Thai hospitality magnate calls on govt to allow vaccinated foreigners entry into Thailand

 

William Heinecke. Reuters file photo

 

A leading figure in the Thai hospitality industry has called on the government to speed up its roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine.

 

William Heinecke, the head of Minor Group, one of Thailand’s largest hotel chains has issued an open letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha specifying a series of recommendations that he says are needed to kick start the country economy and Thailand’s decimated tourism industry.

 

In his letter, the American-born Thai businessman puts forward four recommendations which include allowing hotel staff to be among the first to receive the vaccine, expediting the rollout  of the vaccine, quarantine free travel for vaccinated travellers, and so called ‘vaccine passports’ to allow international travellers to enter Thailand without restrictions.

 

Mr Heinecke says the Thai government should make sure hotel staff and those working in the hospitality industry should be included in the first phase of the vaccine rollout. “Such people continue to operate on the front lines, interacting with international and domestic travelers, risking contraction and further transmission,” Mr Heinecke says.

 

“Prioritizing them along with healthcare workers and other high-risk groups for the vaccine would provide a necessary layer of protection for the country”.

 

Mr Heinecke says that Thailand should “consider more vaccine options as a matter of urgency” and adds “our current timeline is still not fast enough in procuring sufficient shots and inoculating the whole population”.

 

He goes on to call for those vaccinated against the virus to be exempted from the current mandatory 14 day quarantine and says that so-called ‘vaccine passports’ should be used as a way to enable foreigners to visit the country without restrictions.

 

He cites the Seychelles as an example, which he says is already allowing vaccinated foreigners to enter the country.

 

He suggests that Phuket could be used as a pilot model to test the return of  international travellers who have been vaccinated. If successfully implemented, the model should then be rolled out to other key destinations such Koh Samui and Pattaya.

 

You can read Mr Heinecke’s letter in full below:

 

 

 

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18 minutes ago, webfact said:

He goes on to call for those vaccinated against the virus to be exempted from the current mandatory 14 day quarantine and says that so-called ‘vaccine passports’ should be used as a way to enable foreigners to visit the country without restrictions.

Thailand seem to have abandoned the zero case goal, so why not. 

He was the idiot who said '' we needed this coup'', when it happened. Ironically, now that the Govt. appears to be doing all to control the virus  and hand out helicopter money (classic military govt. thinking), he is unhappy. The only reason he is popping up his head now, is he is profit driven. why is it that once you get super wealthy, it is never enough?

34 minutes ago, webfact said:

American-born Thai businessman

Oh, I see. When Farangs are rich and popular, they become honorary Thai-somethings. Nice. 

I have two observations:

1) it maybe that his group is in trouble - I doubt that he gives "a monkey's" about the small businesses which have been destroyed by the government whose policies he "commends".

2) casual observation suggests that his mask needs laundering.

I met him twice at the end of last century. I would not trust him as far as I could throw a jeep. All his opinions are based on improving his profit irrespective.

Why should the government plan to put hospitality workers (in the international sector) at the front of the queue when theres no international tourists nor "vac passport" nor any international verifiable standard for such a thing. 

 

 

9 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

Oh, I see. When Farangs are rich and popular, they become honorary Thai-somethings. Nice. 

He is a Thai. He has had a Thai passport a long time.

10 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

Oh, I see. When Farangs are rich and popular, they become honorary Thai-somethings. Nice. 

He was born in America and is a naturalized Thai citizen, working as business man, so the description is completely accurate

Word is that even after vaccinated you can just say acquire the virus which will then hitch hike (carry) in your nose or throat cavity. This means you will test positive, but have no ill effects, but have potential to be a possible spreader. So before any doors are opened, this could possibly be a Pandora's box.

Kids aren't being vaccinated anywhere that I know of so I guess he's kissing the tourist families goodbye.

chinese vaccine brazil reports roughly 50% efficacy

 

are they going to toss coins with the chinese?

