Thailand lures golf enthusiasts with 'dream quarantine' plan

Program aims to revive a tourist activity badly hit by COVID-19

 

Quarantine packages at Mida Golf Club in Kanchanaburi, west of Bangkok, are set to start at around 90,000 baht ($3,000), more than double the price of quarantine packages at more budget-oriented hotels in Bangkok. (Courtesy of Mida Golf Club)

 

YUKAKO ONO, Contributing writer

 

BANGKOK -- Just like the infamous traffic jams of Bangkok, long queues of golf carts at the teeing grounds were once a common sight on Thailand's numerous golf courses. But those are now distant memories as the COVID-19 pandemic has halted the stream of hundreds of thousands of golfers who visited the kingdom every year. The recent second wave of local transmissions in the kingdom has discouraged local expatriates from hitting the greens.

 

But the authorities have now come up with an ingenious golf quarantine program that enables visitors and returning expatriates to do their two-week mandatory quarantine on golf courses, although it may not do much to stem the financial losses suffered by the tourist-dependent golfing industry.

 

"This is quite abnormal," said Masaya Furuta, managing director of the golfing division of Siam Motors Group, the auto parts group, as he reviewed the biweekly booking status report in early January of the company-owned Siam Country Club, a prestigious club near the beach resort of Pattaya.

 

Full story: https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Life/Thailand-lures-golf-enthusiasts-with-dream-quarantine-plan

 

 

-- © Copyright Nikkei Asian Review 2021-02-08

 

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The fine print makes all the difference:

"Barker said that another drawback is that the golf quarantine only applies to those traveling from a limited number of countries. "There are only 55 countries on the list ... and that excludes most of the high-risk countries like the U.S. and 98% of Europe. Only those Asian nations like Japan, Hong Kong, [South] Korea, Vietnam and Singapore are on the list. That is kind of a challenge because many of our inquiries are coming from the U.S., Germany, Switzerland and others in Europe," he explained."

Good for golfers, what about tennis players?

It won't do much for the reputation of the caddies:

49 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

But the authorities have now come up with an ingenious golf quarantine program

 

34 minutes ago, mr mr said:

 

Aren't they worried about cross infection from the balls?

The use of the word "lure" is more worrying.

 

8 hours ago, PatOngo said:

what about tennis players?

 Another Thai "racket" to attract MONEY?????

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand lures golf enthusiasts with 'dream quarantine' plan

Dreamers all of them... keep dreaming up more rubbish.

Is it still going to cost 90,000 baht or more ??? (cheapest I’ve seen a Mita) for a room which is more basic than the cheapest 30,000 baht quarantine hotel rooms? - which makes it about 4000 baht for a round of golf each day. 

 

Also, a lot of the Golf Quarantine hotels were only accepting ‘block bookings’ for group arrivals on specific dates. 

 

 

Grasping at straws comes to mind, but then again, this is Thailand.