Thailand’s Tourism Sector Seeks to Reopen Country by 1 July

[webfact]

Thailand’s Tourism Sector Seeks to Reopen Country by 1 July

 

Inbound international tourism sector in Thailand says vaccines are a game changer that allow for the reopening of the country and for quarantine requirements to be dropped

 

 

Leading international tourism companies in Thailand have launched a campaign to reopen the country’s borders from 1 July 2021.
 
The #OpenThailandSafely campaign was launched 2 March with the support of over 15 major companies including YAANA Ventures, Minor Group, Asian Trails, Capella Hotels and Resorts, EXO and many others. [The full launch list is here]
 
The Open Thailand Safely campaign has laid out its arguments in a petition which will underpin a formal request to the Royal Thai Government to respond favourably to the rollout of Covid-19 vaccination programmes underway in Europe, USA and other Thailand tourism source markets.
 
The petition is open to anyone in Thailand or around the world who would like to see the country reopen.
 
The campaign argues that 1 July is an appropriate date for five reasons: the majority of citizens in many source markets will have been vaccinated by then; it gives time to Thai medical authorities to vaccinate both front line staff in hospitality settings in Thailand and/or vulnerable citizens around the country; it gives international travellers time to make travel plans and bookings; the date gives time to airlines, hotels, tour operators and others to start marketing and sales and get ready for tourism operations to commence; and it will take Thailand at least a year, and maybe longer, to return to the large numbers of international visitors that it had before the Covid-19 crisis.
 
To ensure the safe reopening of Thailand, the petition argues that “international tourists can be asked to satisfy any safeguards the Thai Government may require. This may, for example, include showing officially recognised proof of a Covid-19 vaccination from their home country, purchasing health insurance, showing proof of a negative Covid test within 72 hours of departure, and so on.”
 
#OpenThailandSafely was the initiative of leading Bangkok-based private sector travel companies YAANA Ventures, Minor Group and Asian Trails.
 
The CEO of YAANA Ventures, Willem Niemeijer, said: “The 1 July reopening would be a strategic opportunity for Thailand to show a leadership role among Asian countries and prepare the way for a solid recovery of the Thai economy in 2022.”

 

Willem Niemeijer 

In the coming days, the Open Thailand Safely campaign will also send the 1st July request to Thailand Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Mr Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, and the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mr Yuthasak Supasorn.
 
According to the Bank of Thailand and official sources in Thailand, tourism, pre-Covid, was worth about 2.9 trillion baht (US$96.5 billion). Some 39.7 million international visitors in 2019 helped sustain up to 8.3 million jobs. However, arrivals fell to 6.7 million in 2020 making between two and four million people unemployed.
 
Meanwhile, destinations such as Seychelles, Maldives, Greece and Sri Lanka have either opened borders already or are in discussions to do so in light of successful Covid vaccine rollouts in their key source markets.
 
People can sign the petition for Thailand to reopen on 1 July at www.OpenThailandSafely.org.

 

-- 2021-03-02

[petermik]

April/October now July...another day another forecast...get your act together please

[madmitch]

Open the country when Thailand's own vaccination program is in its infancy? No chance.

 

Interesting that it's Westerners coming up with this "initiative".

[herfiehandbag]

The scene is set for an interesting battle of influence!

 

Between those who have invested heavily in quarantine facilities, insurance providers and the other services which the current STV regime requires tourists to use, and these established operators in the industry.

[mtls2005]

I'm imagining the protests at the airport(s) and properties around Thailand when foreigners are allowed entry after being vaccinated, while the local population limps along waiting for a promised vaccine.

 

Probably better to have been colonized?

 

 

[hioctane]

13 minutes ago, petermik said:

April/October now July...another day another forecast...get your act together please

This is not a forecast. It is a proposal by businesses.

[RR2020]

Think of all those 100 year old, 90 year old, 80 year old, 70 year old, morbidly obese, sick high risk people who have been vaccinated.........all rushing to go on holiday !!!!!!!!

 

Meanwhile all the people with money who normally go on holiday and who are under 50 and so not vaccinated, are all not welcome.

