Seeking travel boost, Thailand set to revive China bubble talks

[Isaan sailor]

Maybe TAT sees the writing on the wall.  In the last two weeks, USD has lost 3% on the Baht.  Meanwhile the Chinese Yuan has risen substantially.  

Got nothing against Chinese people, in small doses.  Just get the USD up, please.

[taxin]

This must be old news as they are already here, seen it with my own eyes in Aonang (Krabi) this morning.
 

There was at least 4 (possibly 5) double deck coaches parked up by the beach, I’m guessing approx 50 people on each bus so maybe at least 200 of them, they were scattered all over the beach, surprisingly there was quite a few kids amongst them.

[ronaldo0]

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

"The government will negotiate with 22 cities in China that have had no infections for three months," Tourism Council of Thailand President Chairat Trirattanajarasporn told Reuters.

So they aren’t caring about areas in countries or the country that has Covid and are that desperate they are going by cities now ? ????

Well if that the case then nobody in my household has contracted Covid so why am I not allowed the same privilege ? Same principle !

[micmichd]

9 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

10 or 14d, it won't make any difference. It has to be completey ditched. 

Up to Farangs to fight Corona in their countries. 

[orchidfan]

My close Chinese friend and western university educated (Canada) engineer who wants to get back to Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia etc for business, tells me he is NOT ALLOWED  to travel outside China..UFN.

Certainly NOT going to do a STV and quarantine.

[BestB]

Big surprise . Chinese again and again and again. Was it chinese who built thailand into what it is now? Was it chinese who helped in caves? Was it chinese who sent billions after tsunami and helped to rebuilt ?

 

[scorecard]

9 hours ago, Hayduke said:

 

Poor Thailand...they just don't understand why Daddy Xi is making them stand with their nose in the corner.

 

The Thai government should know by now that China will allow tourism to Thailand when they are good and ready. And it will on their terms....Thailand really has no say in the matter.

 

Although the Chinese do probably enjoy watching Thailand grovel and beg for treats.

 

 

How many times has this headline hit the Thai news services?

Would be nice if someone in the gov't was coordinating this matter and releasing organized communications and information. 

[sammieuk1]

Lest we forget the brick wall put in the face of retiree farangs and the indefinite splitting up of families ????   

[johnarth]

some big wigs are starting to shake all over song words but true, think the brown envelopes might be running out, the big wigs in China have said no out of China, does not matter how good of friends Flip and Flop think they are they are not

[TSF]

Interesting they put up a photo of a Thai smoking a cigarette on a beach. I seem to remember a year or so ago they were arresting farangs on the spot and cleaning out their entire holiday budgets in fines for smoking on the beaches.

[carlf]

Why don't they first give this plan a test with Taiwan, a country that is recognized as having done a wonderful job at controlling COVID19?  Both Hong Kong and Singapore would be other prime candidates for at least starting the gradual process of opening up Thailand.  The PRC has a long history of not fully disclosing (translation: suppressing) news such as COVID19 case counts.

[Bangkok Barry]

10 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The 14-day quarantine is an obstacle to tourism, Kiattaphum Wongrachit, permanent health secretary, told reporters. He said the length could be reduced to 10 days for certain low-risk areas

 

They just don't get it, do they. People do not want to fly to a country for a holiday and be confined to their room. For 14 days or 10. They just don't. They want to fly in, check in, have a shower and go out for a meal and a drink. Why do the authorities continue to believe that people will put up with anything just to spend time in Thailand. They take delusion to a whole new level.

[Harry Fingerling]

The apparently healthy Korean soldier on arrival to Thailand goes back home infected with Covid. Not a great advert for the Chinese is it.

[Cali farong]

Tik tok tik tok  high season will come and go.  They know it but they think the people will believe they are trying.  More starvation more suicide more road deaths.  But no COVID  Thailand so smart 

[Bkktodd]

4 hours ago, miamiman123 said:

Sad! Thailand is a beautiful country.

