April 1st still on the table for Thailand's opening to foreign tourists

[Lacessit]

7 hours ago, colinneil said:

Looks like Pipat just spouted off before putting his brain in gear.

Did he not stop and think before stating first of april?

Surely anyone with even half a brain would never have said first of april, just makes it look like it was just a joke.

TBH, I don't think April 1 is a date that has the same cultural significance to Thais as it does to us. It's like euthanasing a pet in terminal pain, we understand it is merciful, most Thais think it is a sin, according to their Theravada Buddhist precepts.

Having said that, this is optimistic folly. The Thai international carrier is bankrupt, along with many other airlines. There are still no flights from Bangkok to Melbourne after one year. Many countries are not permitting their citizens to travel, and even if they could, the cost of air travel alone has skyrocketed. Opening Thai borders won't change those constraints.

IMO this is just more of the same, a dummy offered to the howling baby of tourism that has a bad case of financial colic.

Edited March 12, 2021 by Lacessit

[Knobby37]

If they are serious I suggest the 31st of May or 2nd April ????

[chang1]

37 minutes ago, flago007 said:

Utter rubbish 22 cases and no

Evidence that the vaccine is the cause , more scaremongering 

It would be more unusual if there weren't any blood clots found - Pfizer rollout must be going slow. I expect there will only be a few unnecessary extra deaths caused by this latest delay in those countries and it will reduce some of the supply problems for those countries that keep using AZ.

There must be a reason why European countries are trying to give the AZ vaccine such a bad press. Maybe like Thailand they are trying to divert attention to the total mess they have made of getting their vaccination programmes up and running. Meanwhile, in the UK, things are looking more rosy everyday. The extremely high death rate has come down very dramatically. I have my 2 jabs booked and am looking forward to a summer holiday in LOS. I just hope a quarter of it is not spent in isolation but a week is doable. 

[spidermike007]

Only programs requiring NO quarantine will attract tourists. Don't these guys get that? The 7 day program might attract 30,000 tourists for the remainder of the year. Maybe. 

[KhaoYai]

I'll just hibernate until this is all over - someone give me a shout when something factual comes out of the Thai government, in writing!

After months of 'proposals', 'bubbles', 'STV's' - last week there was what purported to be an ACTUAL announcement.  Anutin, the deputy PM and health minister said tourists who have been vaccinated against Covid 19 WOULD be allowed to spend just 7 days in quarantine.  The report, here on Thaivisa did not say 'could' or that he was proposing the idea, it was reported as factual.

Now its being reported as a 'PLAN', stating that Anutin 'FAVOURS' the idea!

Are the Thai government really to blame for the confusion or is it the reporting?

Now I have to let the wife know I may not be coming in June after all.

Edited March 12, 2021 by KhaoYai

[fordguy61mi]

A 7 or 10 day quarantine will not be acceptable to tourists here for a 2-week holiday.

[DJBenz]

14 minutes ago, fordguy61mi said:

A 7 or 10 day quarantine will not be acceptable to tourists here for a 2-week holiday.

Or a three week holiday I'd wager. No way I'd spend 33-50% of a holiday in quarantine.

[AussieinThaiJim]

8 hours ago, internationalism said:

a very small minority, only several%, of potential travellers are being vaccinated now.

The second dose is given after 2 weeks to 3 months.

Certificate of vaccination or "covid passport" will be given only after the second dose started to work, so another several weeks.

But, most important, thai vaccination program is only at 4k jabs a day. At this rate it would take many years to vaccinate medical and other essential services.

Many countries are putting now ban on travelling for it's citizens. If they leave country without good reason, they would be prosecuted on return.  

I hope this is a Joke? What the hell is Thailand up to? We won’t be inoculated until September at the earliest but let’s let them in!!!! Ridiculous!

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

They published a story that reported the Thai minister for tourism and sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan as meeting a delegation of tourism operators and associations from Surat Thani led by the deputy governor of the province.

April 1st seems very appropriate... by then only 40,000 Thais might have been inoculated, a large proportion of which jumped the queue and have no contact with tourists.

But hey ho let Pipat have his dreams.

[Joe Farang]

2 hours ago, SwampyThai said:

Welcome to Thailand. Mingle with millions of unvaccinated locals, maybe a trip to Chang Mai to breathe in today's world's worst air pollution in one of the duel entry priced national parks, yep, I can imagine it now, millions of tourists champing at the bit to come here, not.

Let me in ! ????

[shy coconut]

1 hour ago, Knobby37 said:

If they are serious I suggest the 31st of May or 2nd April ????

Not sure about 31st May , but if they announced 2nd April you would still get the usual stampede of original comedians falling over themselves to make some kind of April 1st joke.

 

You would have thought after so many years these people would realise that making the same kind of comment/joke year after year is really boring.

[Big Yuley]

2 hours ago, flago007 said:

Utter rubbish 22 cases and no

Evidence that the vaccine is the cause , more scaremongering 

totally..

