Thailand plans to allow foreign tourists to quarantine in resorts

[Surelynot]

13 hours ago, Frank Abegnale said:

(from your balcony), and tropical breezes (if you open your window),

Only fly in the ointment is the windows don't open and there is no balcony.....although the people opposite us in the Mercure seem to enjoy waving through their window to the residents in my condo.....each to his own.

[David T Pike]

So does this mean they will start doing flight transfers in BKK to Chiang Mai etc?

[sungod]

13 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I have said it repeatedly and the whole world with the exception of the gormless and witless morons at the tourism department seem to understand that if you run quarantine of any kind, people looking for a vacation will go somewhere easier that doesn't require it. Lipstick might work on a pig, by dressing it as something it isn't, but it won't work on quarantine.

 

The answer is in the article, they are not after regular vacations, rather the 1-3 month visitors. If I was out the country at the moment, I'd certainly take the opportunity.

 

 

[jaiyen]

I don't understand why they want the qurrantine to be done in the popular tourist areas. If there was an outbreak and they went in to a lockdown then there would be zero tourists income. I think, and I would prefer, to be up in the hills north of Chiang Mai or Loei or Ubon and more nice remote places. Its only a short plane flight to all the islands or cities once you are cleared.  

[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, jaiyen said:

I don't understand why they want the qurrantine to be done in the popular tourist areas. If there was an outbreak and they went in to a lockdown then there would be zero tourists income. I think, and I would prefer, to be up in the hills north of Chiang Mai or Loei or Ubon and more nice remote places. Its only a short plane flight to all the islands or cities once you are cleared.  

I agree, but those locations are where money needs to be made as it is a big part of the tourism sector and that is why they are wanting to do it.

[IamNoone88]

It will never happen by April. Unless most of Thailand has been vaccinated, expect the borders to remain closed. Period.

[elgenon]

jail is still jail. Now maybe if we had to quarantine in an a-go-go......

[spidermike007]

No program requiring quarantine will ever succeed in attracting more than a few thousand tourists. Nothing is being done to address prior problems, or elevate the tourism experience here. Much improvement and reform is needed. And sacrifices need to be made. I do not hear ANY discussion about what sacrifices Thailand is willing to make, to get the tourists, and that multi trillion baht cash cow back. No luxury or wine taxes are being reduced. Combined with a bloated baht, inconsistent and draconian immigration policy, major international egg on the face from recent decisions pertaining to the youth and opposition protestors, no way forward politically, horrendous air quality and environmental policies (or lack thereof), and a truly regressive dinosaur government, Thailand is losing its appeal for many. 

 

A good place to start would be the submarines. Give them up. you going to do with them anyway? Who will pilot them? No subs for 60 years, and all of a sudden you have the expertise to pilot and maintain them? Hello. Show the people you care.  22 billion is the official number. But, since the first one is already up to 13 billion, the numbers simply do not add up. As usual. What about experience? Thailand has not had a sub for over 60 years. Who will pilot this sub? Who will maintain it? How much is the projected annual bill for repairs, and upkeep? Do you army clowns care one iota about the people? Just be honest, for once, and admit that you don't. 

If a tourist wanted to venture to an island destination, they are all devastated by this shutdown. Was recently in Samui. 85% of the hotels were closed. Most restaurants, alot of bars, shops and other businesses were closed many permanently. Granted, there are some great hotel bargains right now. But, that environment is fairly depressing, seeing so much hardship. So, the lame authorities here need to wrap their minds around that. Tourists would be coming to a hugely diminished destination. Free quarantine? Might be a good place to start. Make some sacrifices, you incompetents. These issues and problems were becoming apparent long before Covid. And none were being addressed. That is part of my point. Tourism had been declining for years already. The numbers were up. But the quality of tourist was way down. And according to everyone I spoke to last year, the year before and the year before that, income was way, way down. So, "this blame it all on Covid scenario" is somewhat disengenuous. Sure, Covid is huge. And the drop now is stunning. But, my point is there were plenty of issues prior to Covid. And are any of them being addressed? Quantity over quality is never a good thing, unless you are selling one dollar items at a swap meet. It just lowers the quality of the experience for all.

 

There does not appear to be any end in sight for the Southern Islands. Domestic tourism has now been wrecked due to a very poor reaction by Anutin and the administration, with regard to the need for a total shutdown of Samut province, which happened far too late, after the latest outbreak. It was total and abysmal failure. Oh, can I go to prison for saying that? Prayuth is largely to blame for this, as he was obsessed with the optics of a lockdown, even if it was only one province. This has led to thousands of cases, the loss of millions more jobs, and an utter demolition of the domestic tourism industry. As far as international tourism goes, it is anyone's guess when that will start to revive, and how many years it will take to even get back to 20% of the former levels. I am guessing no more than 5 to 8 million tourists annually, even four or five years from now. 
 