The airlines and travel is dead for a long long time. 
Boys you gotta come up w another plan!

 

Hope for all .and not just chinese. ...covid test , vaccine, insurance and no quarantine . Open borders. Money will come in

[Bkktodd]

3 hours ago, micmichd said:

Up to Farangs to fight Corona in their countries. 

Im sure there is no covid in Thailand already ????

[ChouDoufu]

5 hours ago, ronaldo0 said:

So they aren’t caring about areas in countries or the country that has Covid and are that desperate they are going by cities now ? ????

Well if that the case then nobody in my household has contracted Covid so why am I not allowed the same privilege ? Same principle !

 

that was a mistranslation.  they are considering hubble-bubbles with 22 provinces in china that have not had active covid cases for 150+ days.

[EricTh]

Another one of those hare-brained ideas that won't materialise. True tourists won't want 10 days quarantine.

 

Quarantine are only for those with wives or retirees or work permits.

[Flying Saucage]

4 hours ago, BestB said:

Big surprise . Chinese again and again and again. Was it chinese who built thailand into what it is now? Was it chinese who helped in caves? Was it chinese who sent billions after tsunami and helped to rebuilt ?

 

 

Yeah, true. But it is China who pays the luxury watches of the Thai dinosaurs, and supplies the red envelopes to them (Chinese bribes are usually preseted in red envelopes, not in brown ones). And in return, China orders it's kowtowing Thai vassals to keep the borders closed for foreigners until China is ready to send the first tourists.

 

China insists to be the first. Such symbolism is important for Xi.

 

[Rodbayne94]

Baht currency should be weak to boost local economy and tourism

[Mike k]

Are the Chinese going to be required to have 500000 bhat in a bank account for 6 months plus the insurance 

[Stargeezr]

The flicker of truth is the mention of Executives, who of course are not tourists anyway.

   So if essential travel is allowed between countries, and business is considered essential

then these Execs are covered in those rules.  It would seem that TAT is dreaming of the

future when tourists can and will eventually travel around the world again.  At this time is 

is important to let the expats who have properties,  as well as wives or husbands into the country

to spend their lengthy stay in Thailand. I am sure that these people are not objecting to the

quarantine rules, but are just trying to get back into the country.  They all should be helped by the                               Thai government and TAT to accieve their goals.

Geezer

[Terry2905]

A few countries are reducing the quarantine period to 7 days, with a negative covid test result taken within 72 hours of travel from the country where travel begins. If tested positive during the 7 day quarantine period, then a further 7 day quarantine is required. That makes sense! New research says that covid is detected within 7 days of becoming infected, not the original 14 day incubation period.

 

I personally need to come back to Thailand in January, and I am not looking forward to either the cost of 14 day quarantine in a hotel, and a total alcohol ban during that 14 days! Why is a returning retiree, or a tourist, not allowed alcohol for 14 days when they arrive in Thailand? Utter nonsense!

 

And now also the "extra" restrictions placed by the Thai government for anyone to enter Thailand?

 

A COE (Certificate of Entry) from the embassy or consulate from the country they are coming from. To get the COE, need a valid visa, covid insurance, health insurance, proof of funds of 500,000 baht, flight booking details, confirmed quarantine hotel booking! 

 

Full details here https://www.thaiembassy.com/travel/certificate-of-entry-to-thailand.php

 

If you look at the list of people allowed from China? The same as all the rest of the countries I looked at! All the usual visa types, including diplomats, require a COE.

 

Strange to see that you can actually get a Badminton Tournament Visa! Hmm! Great! Come to Thailand for the Badminton World Championships being held in January 2021, and have to stay locked up in a quarantine hotel for 14 days! I guess that hitting a shuttlecock against a wall will pass the time, but hardly the intense practice needed for a world championship event!

 

[Raphus]

Well isn’t this a novel story!

[daveAustin]

15 hours ago, ChouDoufu said:

 

hi!  i read the news from china. 

