Thailand to remain closed to mass tourism until March, travel bubble discussions ongoing

[cdemundo]

34 minutes ago, polpott said:

There won't be many vaccinated in the 1st quarter. In Europe, probably towards the end of next year before enough people have been vaccinated to create a national herd immunity. In the US even longer as half the nation seem to be "anti vaxers". I can understand why Thailand wants to vaccinate the majority of Thais to create a herd immunity in Thailand, rather than rely on other countries to vaccinate their own. Can't see that happening much before the end of the year either. Maybe they should concentrate on vaccinating Thais in tourist centres/Bangkok first.

I would think in the UK and the USA there would be a significant number of people vaccinated in three months.  UK is starting with highest risk group already.  USA will be starting soon as well.  Of course we will see how smoothly it goes.

[dbrenn]

5 hours ago, Kadilo said:

Yes and all the unemployed Thais as a result of it agree with you. 

I remember Thailand had full employment when tourist arrivals were one tenth of what they were in 2019.

[NanLaew]

5 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

 

So will they continue to issue the TR60 for CoE "tourists"?

 

 

Did you miss this in the article in the OP?

 

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Currently only a relatively small number of foreigners are eligible to enter Thailand.

 

These include business people such as technical experts, high level workers and those in the medical field, foreigners who are married to or a parent of a Thai national, property owners, retiree visa holders, Elite Card holders and those who enter Thailand under the Special Tourist Visa scheme - all of which have to undergo mandatory 14 day quarantine.

 

At the moment, those who qualify as above are still welcome. However, if I was outside and wanting to come in, I would be checking up on those permissions daily, right up until the day of travel.

[Guderian]

5 hours ago, sweetserenity said:

Until march? The vaccines are already being given to the western world.. Why can't they just allow vaccinated tourists to enter?

 

The vaccines have a limited effectiveness at preventing the covid symptoms from developing (60% to 95% at the moment), but they don't stop you from getting infected by the virus and(so far, anyway) it seems they are not very helpful in stopping the spread of the virus. So a vaccine should help greatly in saving your life if you get injected, but at the moment it doesn't look like they do much to help unvaccinated people. Unless one of the vaccines still in the pipeline proves much better in this respect, or they can tweak the existing vaccines to help prevent the spread of the virus, it won;t be safe to reopen to mass tourism until all the at-risk groups in Thailand have been vaccinated. That's around a year from now at the earliest, based on their current plans.

[Techno Viking]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Try reading it.....????

 

 

Iam struggling to find your claims there is no unemployed benefits in Thailand.

 

Can you post a link please.

[NanLaew]

25 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

I would think in the UK and the USA there would be a significant number of people vaccinated in three months.  UK is starting with highest risk group already.  USA will be starting soon as well.  Of course we will see how smoothly it goes.

 

Scotland hopes to be the first part of the UK administering the vaccine next Tuesday.

 

The quantities delivered initially to the UK will be low until the cold-chain and delivery logistics right to the patient's arm have been pressure-tested.

 

The UK care home residents, their carers, staff and NHS workers will be the first priority. I don't see any of that demographic booking flights to Thailand in time for Songkran.

 

As for the US... well... even if they do get it rolled out, they have never been a significant factor in Thai tourism.

Edited December 6, 2020 by NanLaew

[ftpjtm]

5 hours ago, sweetserenity said:

Until march? The vaccines are already being given to the western world.. Why can't they just allow vaccinated tourists to enter?

Because Thailand is going with the discount AstraZeneca vaccine that won't be ready until then.

[Dialemco]

Realistically it is very unlikely any South Eastern Asian Countries including Thailand will be able to open for Tourism before beginning 2022 earliest 

[Scot123]

4 hours ago, Techno Viking said:

 

No vaccine is 100% effective, why take the risk of allowing potentially infected people enter.

 

And do you drive/ride in Thailand or use public road transport? Because, you have a far greater chance of dying on the roads and quite possibly dying from respiratory disease or just cancer from those vegitables which are covered in poisons than dying of Covid. And do you really think there is no Covid in Thailand?

[Chongalulu]

4 hours ago, Techno Viking said:

 

Not seeing the downside of that to be honest.

