covid20 is only a matter of time...the Chinese will never change their eating habits...and it will happen all over again.

You got to be kidding.....The Chinese can not come to Thailand unless they have a red flag to follow...

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Pipat Ratchakitprakarn said he may need to have a word with the Chinese authorities so that their people will understand this ban doesn't apply to those seeking entry on the STV or special tourism visa that is an entirely different matter. 

 

Well that'll have Chairman Xi and the PLA trembling!

My Buddha, he might threaten to dispatch the Thai aircraft carrier, lol...

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Tourism minister tells the Chinese: Come to Thailand,

............and if you buy a condo on your tour all the better

1 minute ago, Guderian said:

 

Well that'll have Chairman Xi and the PLA trembling!

My Buddha, he might threaten to dispatch the Thai aircraft carrier, lol...

If only they had those submarines......but the Chinese will know exactly where they are all the time!!!

43 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

These ????????s need to wake up sooner rather than later tourists of any kind and any nationality are not going to come until this quarantine ruling has been thrown in the garbage can if they don’t it will be many more trillions of baht lost as we approach the peak season

That quarantine ruling applies in most countries where I live we had no local 

transmission for 5 months but I am not even allowed to leave

So the 41, 40 or 39 tourists which nobody managed to count properly weren't even tourists but Chinese Government Officials. The Office of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports can't even communicate with Immigration to allow Russian Tourists to go to Government approved quarantine in Pattaya so how can this magical place of fiction persuade the Chinese Government to change its mind to allow Chinese tourists to come to Thailand. 

 

Other magnificent porkies will be announced daily.

This tourism minister has got things wrong. No true tourist will want to 'do the 14 days quarantine' just to go for a holiday in that country.

 

Long-term stayers yes but not tourists.