And the longer they wait, the more Thailand WILL be forgotten. Plus, as usual the lack of vision, wisdom, skill and talent, prevents them from realizing that their primary market of lower to middle income Chinese, Malaysians, and Indians have been financially decimated by Covid. Plus, changes in attitudes regarding long haul travel, alternative travel spots and more.

Expect 300,000 to 500,000 tourists in the 12 months following the end of restrictions. 2 million the following year, and no more than 5 million tourists a year for several years after that. This is realistic. International tourism here will never be the same, post Covid. And in our lifetimes, Thailand will never see close to 40 million tourist again. Game over. The door has closed. The world has changed, and you are not adapting. 
 

[Clydesdale]

So still 14 days quarantine with the POSSIBILITY (depending on the uncertain outcome of a test) that you may be allowed out of your room some time after day three. Then you still remain a captive customer of the resort (even if declared covid-free). So travel permitted only from day 15. How many will choose a "holiday" like this ?

[RR2020]

20 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

No program requiring quarantine will ever succeed in attracting more than a few thousand tourists. Nothing is being done to address prior problems, or elevate the tourism experience here. Much improvement and reform is needed. And sacrifices need to be made. I do not hear ANY discussion about what sacrifices Thailand is willing to make, to get the tourists, and that multi trillion baht cash cow back. No luxury or wine taxes are being reduced. Combined with a bloated baht, inconsistent and draconian immigration policy, major international egg on the face from recent decisions pertaining to the youth and opposition protestors, no way forward politically, horrendous air quality and environmental policies (or lack thereof), and a truly regressive dinosaur government, Thailand is losing its appeal for many. 

 

A good place to start would be the submarines. Give them up. you going to do with them anyway? Who will pilot them? No subs for 60 years, and all of a sudden you have the expertise to pilot and maintain them? Hello. Show the people you care.  22 billion is the official number. But, since the first one is already up to 13 billion, the numbers simply do not add up. As usual. What about experience? Thailand has not had a sub for over 60 years. Who will pilot this sub? Who will maintain it? How much is the projected annual bill for repairs, and upkeep? Do you army clowns care one iota about the people? Just be honest, for once, and admit that you don't. 

If a tourist wanted to venture to an island destination, they are all devastated by this shutdown. Was recently in Samui. 85% of the hotels were closed. Most restaurants, alot of bars, shops and other businesses were closed many permanently. Granted, there are some great hotel bargains right now. But, that environment is fairly depressing, seeing so much hardship. So, the lame authorities here need to wrap their minds around that. Tourists would be coming to a hugely diminished destination. Free quarantine? Might be a good place to start. Make some sacrifices, you incompetents. These issues and problems were becoming apparent long before Covid. And none were being addressed. That is part of my point. Tourism had been declining for years already. The numbers were up. But the quality of tourist was way down. And according to everyone I spoke to last year, the year before and the year before that, income was way, way down. So, "this blame it all on Covid scenario" is somewhat disengenuous. Sure, Covid is huge. And the drop now is stunning. But, my point is there were plenty of issues prior to Covid. And are any of them being addressed? Quantity over quality is never a good thing, unless you are selling one dollar items at a swap meet. It just lowers the quality of the experience for all.

 

There does not appear to be any end in sight for the Southern Islands. Domestic tourism has now been wrecked due to a very poor reaction by Anutin and the administration, with regard to the need for a total shutdown of Samut province, which happened far too late, after the latest outbreak. It was total and abysmal failure. Oh, can I go to prison for saying that? Prayuth is largely to blame for this, as he was obsessed with the optics of a lockdown, even if it was only one province. This has led to thousands of cases, the loss of millions more jobs, and an utter demolition of the domestic tourism industry. As far as international tourism goes, it is anyone's guess when that will start to revive, and how many years it will take to even get back to 20% of the former levels. I am guessing no more than 5 to 8 million tourists annually, even four or five years from now. 
 

And the longer they wait, the more Thailand WILL be forgotten. Plus, as usual the lack of vision, wisdom, skill and talent, prevents them from realizing that their primary market of lower to middle income Chinese, Malaysians, and Indians have been financially decimated by Covid. Plus, changes in attitudes regarding long haul travel, alternative travel spots and more.