[snoop1130]

Thailand Plans to Welcome Visitors Next Month

BANGKOK, March 12 (TNA) – Thailand plans to welcome visitors from April 1 with shorter quarantine periods, said the Tourism and Sports minister.

Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn quoted Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul as saying that infectious disease authorities resolved that Thailand would welcome visitors from April 1 onwards.

The visitors who completed their COVID-19 vaccination would be quarantined at their hotels for seven days instead of 14 days.

Full Story: https://tna.mcot.net/english-news/line-today-english-news-653602

-- © Copyright TNA 2021-03-12

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[keith101]

They wont be coming in big numbers if you are still going to force them into quarantine after they have been vaccinated .

[YetAnother]

11 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

said the Tourism and Sports minister

needs new title : "Tourism and Sports and Head Dreamer Minister"

[Harry Fingerling]

[Bangkok Barry]

And then hold Songkran, begin another wave and close the borders again. Yep. Great idea.

[Ty Hareways]

1 hour ago, DJBenz said:

Or a three week holiday I'd wager. No way I'd spend 33-50% of a holiday in quarantine.

Another thing...I'm sure i've read that incompetence reared it's ugly head in some asq's and some 'positive' test results have actually been proven to be 'negative' results. Imagine getting tested on Day 5 of asq, getting a 'positive' and then doing 2 weeks in hospital!!...the latest rules are <deleted> for the standard tourist but good for long-stayers.

[shackleton]

I think this is his plan 1st April

When it does not work he can say fooled you all

After all its the 1st of April 

[Burma Bill]

5 hours ago, Smilermike said:

April fool?

Yes indeed, only a fool would travel to Thailand from this day!

[chang1]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

TBH, I don't think April 1 is a date that has the same cultural significance to Thais as it does to us. It's like euthanasing a pet in terminal pain, we understand it is merciful, most Thais think it is a sin, according to their Theravada Buddhist precepts.

Having said that, this is optimistic folly. The Thai international carrier is bankrupt, along with many other airlines. There are still no flights from Bangkok to Melbourne after one year. Many countries are not permitting their citizens to travel, and even if they could, the cost of air travel alone has skyrocketed. Opening Thai borders won't change those constraints.

IMO this is just more of the same, a dummy offered to the howling baby of tourism that has a bad case of financial colic.

"the cost of air travel alone has skyrocketed"

The flights are still cheap from the UK - Finnair £405 + £60 each way for checked bags (great idea for families who can travel light) out July back September is a great deal then its £550 up which is about how it was before covid. 

On the other hand paying for ASQ will be a killer.

 

[chang1]

12 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

Yes indeed, only a fool would travel to Thailand from this day!

I'm looking into flights now!

[Lacessit]

3 minutes ago, chang1 said:

"the cost of air travel alone has skyrocketed"

The flights are still cheap from the UK - Finnair £405 + £60 each way for checked bags (great idea for families who can travel light) out July back September is a great deal then its £550 up which is about how it was before covid. 

On the other hand paying for ASQ will be a killer.

 

That may be the case for UK, an economy class fare from Bangkok to Australia is more than a business class fare used to be.

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't the UK ban travel of its citizens for non-essential purposes recently?

[Artisi]

11 hours ago, colinneil said:

Looks like Pipat just spouted off before putting his brain in gear.

Did he not stop and think before stating first of april?

Surely anyone with even half a brain would never have said first of april, just makes it look like it was just a joke.

Well it is, one BIG joke and that's not the ex immigration guy????

[Artisi]

5 hours ago, jaiyen said:

They seem to forget that there are no commercial tourist flights from almost all countries and Thai Airways are grounded cos they are bankrupt. So how will tourists get to Thailand ??  Will have to set up a committee to look into that small problem.

Please don't point out these minor problems, you might upset the poor brainless people making these well thought out plans. 

[Artisi]

3 hours ago, Knobby37 said:

If they are serious I suggest the 31st of May or 2nd April ????

What year? 

[R5000]

Vaccinated American here. Would consider a 7 day quaratine. That's about the limit. Indonesia has a 5 day quaratine but way more covid.

Flights from US are currently in the $600 range in April. Hotels cheaper than ever. Probably "break even" after quaratine costs. Make it 3 days and I'll book now ????

Edited March 12, 2021 by R5000

[kingdong]

11 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

Did the target countries get the memo that they are to drop their travel quarantine and restriction guidelines?  I can't see China letting unvaccinated people travel to a country where no one is vaccinated. 

I wouldn,t consider china a champion of human rights and concerns.

[kingdong]

6 minutes ago, Artisi said:

What year? 

By 31st of febuary all restrictions will be lifted

[cracker1]

"Daily News said that Pipat will be proposing to a meeting of the CCSA (Covid steering) committee at the end of next week that visitors be allowed from countries such as the US, UK, Italy, Germany, China, Japan, South Korea and India."

Seems rather strange that CCSA would consider tourists from the countries mentioned who are mostly "high risk" and heavily infected ones ?

Would have thought Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand, and a few others, would be better options to get the ball rolling ?