Quarantines are killing Thailand’s tourism industry, and not even a long holiday can offset 14 days of isolation

[nkg]

38 minutes ago, Disparate Dan said:

Isn't it high time to just shut up about tourism? You'd think that was the only casualty of this panic. Yeah, 9 percent of GDP comes from foreign tourists, but the vast majority of Thais (and expats living here) don't see anything from that and care less about missing out on coachloads of [deleted] tourists getting in everyone's way. Round our way, no-one wants mass tourism back.

Moreover, any of this hot air about letting people in with vaccinations is fiction unless/until IATA and "governments" agree on and implement a workable certification process. Only yesterday Europol had to issue a warning about "organised crime gangs selling fake Covid-negative certificates at airports, sometimes for as much as 300 euros each" after several people were caught at airports. Until there's a better system than handing over 250 baht just off KSR, all bets are off even for bona fide travellers, let alone largely unwelcome "tourists".

 

This forum is full of "I'm alright jack" characters who are already living in Thailand, and don't like having "competition" from the two-week millionaires.

 

[sherwood]

Here in my little place in the world you would hardly know that the world is about to collapse.  

I have an extension to comply with in a couple of weeks, hope that goes well but otherwise life seems very normal.

I live out in the sticks and thats it. Simple life for a simple expat.

Take that as you will.

[Farma]

29 minutes ago, Sujo said:

Did thailand take into consideration that most tourists wont come because not only quarantine in thailand but quarantine on the their home country.

 

Dont think many fancy 3 or 4 weeks of annual leave in quarantine hotels.

Add to that certain provinces are enforcing an additional 14 day home quarantine upon arrival from thai virus hot spots.

[Nout]

Quarantine is NOT isolation. I have now met several people who have returned here and not one considered it an arduous imposition...they were just sooooo relieved to be out of Europe where conditions in Spain, France and Portugal are frightening especially with the political machinations around the failed vaccine roll out. Macron has effectively become a vax denier in an attempt to refute Great Britain's post Brexit success with its vaccine program. 14 days quarantine is NOTHING compared to being stuck in a hope free Europe.

[grego49]

1 hour ago, Peterw42 said:

Comparisons to the Maldives isn't really apples with apples. Its a completely different tourism model.

Maldives is isolated self contained resorts, off the plane, 2 weeks in a self contained resort then back on the plane home.

 

And no scams or tuk tuk mafia,,,

[Nout]

10 minutes ago, Farma said:

Add to that certain provinces are enforcing an additional 14 day home quarantine upon arrival from thai virus hot spots.

Not true is it? How many people do you know who actually WERE FORCED to do a double quarntine.

[Farma]

1 minute ago, Nout said:

Not true is it? How many people do you know who actually WERE FORCED to do a double quarntine.

Me for 1 and I know of others who came through Asq around the same time told to home quarantine on arrival at their home. Check the tatnews.org website for individual province quarantine requirements.

[Nout]

6 minutes ago, grego49 said:

And no scams or tuk tuk mafia,,,

Not much fun either...Apart from Phuket I have never met a Tuk Tuk mafia and in my travels around Thailand these drivers were kind, helpful and supportive. As for scams, compared to dozens of others countries Thailand is relatively scam free..except for fools. I am not suggesting you are a fool. I suspect you are far too smart to get scammed. LOL

[onebir]

Next up, the "SEXY quarholiday* concept". Two weeks of solitary XXXtra XXXpreriences!

 

*pronounced: kwar-o-li-day; hor-kwa-li-day didn't make the cut.

[Nout]

6 minutes ago, Farma said:

Me for 1 and I know of others who came through Asq around the same time told to home quarantine on arrival at their home. Check the tatnews.org website for individual province quarantine requirements.

Did you isolate for 14 days? Were you monitored? Who checked on you? The people I know quarantined in Bangkok, then came to Pattaya and conducted there life, business, work and pleasure as normal.

[Lacessit]

12 minutes ago, Nout said:

Not true is it? How many people do you know who actually WERE FORCED to do a double quarntine.

Applying logic, who is going to front up for a holiday anywhere if they have 28 days of it they have to pay for, while confined to a hotel room?

[nkg]

Just now, Nout said:

Not much fun either...Apart from Phuket I have never met a Tuk Tuk mafia and in my travels around Thailand these drivers were kind, helpful and supportive. As for scams, compared to dozens of others countries Thailand is relatively scam free..except for fools. I am not suggesting you are a fool. I suspect you are far too smart to get scammed. LOL

 

Even the tuk tuks in Phuket are cheaper than taxis in most Western countries. Apparently $20 for an hour-long trip to Phuket Airport is a rip-off, according to the penny-pinchers ...

[Farma]

Just now, Nout said:

Did you isolate for 14 days? Were you monitored? Who checked on you? The people I know quarantined in Bangkok, then came to Pattaya and conducted there life, business, work and pleasure as normal.

A representative of my local covid monitoring team showed up prior to my arrival requesting passport etc details about me. The ASQ or whoever the department is they report to had sent my details through.

 

Since arrival I send daily thermometer reading pics via LINE to the monitoring team. I've been told they could insist upon a daily visit to take my temp but we are familiar to the person responsible for monitoring me.

 

[GinBoy2]

So, regardless of quarantines, PCR tests, whatever.

 

Try to get inside the head of an average tourist, and exclude the sexpests or those trying to return to families.

 

The real tourists have experienced economic turmoil we haven't seen in any of our lifetimes. Young families with kids trying to juggle work and home schooling for their kids, it's frikkin tough. Plus there is an element of fear. People aren't flying domestic 1-2 hour flights!