 

inbound group tours are currently suspended due to the risk of bringing the virus back into the country.  outbound group tours are also suspended, cause, like, you know, they'd have to come back as well, and risk bringing new infections.

 

outbound individual travel is not restricted by the ceeceepee, but rather by the embassies of foreign countries not granting visas for tourism.

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-says-will-maintain-ban-on-outbound-tours-due-to-coronavirus-risk

 

https://www.traveloffpath.com/china-reopening-borders-for-international-flights-from-8-countries/

 

https://www.traveloffpath.com/asia-reopening-for-tourism-everything-you-need-to-know/

 

edit:  china CDC did issue a statement last month recommending residents avoid unnecessary trips abroad.

 

Shame they never left and kept THEIR virus to themselves. Let the rest of the world be.

[Johnnybangkok71]

20 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Seeking travel boost, Thailand set to revive China bubble talks

By Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat

 

FILE PHOTO: A chef stands on an empty beach as he waits for the costumers at Koh Chang island in Thailand July 31, 2020. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand plans to restart talks with China on a travel bubble as part of efforts to ease restrictions on movement and boost the economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism, officials said on Friday.

 

Hong Kong and Singapore have already said they will allow travel between two areas later this month without insisting on quarantine, prompting a surge in bookings.

 

But Thailand has yet to agree any such arrangements and previous plans were abandoned in August after novel coronavirus cases in Asia rose.

 

"The government will negotiate with 22 cities in China that have had no infections for three months," Tourism Council of Thailand President Chairat Trirattanajarasporn told Reuters.

 

The government has accepted this in principle and is subject to further approval, he said.

 

Last month, Thailand received a first batch of foreign tourists on special 90-day visas from China, but they were all subject to a 14-day quarantine.

 

Travel bubbles were necessary because executives and tourists typically would stay for 10 days, Chairat said.

 

The 14-day quarantine is an obstacle to tourism, Kiattaphum Wongrachit, permanent health secretary, told reporters. He said the length could be reduced to 10 days for certain low-risk areas such as New Zealand and Taiwan, subject to further approval.

 

"We will open the country gradually with safety measures and manageable risk levels," he said.

 

Last year, Thailand, Southeast Asia's second largest economy, booked a record 39.8 million in foreign visitors spending 1.93 billion baht ($63.97 million) making up 11.4% of GDP. This year it predicts just 6.7 million foreign visitors with the economy forecast to contract 7.7%.

 

Thailand has limited the number of new coronavirus infections with a ban on flights since April. It has reported a total of 3,861 confirmed cases and 60 deaths.

 

($1 = 30.1700 baht)

 

(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; editing by Barbara Lewis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-14

 

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Now that makes perfect sense, let's try to bring in the origins of the CCP virus, we can trust the authoritarian government that deflated their numbers and unleash this century's black plague. But birds of feathers stick together.   

[Salerno]

15 hours ago, pantsonfire said:

Butt kicking the chinese always. 

 

Typos can be a bitch 

 

11 hours ago, BestB said:

Was it chinese who built thailand into what it is now? 

 

Given the history, it could be argued as so.

[hotchilli]

21 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Thailand plans to restart talks with China on a travel bubble as part of efforts to ease restrictions on movement and boost the economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism, officials said on Friday.

Wasn't there a post earlier this week about fake news?

Tourism only accounts for a 12% slice, so we've been led to believe.

[Barry343]

Have they not seen or been given the information that has come out of China of the out-break of covid19 in many cities in different parts of China. China do not care about the Thailand, China only cares about the elite Chinese.

[TERMINATOR3AB]

No  No  NO  TAT   not talking through  thier hats

Blowing  sounds  out  the rear  ends  of thier   wealthy  Fat  little  gross bodies  

TAT  just kiss that  Chinese  rear  end and  again  and  hope for a  Communist  miracle ....Or   offer  Thailand  for sale cheap to  China 

Then  feed the  poor  help  the  90%   that  are not wealthy in Thailand 

Good Luck Thailand