Expect 300,000 to 500,000 tourists in the 12 months following the end of restrictions. 2 million the following year, and no more than 5 million tourists a year for several years after that. This is realistic. International tourism here will never be the same, post Covid. And in our lifetimes, Thailand will never see close to 40 million tourist again. Game over. The door has closed. The world has changed, and you are not adapting. 
 

 

Its an important point that you make...........people seem to think that the worlds tourists places are the same as before.

 

They are not.

 

Most hotels offer terrible service.

 

Buffet meals are gone.  Its all "new normal Covid service" now.   Its awful.

 

Most places are shut.

 

Its depressing.

 

Anyone thinking they fly into Phuket and its party party party............no its not.  I am quite sure WHEN the first arrivals get to see what its like now they will all say that had they known most places were shut and service levels terrible in the new normal, they would not have bothered with the expense of coming.

 

It will take years to recover, and until quarantine is eliminated and people can travel in for a weekend or few days.......things will never recover.

 

The race to open is on.  Bali will be opening soon.  Already Indonesia is down to 5 days quarantine only,

 

So would you like to spend 14 days in quarantine in Thailand or 5 days in quarantine in Indonesia............  if you must do it, obviously Indonesia wins.

 

.

 

 

[RR2020]

Current quarantine requirement for the "island" countries.

 

Indonesia     5 days

Philippines   7 days

Thailand      14 days

 

So far it looks like Bali opens first and with just 5 days quarantine, so far, Bali and Indonesia will look to be the big winner here.

[BritManToo]

53 minutes ago, sungod said:

 

The answer is in the article, they are not after regular vacations, rather the 1-3 month visitors. If I was out the country at the moment, I'd certainly take the opportunity.

 

 

Yet only 18 months back, immigration were refusing entry to people who came too often.

[ThailandRyan]

Covid cases have gone up again today with 72 cases reported.  If they believe an Area quarantine is going to work, well then as someone posted above, standby for a total Area lockdown and total destruction of tourisn once cases soar again.

[Surelynot]

2 hours ago, madmen said:

Snowbirds that stay 3 to 6months 

Had to look it up....didn't know what it meant.

[ThaiFelix]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand's tourism minister said on Thursday he will propose a plan

Plan?  Somebody correct me if I am misinformed but I believe there is no equivalent of 'plan' in the Thai language and that they use the English word.

 

From what I have seen here is the Thai version of 'plan' is also very different in that it involves making a decision, make it law, then considering the pros and cons of that decision before reversing it and making another decision etc etc etc on and on.  In the end no-one seems to know whats going on.

[Joe Mama]

If Thailand is serious about having foreign tourists ever return, then forget about imposing 14 day quarantines!  No tourist in their right mind is going to want to spend 14 days held captive in a hotel or resort!  The best idea I've heard so far to allow tourist to return is to create some sort of Covid-19 vaccine certification.  It could be as simple as requiring tourist to get a government approved stamp in their passports from their home country indicating the date & type of vaccination they have received!

[madmen]

1 hour ago, Surelynot said:

Had to look it up....didn't know what it meant.

They will spend the 14 days in quarantine anything better than

- 1c and 6 months of Pornhub and lube and then stay 3 to 6 months 

 

Unfortunately there are some total morons that keep banging on about 2week tourists when it's pretty clear that was never the goal but hey you can't fix stupid 

[bullseye66]

Quarentine is quarentine. Only a thick Thai would try to dress it up as something different.

[PumpkinEater]

Vaccinated visitors should be covid tested negative and then released.

 

ENOUGH OF THIS NONSENSE ALREADY!

[VBF]

4 hours ago, madmen said:

Snowbirds that stay 3 to 6months 

Except that "The hotel quarantine plan is expected to start in April or May....."

Kind of missed the snowbirds for this year, haven't they? ????

Btw... I AM usually one of those "snowbirds" and usually return to UK just before Songkran....

 

Meanwhile   https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56289054

The Cypriot government said those who had both Covid jabs could travel there without restrictions from 1 May.

[law ling]

1. In the years prior to the virus, they pushed away many willing people that wanted to stay by closing off repeat visas.

2. During the pandamic, more willing people were sent home by the mean-spirited amnesty deals - which were short term and often not renewed until the day or so before the old one expired.

How many foreigners might be here now, if not for those two factors?

3. Now they're scrambling to get back all those they pushed away? Their thinking seems to be they'll get more arrivals if they just tweak the entry conditions - but in truth, tourism is dead until a lid can be put on the virus - which could take months or YEARS (especially for this presently unvaccinated country).