 

Vaccine passport is purely a marketing ploy to get people who do not need the vaccine to take the vaccine.  Once people ignore countries demanding vaccine certification....and those countries see very few tourists coming.........watch them all change and say "no need vaccine.....come come......holiday here".

[Frank Abegnale]

15 minutes ago, madmitch said:

 

 

Interesting that it's Westerners coming up with this "initiative".

I was thinking the same thing. I honestly don't think the Thai government will give 2 cents over what some farang thinks about re-opening the country.

[mtls2005]

1 minute ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

Worked with Bill Gates and electrical wires...

 

Meh.

 

A bit of lipstick (some wires buried), don't look down that soi, it;s still a pig.

[anchadian]

To ensure the safe reopening of Thailand, the petition argues that “international tourists can be asked to satisfy any safeguards the Thai Government may require. This may, for example, include showing officially recognised proof of a Covid-19 vaccination from their home country, purchasing health insurance, showing proof of a negative Covid test within 72 hours of departure, and so on.”

_____________________________________________________

 

Chinese tourist will be exempt.

[RR2020]

Children (who are one of the worst virus spreaders) will not be vaccinated against Covid.

 

So......if you have kids.........your not going to have a holiday as unvaccinated kids cannot get a vaccine passport.   And if anyone says they do not need it....................

 

Utter madness..............children are little ovens for virus and spread virus more than adults do.

 

So................no families with kids welcome in Thailand ?  Or maybe put the kids into 14 days quarantine and then pick them up when leaving again ??????????

[bluesofa]

4 minutes ago, RR2020 said:

Children (who are one of the worst virus spreaders) will not be vaccinated against Covid.

 

So......if you have kids.........your not going to have a holiday as unvaccinated kids cannot get a vaccine passport.   And if anyone says they do not need it....................

 

Utter madness..............children are little ovens for virus and spread virus more than adults do.

 

So................no families with kids welcome in Thailand ?  Or maybe put the kids into 14 days quarantine and then pick them up when leaving again ??????????

Perhaps an enormous playpen at the airport to detain hundreds of kids. Collect them when returning home.

[ThailandRyan]

22 minutes ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

Worked with Bill Gates and electrical wires...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-11/how-bill-gates-shamed-bangkok-into-burying-its-power-lines

Did it, they are still an ugly sight around Lumpini and Rama 4 road as well as Silom and Sathon roads.

[graemeaylward]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

[The full launch list is here]

Where?????!!!!! ????????

[Xaos]

Some of guys are terrified of a common cold, it's beyond me. And yes corona viruses couse non lethal common cold and vaccines are not needed per 1975 virology book.

 

[RR2020]

And here is the reason vaccine passports will not work.

 

Covid vaccines cut risk of serious illness by 80% in over-80s - BBC News

 

 

The vaccine cuts the risk of serious disease...............IT DOES NOT STOP YOU CARRYING AND SPREADING THE VIRUS.

 

So if any country says vaccinated people can enter with no quarantine they are in effect condemning their own people to get the virus from vaccinated tourists...............

[Misterwhisper]

1 hour ago, Frank Abegnale said:

I was thinking the same thing. I honestly don't think the Thai government will give 2 cents over what some farang thinks about re-opening the country.

 

Enough talk! Let's just send a gunboat up the Chao Phraya and "persuade" them to re-open.

[gunderhill]

1 hour ago, RR2020 said:

Children (who are one of the worst virus spreaders) will not be vaccinated against Covid.

 

So......if you have kids.........your not going to have a holiday as unvaccinated kids cannot get a vaccine passport.   And if anyone says they do not need it....................

 

Utter madness..............children are little ovens for virus and spread virus more than adults do.

 

So................no families with kids welcome in Thailand ?  Or maybe put the kids into 14 days quarantine and then pick them up when leaving again ??????????

Oh  no that's  Pattaya  doomed then as it's a  family resort now.

[bermondburi]

1 hour ago, RR2020 said:

Think of all those 100 year old, 90 year old, 80 year old, 70 year old, morbidly obese, sick high risk people who have been vaccinated.........all rushing to go on holiday !!!!!!!!