That says more about a very poor level of reasoning and understanding on your part

[Techno Viking]

1 minute ago, Scot123 said:

And do you drive/ride in Thailand or use public road transport? Because, you have a far greater chance of dying on the roads and quite possibly dying from respiratory disease or just cancer from those vegitables which are covered in poisons than dying of Covid. And do you really think there is no Covid in Thailand?

 

You should start a thread because your post is in no way related to this one.

[davidmann]

6 hours ago, dbrenn said:

Excellent news. Mass tourism has spoilt Thailand's beauty, and I hope it's gone for good.

i think thats what the government  would like to happen. ,CHINA.  STARTS VIRUS.  ,kills of millions. ,heath and business   ,and Thailand. wish to welcome them back. ,is China. running Thailand now ?

[Thaifly88]

4 hours ago, Enzian said:

Tomorrow there will be a new story, estimate, expert statement, plea for understanding, whatever you want to call it. And the next day...

Exactly, wait a few weeks and it will all be different ????

[cdemundo]

6 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

Scotland hopes to be the first part of the UK administering the vaccine next Tuesday.

 

The quantities delivered initially to the UK will be low until the cold-chain and delivery logistics right to the patient's arm have been pressure-tested.

 

The UK care home residents, their carers, staff and NHS workers will be the first priority. I don't see any of that demographic booking flights to Thailand in time for Songkran.

 

As for the US... well... even if they do get it rolled out, they have never been a significant factor in Thai tourism.

"As for the US... well... even if they do get it rolled out, they have never been a significant factor in Thai tourism."

 

2019 Arrivals in Thailand by nationality:

USA    1,167,845

UK         994,018

 

From wikipedia article "Tourism in Thailand" referencing Thailand arrivals from various nations:

Wikipedia references as source:   "สถิติด้านการท่องเที่ยว ปี 2562 (Tourism Statistics 2019)". Ministry of Tourism & Sports. Retrieved 23 January 2020.

 

[polpott]

1 hour ago, cdemundo said:

I would think in the UK and the USA there would be a significant number of people vaccinated in three months.  UK is starting with highest risk group already.  USA will be starting soon as well.  Of course we will see how smoothly it goes.

They are starting with essential workers and high risk groups followed by the over 65s. Currently, the UK has 800,000 doses available, enough for 400,00 people from a population of 65 million. It will take a long time to vaccinate 90% of the population.

[polpott]

21 minutes ago, Scot123 said:

And do you drive/ride in Thailand or use public road transport? Because, you have a far greater chance of dying on the roads and quite possibly dying from respiratory disease or just cancer from those vegitables which are covered in poisons than dying of Covid. And do you really think there is no Covid in Thailand?

All completely irrelevant. Governments make Covid policies not individuals like you or I. Your personal opinion will cut no ice with the Thai government.

[polpott]

1 hour ago, Guderian said:

The vaccines have a limited effectiveness at preventing the covid symptoms from developing (60% to 95% at the moment), but they don't stop you from getting infected by the virus and(so far, anyway) it seems they are not very helpful in stopping the spread of the virus.

Not true. Moderna and Phizer have not tested for prevention of infection as such, however initial data shows that both are likely to prevent infection in 95% of cases. AZ have done some tests and initial results show immunity from infection for 90% of people. In all cases the same as preventing symptoms from developing.

[GeilGeilertzen]

6 hours ago, Kadilo said:

Yes and all the unemployed Thais as a result of it agree with you. 

The poorer the Thais are, the better your stay will be.  You just don’t get it do you.  ????

[Techno Viking]

4 minutes ago, GeilGeilertzen said:

The poorer the Thais are, the better your stay will be.  You just don’t get it do you.  ????

 

Treat em' mean , keep em' keen !!

[GeilGeilertzen]

5 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

'Mass tourism' probably enabled you and many other posters that live here, to come to Thailand in the first place.

Mass tourism enables cheap flights and accomodation. It helps to build the infrastructure that enables people to move around the country more easily.

Of course, those who came here earlier do not want to share paradise with the masses.

It was the same when I first came to Thailand (except I drove here). I built a house in the middle of nowhere and told my friends about this geat place that I had found. They told their friends, who told their friends and before you  know it, I am surrounded by more 100 houses. But at least I now have concrete road access, and reliable water and electricity supplies. There are even supermarkets now where I can buy decent bread! ????