 

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

William Heinecke, the head of Minor Group, one of Thailand’s largest hotel chains has issued an open letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha specifying a series of recommendations that he says are needed to kick start the country economy and Thailand’s decimated tourism industry

 

in the latest edition of "Talking my Book"...

 

 

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

In his letter, the American-born Thai businessman puts forward four recommendations which include allowing hotel staff to be among the first to receive the vaccine, expediting the rollout  of the vaccine, quarantine free travel for vaccinated travellers, and so called ‘vaccine passports’ to allow international travellers to enter Thailand without restrictions.

Surely for this to happen there needs to be some sort of standard for acceptable vaccinations, otherwise why make statements that only vaccines that pass the Thai standards will be acceptable for distribution.

Well, I mean, he did also issue an open letter in 2014 Thai-splaining that the coup was necessary and everyone who didn't support it "got it wrong".

 

"I am distressed by the interpretation by a number of Western governments and the international media of both the Coup that recently took place in Thailand and the situation that led to the Coup. Put succinctly, many of you have gotten it wrong."

 

 

https://www.tatnews.org/2014/06/open-letter-from-minor-groups-bill-heinecke/

I am sure Uncle Tuu will take his advise as a farang / Thai quite seriously ha!

there is a very big difference between Seychelles and Thailand and Phuket.

In Seychelles tourists can be taken taken out from the airport by helicopters (tourists coming here are affluent, can afford it, even if one in a lifetime travel experience) or on a private speedboat and taken to a very private island resort which they would never leave.

In contrast Phuket is a few hundred population island and served mass tourism, a large part of tourists are budget, coming on charter flights organised by travel agencies. Samui is upscale, because they have little direct international flights and very expensive connecting flights to bangkok and phuket. Pattaya is right on the outskirts of Bangkok, 1.5h drive, with Thai tourists taking full one day trips or weekend 1-2 nights stay.

In no time there would be different virus mutations from all over the world, from which present vaccinations would not fully protect.

There is no harm to do tests for all incomers.

There is a need for a form isolation - people on islands staying in beach resorts for some period and allowed to move within 1km radius, but not mixing with the general local population.

I know his business is collapsing, because his business model is very dependent on an international tourists, but I have no any sympathy for his proposals. He is profit motivated, with  disregard to health risk even to his workers.

I don't think hotel and tourism workers are priority for vax. Tourists coming to his hotels will be staying for weeks at time, they won't be hopping between hotels all over the country for 1 night sightseeing trips. Surely postal workers, shop attendants and countless other groups are much more exposed to people traffic, than a receptionist in an upscale resort

1 hour ago, holy cow cm said:

Word is that even after vaccinated you can just say acquire the virus which will then hitch hike (carry) in your nose or throat cavity. This means you will test positive, but have no ill effects, but have potential to be a possible spreader. So before any doors are opened, this could possibly be a Pandora's box.

The same is true of any vaccine you care to mention. None of them gives 100% protection.

 

Depending on which vaccine you're talking about, you would have reduced you chances of getting ill by up to 95%. It's not clear yet whether vaccinated people can still spread the virus but early indications are that chances of transmission are greatly reduced, even if they're not completely eliminated.

1 hour ago, Whale said:

met him twice at the end of last century. I would not trust him as far as I could throw a jeep. All his opinions are based on improving his profit irrespective

That's odd, I know him and he spoke highly of you , how's the whale going he said , still chasing hookers up and down beach Rd ????? 

 

Seriously that's his job to push for profits. What you expect him do? And besides it makes good sense 

Finally.

Deal done.

TAT was running out of ideas.

Now a farang has spoken and by end of the week, it will appear in the "Gazette".

 

PS: Nice watch by the way.

All this bluster about allowing Vaccinated Foreign Tourists back into Thailand completely misses the point IMO

Any Tourist that vacates in Thailand will most probably have to undergo a further 2 weeks of Quarantine upon their return to their Native Country.