[Bradmeister]

Stop calling them Foreigners. International guests! Dammit Man! Or how about just tourists. .... People of the Earth? 

 

Oh, P.S, . No one is coming regardless of the racist comment. 

 

 

 

 

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, Joe Mama said:

The best idea I've heard so far to allow tourist to return is to create some sort of Covid-19 vaccine certification.  It could be as simple as requiring tourist to get a government approved stamp in their passports from their home country indicating the date & type of vaccination they have received!

Sadly a vaccine doesn't stop you from catching or spreading COVID.

So a vaccinated but infected foreigner could still infect all those around him/her.

[sambum]

This year, the state planning agency expects only 3.2 million foreign visitors.

 

What is this state planning agency? Nom de plume for TAT? 

 

Sounds like their kind of rhetoric with yet another revised figure of "expected tourists".  And how come so precise with their stats - 3.2 million? (I've just realised,  it's because they can give out even more revised "guesstimates" - maybe next week, 3.3 million as they will be including the expected numbers of "beach resort quarantiners" in their figures!

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, madmen said:

Unfortunately there are some total morons that keep banging on about 2week tourists when it's pretty clear that was never the goal but hey you can't fix stupid 

But 2 week tourists are the only people they wanted before COVID.

[sead]

Ok. So now we are actually heading somewhere. If I can choose my place to stay then I'm soon of to Thailand 

[Millcx]

18 hours ago, impulse said:

 

Good luck getting the jabs.  Most of us were on a waiting list for weeks before our call came.  On the day I was getting my first jab, they were sending people home who had come for their 2nd, rescheduling them 2-3 weeks later.  Supply chain problems.  My 2nd jab is scheduled for 3 weeks after my first. We'll see.

You may luck out and end up where the J&J one jab vaccine is available, but I wouldn't count on it.  It's pretty much luck of the draw.  My siblings got Moderna.  I got Pfizer.  Same city, different days and different hospitals.  There was no choice- take it or leave it.

I got Pfizer in Belfast .. Phoned 0300 number and booked appointment ... Arrived 5 mins before appointment and was ushered to be asked questions .. 5 mins later moved to section for jab .. Recieved and then placed in recovery section for 15 mins .. Told to leave after booking time and date for 2nd jab ... It was military precision and spent 30 mins in and out .. But then N.Ireland has always had intelligence over Liberal illiteracy or total idiots

[bermondburi]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Sadly a vaccine doesn't stop you from catching or spreading COVID.

So a vaccinated but infected foreigner could still infect all those around him/her.

More and more data coming out that being vaccinated greatly reduces transmission though. The goal was never zero covid. 

 

More and more places are opening up to vaccinated travellers and this list will only grow in the coming months. Especially when the rest of the world sees how well countries that have opened up are doing. 

 

I saw in another thread that Bali is 5 days now, Philippines 7. The race has already started in SE Asia. 

 

In Europe there is Cyprus, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria. Spain and Portugal soon. 

 

Lebanon 72 hour quarantine. 

 

Places in Central and South America for the septics. 

 

Thailand continuing to stick to 15 overpriced nights will be so far off the radar of any tourist in a few months it will be quite funny. 

[connda]

On 3/4/2021 at 7:51 PM, snoop1130 said:

Thailand plans to allow foreign tourists to quarantine in resorts

This is all about making money by using the "Covid" situation to predate on foreigners.
Long-stay foreigners could quarantine at home or in their residence.  But!  No.  Prey on the foreigners and squeeze as much money as you can out of them. Even men with family.  And retirees with condos or homes. 

Thailand is making it's bed long-term.  When they lose significant market share of tourism to other more adaptable countries - and they will - it will be their own short-sighted faults.  They'll just blame the foreigners. 
"Foreigners Stupid People.  They no good.  Not smart.  Come to Thailand.  We take good care of rich foreigner with money maak maak."  Well's there's the problem Somchai.  If you took Economics in University you didn't pay attention to the course material. 
Freaking idiots are going to decimate their tourist industry.  They already have.  It's just about how much worst they can <deleted> it up.  Oh well.  Really.  Who cares.  It ain't my problem.

[lkv]

49 minutes ago, bermondburi said:

Thailand continuing to stick to 15 overpriced nights will be so far off the radar of any tourist in a few months it will be quite funny

 

For most European tourists at least, it's already off the radar for this summer, because generally people still book holidays a few months in advance, so the money has already been spent in bookings for these European destinations, that are expected to open in a few months time, with no quarantine and no testing for vaccinated, and just testing for unvaccinated.