It is called progress. The world changes.

If I could choose I am not interested in any of that.  Thailand worked great without the things you mention and it’s also not true. There is a a limited need of electricity in a private home. And in today you can fix that problem with a small solar system in a day or two to keep LED lights working if it disappeared for a night or two or to keep you refrigerator running.  Water also.  Business worked well also in the past. To argue that concrete roads or even the carbo-bread that the best thing it does is to air up your stomach is something to miss is beyond understanding. 

It’s pointless to even bring up that people who came here early don’t want to share this paradise with

the masses.  Because that is no special for Thailand. No one wants to share their neighborhood with any masses no matter where in the world it is. No place wants to have anything that looks like it’s infested with people not being of their own people and considered a threat, except any money crazy government. 

Edited December 6, 2020 by GeilGeilertzen

[Marley01]

Travel bubble with China??

money doesn’t go into Thailand’s coffers from the Chinese as everything the Chinese do is through Chinese businesses.

the only Thais making money from the Chinese are those getting envelopes for allowing the Chinese in.

[10baht]

I sure don't, I have a Thai spouse and can come to Thailand whenever I want.

 

Just try to, you must have money and time to burn, getting a coe and timing your cv-19 test and doctor's visit and prepaid air and air is a hoot. And still not 100 % safe traveling, see all the imported cases.

[overherebc]

Chicken/egg.

What comes first, the money to update the places that have all shut down or the tourists to bring in the money to update and improve the places that have all been shut down????

[DrPhibes]

4 hours ago, brucec64 said:

No, when thailand has vaccinated enough people and achieved herd immunity, it will be safe to allow other vaccinated people to enter without quarantine. For better or for worse, thialand has adopted a virus eradication strategy as opposed to a containment strategy, and domestic vaccinations are required for this strategy to continue to be successful. 

Given that Thai people don't believe it unless it is on Facebook it is more like heard immunity!

[Sean60]

Perhaps the government should now create and distribute relief package for small businesses? 

People are suffering and with no Christmas and new year high season it will be very hard on many people.

 

[AMFWolfie]

6 hours ago, Techno Viking said:

 

No vaccine is 100% effective, why take the risk of allowing potentially infected people enter.

 

Of course they could just forget the two submarines from China and instead purchase enough vaccine for the whole of Thailand and the problem goes away. 100% effective or not COVID-19 will die out because its unable to infect enough people in very much the same way Thailand is managing it now. Tourism and trade back to a new high...

[Traubert]

48 minutes ago, Marley01 said:

Travel bubble with China??

money doesn’t go into Thailand’s coffers from the Chinese as everything the Chinese do is through Chinese businesses.

the only Thais making money from the Chinese are those getting envelopes for allowing the Chinese in.

False.

[Techno Viking]

18 minutes ago, AMFWolfie said:

Of course they could just forget the two submarines from China and instead purchase enough vaccine for the whole of Thailand and the problem goes away. 100% effective or not COVID-19 will die out because its unable to infect enough people in very much the same way Thailand is managing it now. Tourism and trade back to a new high...

 

Providing the vaccine to the entire Thailand population will not make the problem go away.

 

The AstraZeneca vaccine that Thailand is buying has yet to have any field studies (that I can find on google) and the clinical trial was botched.

 

astrazeneca trial

 

Yeah glad Iam not a guinea pig getting an arm full of this jungle juice.

[hotchilli]

8 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

What a nightmare. They have no clue on what to do.

They never did.

[ourmanflint]

6 minutes ago, Techno Viking said:

 

Providing the vaccine to the entire Thailand population will not make the problem go away.

 

The AstraZeneca vaccine that Thailand is buying has yet to have any field studies (that I can find on google) and the clinical trial was botched.

 

astrazeneca trial

 

Yeah glad Iam not a guinea pig getting an arm full of this jungle juice.

What a completely ridiculous thing to say... of course getting the entire Thailand population vaccinated *will* make the problem go away, that is the whole point. Vaccines work and they prevent disease getting a foothold at anything over 60% efficacy

This forum sometimes...