A Country that has of this date, not even started to Vaccinate its Population, is way  behind the curve, and the Countries that have inoculated people will not allow them to transmit the Virus back in just for 2 weeks of Holiday time.

The price is too high.

Hienecke should be writing to Prayut in order to get the Thai population vaccinated, and as a leading Business person, that is what I would have expected of him.

40 minutes ago, Geoffggi said:

Surely for this to happen there needs to be some sort of standard for acceptable vaccinations, otherwise why make statements that only vaccines that pass the Thai standards will be acceptable for distribution.

The normal standard for international acceptance of a vaccine is for it to get an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) from the WHO. So far, only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has received this endorsement from the WHO. None of the other vaccines has this stamp of international approval yet.

Well as a business guy involved in the Tourist industry 

He would come out saying about giving the vaccine to hospitality 

Workers first

I would think the Thai government would have different priorities like the old sick and workers involved in nursing homes hospitals schools  ect

But this is Thailand time will tell who gets what first

I heard of this guy when the coup happened and his views so I'm not particularly impressed, however I fully agree with his plea for the urgency in procuring more vaccines. My only criticism being that this should be the very first paragraph because everything else in his open letter hinges on this actually happening.

 

36 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

The same is true of any vaccine you care to mention. None of them gives 100% protection.

 

Depending on which vaccine you're talking about, you would have reduced you chances of getting ill by up to 95%. It's not clear yet whether vaccinated people can still spread the virus but early indications are that chances of transmission are greatly reduced, even if they're not completely eliminated.

Not unless herd immunity is reached. Just think of closed areas like airplanes. A dog with fleas.

1 minute ago, holy cow cm said:

Not unless herd immunity is reached. Just think of closed areas like airplanes. A dog with fleas.

The points I mentioned (95% reduction of Covid risk and an overall, if as yet unquantified, reduction of transmission rates) are true regardless of herd immunity considerations.

 

Herd immunity is a totally separate issue.

2 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

Oh, I see. When Farangs are rich and popular, they become honorary Thai-somethings. Nice. 

They do.

 

He's a son of a US diplomat and speaks barely any Thai (by his own admission).

2 hours ago, Whale said:

He is a Thai. He has had a Thai passport a long time.

Yep, he's lived in Thailand for over 60 years.

1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:

Well, I mean, he did also issue an open letter in 2014 Thai-splaining that the coup was necessary and everyone who didn't support it "got it wrong".

 

"I am distressed by the interpretation by a number of Western governments and the international media of both the Coup that recently took place in Thailand and the situation that led to the Coup. Put succinctly, many of you have gotten it wrong."

 

 

https://www.tatnews.org/2014/06/open-letter-from-minor-groups-bill-heinecke/

I hope the decline and total collapse of his business is long and painful, and allows him adequate time to reflect on what he and others have caused Thailand to become.

 

Chok dee Bill. 

3 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Thailand seem to have abandoned the zero case goal

 

i don't think so

but maybe you have informations i haven't

why do you think the Thai authorities are not anymore in a suppression goal ?

 

Anyway Mr Bill needs to be patient, very patient

 as Thailand plan to having vaccinate 70% of his population at the end of 2022

 

https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnews/thailand-arranges-to-vaccinate-70-of-population-by-end-of-2022-341942

3 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

The points I mentioned (95% reduction of Covid risk and an overall, if as yet unquantified, reduction of transmission rates) are true regardless of herd immunity considerations.

 

Herd immunity is a totally separate issue.

All we can do is wait and see once conclusive. Even considering some rare odd mutations it is still yet not known if the vaccines will remain 95% effective. There are now certainly many new factors coming about like the folk who are already vaccinated testing positive who can potentially become unknowing carriers leaving uncertainties for the general public. Doesn't mean they will have any effects at all, but every transmission possibility needs to be considered. I really just hope this comes to a quick end as this is no way for the world to live.