 

I just don't see those folks saying, "hey lets take the kids on an 18 hour flight to Thailand"

 

I just read a news report form our tourism agency, that visitors to South Dakota dropped by 13% YoY, but still managed to pull in 12M visitors, a lot better than many others.

But that I think is because it's a wilderness vacation which gave visitors relative confidence, and you can drive!

 

I work for Delta and we're still seeing domestic load factors around 50%, so folks still ain't flying.

 

Wait to see what the 2021 European & NA summer domestic tourism season for both visitor numbers and airline passengers before making any bold predictions about long haul vacations to Thailand 

[scammed]

a friend of mine that drops in every now and then isnt going to come if there is quarantine / test / vaccine enforcement,

simple as that.

[cyril sneer]

I've heard these quarantines include a covid test once arrived, is there any need to stay the full 14 days if test shows negative?

 

Also it seems they've chosen 14 days because it happens to equate to exactly '2 weeks', rather than how long the exact number of days is necessary 

[Justgrazing]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Just 346 overseas visitors have entered the country on average each month on special visas since October,”

 

Does that include the 40 odd private Chinese investors who came in on a private jet last fall .. what happened to them anyway , are they still " investing " ..

[Bezdomny]

Time for brush up  "SEXY" holidays. They should allow you to be quarantined with a nice girl from Isaan.  Win win situation! Lets not close one"s eyes to the truth, probably more than 70% man are coming because of a cheap sex.

[from the home of CC]

good - if they had left this to decision makers in the west there would of been a hundred thousand dead by now..

[2 is 1]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Quarantines are killing Thailand’s tourism industry

LOL, yeah that one reason! Add 10+ more regulation to get in! Insurance , money in account (3 month) etc.

Every backpacker do all?! Anyway what special Thailand have? Almost everything is "raped" whit greedy people! Good that still have nice Thai people in many place , sadly normal tourist don't know where to find!

 

[nkg]

12 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

So, regardless of quarantines, PCR tests, whatever.

 

Try to get inside the head of an average tourist, and exclude the sexpests or those trying to return to families.

 

The real tourists have experienced economic turmoil we haven't seen in any of our lifetimes. Young families with kids trying to juggle work and home schooling for their kids, it's frikkin tough. Plus there is an element of fear. People aren't flying domestic 1-2 hour flights!

 

I just don't see those folks saying, "hey lets take the kids on an 18 hour flight to Thailand"

 

I just read a news report form our tourism agency, that visitors to South Dakota dropped by 13% YoY, but still managed to pull in 12M visitors, a lot better than many others.

But that I think is because it's a wilderness vacation which gave visitors relative confidence, and you can drive!

 

I work for Delta and we're still seeing domestic load factors around 50%, so folks still ain't flying.

 

Wait to see what the 2021 European & NA summer domestic tourism season for both visitor numbers and airline passengers before making any bold predictions about long haul vacations to Thailand 

 

Thailand isn't really a family destination. People didn't want to take their kids on an 18 hour flight before covid, either. Older and retired couples like Thailand for the weather, then you have the backpackers, young couples with no kids and groups of friends. Not many people bring their kids.

 

[bangsaenguy]

33 minutes ago, Nout said:

Not much fun either...Apart from Phuket I have never met a Tuk Tuk mafia and in my travels around Thailand these drivers were kind, helpful and supportive. As for scams, compared to dozens of others countries Thailand is relatively scam free..except for fools. I am not suggesting you are a fool. I suspect you are far too smart to get scammed. LOL

Maybe you should go to Bangkok sometimes. Tuktuk scams everywhere. I am no fool, just seen enough jewelry stores as suggested by many drivers

[nkg]

1 minute ago, bangsaenguy said:

Maybe you should go to Bangkok sometimes. Tuktuk scams everywhere. I am no fool, just seen enough jewelry stores as suggested by many drivers

 

"Grand Palace closed today. I take you see temple for free."

[bangsaenguy]

38 minutes ago, Nout said:

Did you isolate for 14 days? Were you monitored? Who checked on you? The people I know quarantined in Bangkok, then came to Pattaya and conducted there life, business, work and pleasure as normal.

I know of no one that has been locked up in ASQ that carried on their life as normal. They were isolated in a room with meals delivered outside their door. 

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by bangsaenguy

[metisdead]

Some off topic posts have been removed. 

[RichardColeman]

1 hour ago, RotBenz8888 said:

I believe they'll keep that requirement until the pandemic has calmed down significantly , who knows, but probably at least a year is my guess. 

If Thailand has no tourists for another 12 months the place is going to be dire in the tourism sector when it does open

[Yomama]

My ASQ was packed! I many just use the 60day TR VISA. 

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, Bezdomny said:

Time for brush up  "SEXY" holidays. They should allow you to be quarantined with a nice girl from Isaan.  Win win situation! Lets not close one"s eyes to the truth, probably more than 70% man are coming because of a cheap sex.

Does include yourself? 

[Sheryl]

3 hours ago, VBF said:

Why would you say that?  My standard travel insurance includes much more than those levels of cover, as long as I remain a tourist and limit my trips to 90 days at a time.

Or are you looking at long-stay in excess of that?

 But will your standard travel insurance sign the required certificate? Most will not and hence the problem. The wording of the required certificate is such that few companies are willing to sign. And nothi8ng other than that certificate iwll be accepted.

[lkv]

I see some saying that Europe is struggling with the vaccines.

 

The reality is, most of us here in Europe will be imunised by September, so general adults that time it well, and register early on the various online platforms, starting likely April, will be imunised by the beginning of May (which is what I am planning). At the age of 39, I estimate my first dose in April. If I was Thai and in Thailand, I would be imunised in 2022, and for expats, maybe 2023.

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by lkv