 

Meanwhile all the people with money who normally go on holiday and who are under 50 and so not vaccinated, are all not welcome.

 

Vaccine passport is purely a marketing ploy to get people who do not need the vaccine to take the vaccine.  Once people ignore countries demanding vaccine certification....and those countries see very few tourists coming.........watch them all change and say "no need vaccine.....come come......holiday here".

I'm 43. I've been vaccinated. I'm ready. 

[bermondburi]

56 minutes ago, RR2020 said:

And here is the reason vaccine passports will not work.

 

Covid vaccines cut risk of serious illness by 80% in over-80s - BBC News

 

 

The vaccine cuts the risk of serious disease...............IT DOES NOT STOP YOU CARRYING AND SPREADING THE VIRUS.

 

So if any country says vaccinated people can enter with no quarantine they are in effect condemning their own people to get the virus from vaccinated tourists...............

Cyprus has just done this. Countries are coded different colours. Vaccinated tourists from green list countries are welcome. 

Ditto Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia. 

 

We shall see soon enough. 

 

I think once other countries see that there's no problem they'll own up too. 

[SABloke]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

This may, for example, include showing officially recognised proof of a Covid-19 vaccination from their home country

 

If this becomes a thing (and surely it wouldn't...would it?), I'll probably never set foot in Thailand again. Oh well...

[bermondburi]

1 minute ago, SABloke said:

 

If this becomes a thing (and surely it wouldn't...would it?), I'll probably never set foot in Thailand again. Oh well...

Why? 

[americanfarang]

While Thailand is still closed and is completely incompetent about opening to tourism, many Central American countries are open.  I just returned 3 weeks ago from Costa Rica where only purchasing Covid insurance was a requirement for entry.  Next month I’m going to Colombia where only a Covid test is required for entry.  Mexico does not require anything for entry.  Many other countries require just a Covid test to enter.  To return home to my USA only a Covid test is required.  Thailand will

probably continue to be closed to tourism for quite some time, losing tons of money while other countries are open for tourism with testing or other small requirements.  

[SABloke]

1 hour ago, bermondburi said:

Why? 

Because I do not live in my "home country" and have no plans to travel there in the near future, so I won't be getting a vaccine there.

[AlfHuy]

Sure he would say this, isn't it?

 

The CEO of YAANA Ventures, Willem Niemeijer, said:

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, Misterwhisper said:

Enough talk! Let's just send a gunboat up the Chao Phraya and "persuade" them to re-open.

Is there a French gunboat spare we can borrow, same as last time?

[bermondburi]

28 minutes ago, SABloke said:

Because I do not live in my "home country" and have no plans to travel there in the near future, so I won't be getting a vaccine there.

I'm sure country of residence will be sufficient. I also do not live in my home country. But I've already had the vaccine. Don't think anyone's going to say you have to get vaccinated twice are they. 

[John Drake]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

OpenThailandSafely was the initiative of leading Bangkok-based private sector travel companies YAANA Ventures, Minor Group and Asian Trails.
 
The CEO of YAANA Ventures, Willem Niemeijer, said: “The 1 July reopening would be a strategic opportunity for Thailand to show a leadership role among Asian countries and prepare the way for a solid recovery of the Thai economy in 2022.”

 

Just to be clear, then. The people calling for this are four Europeans and the American born pizza guy.

[RR2020]

2 hours ago, bermondburi said:

I'm 43. I've been vaccinated. I'm ready. 

 

But vaccinated people can carry the virus and infect others...........

 

So, you must be quarantined the same as anyone who is not vaccinated.

 

Vaccine does not mean you cannot carry it and pass it to other people.

[bermondburi]

46 minutes ago, RR2020 said:

 

But vaccinated people can carry the virus and infect others...........

 

So, you must be quarantined the same as anyone who is not vaccinated.

 

Vaccine does not mean you cannot carry it and pass it to other people.

True, but latest studies are showing that the vaccinated reduce transmission by around two thirds. I think common sense will prevail as more and more places open successfully.