Thailand's 10 important tourist provinces/ 4 time periods opening to foreign tourism explained

[webfact]

Picture: Siam Rath

 

PM's office deputy spokeswoman Traisuree Traisarankun has given details about how Thailand will open up to foreign tourism.

 

It appears the Thais are on track despite the current devastating and most severe wave of Covid-19 yet that is prevalent in the country, reported Siam Rath. 

 

She said there are four timeframes (called Timelines by Siam Rath as per the latest buzzword).

 

#1 We're in that at the moment. This one runs from April 30th to June 30th and allows foreign tourists who have proof of vaccination to come but they must quarantine as per CCSA (Covid committee) requirements.

 

#2 That's July 1st to 30th September and is called the "Phuket Sandbox" - this applies to foreigners who have proof of vaccination that can then stay in that province without the need to quarantine

 

#3 This is the period from October 1st to the end of the year when the sandbox is opened up to 10 provinces including Phuket - Bangkok, parts of Krabi and Chiang Mai, Chonburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Surat Thani, Phangnga and Buriram. 

 

#4 This is from January 1st 2022 when everything is starting to get back to normal. Now ALL of Thailand will be opened up to foreign tourists who have proof of vaccination. 

 

Traisuree said that 70% vaccination of the locals population in the tourist areas was the target by later in the year. The ten provinces mentioned accounted for 80% of tourism revenue in the country in 2019.

 

That was 1.5 trillion baht out of the total.

 

Siam Rath didn't give an exact timeframe but said that 3.5 million foreigners would come and spend 298 billion baht. 

 

Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Thailand's minister of tourism and sports, said that 200,000 doses of vaccine had been administered in Phuket so far.

 

He said that 740,000 to 750,000 will be administered in time for the July 1st sandbox opening.

 

With capabilities at 15,000 jabs a day there is plenty of time to get to the 70% herd immunity mark, he said. 

 

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[keith101]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

Siam Rath didn't give an exact timeframe but said that 3.5 million foreigners would come and spend 298 billion baht. 

Where do they keep coming up with these farcical numbers , expectations of grandeur as usual . 

[Phuketshrew]

2 minutes ago, keith101 said:

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

Siam Rath didn't give an exact timeframe but said that 3.5 million foreigners would come and spend 298 billion baht. 

Where do they keep coming up with these farcical numbers , expectations of grandeur as usual . 

Indeed - That's over 85,000 baht each ....

[RotBenz8888]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

#4 This is from January 1st 2022 when everything is starting to get back to normal. Now ALL of Thailand will be opened up to foreign tourists who have proof of vaccination. 

Opening up meaning no CoE and no ASQ? What about covid19 test 72h before departure? Test on arrival? 100.000USD insurance? 

[dcsw53]

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

the "Phuket Sandbox" - this applies to foreigners who have proof of vaccination that can then stay in that province

So are they going to be checking that the hordes coming actually stay there, and don't get out ? Otherwise what is the point ? So should be direct flights only, again if not what is the point ?
I bet the hospitality industry on Ko Samui are ecstatic at this news. Why can't they have their own ( slightly smaller ) sandbox ? 

[Excel]

They need psychological help urgently, totally delusionary. Or in layman's terms -  nothing but verbal diarrhea. How will they be able to open up the sandbox for tourists, 99% of the government and their lackies have got their heads in it.

 

[robblok]

16 minutes ago, Phuketshrew said:

Indeed - That's over 85,000 baht each ....

I would not call 85.000 bt a lot for a two week holiday. Depends a bit on your standards of course.

 

I would doubt the number of tourist more then how much they spend. I paid 3000bt a night for a nice bungalow on the islands. Not everyone goes for the cheapest of the cheap.

[rott]

So as per #1 what happens to vaccinated tourists prepared to quarantine, after 30th June.?

 

Logically they would carry on as previously but the above does not read that way. 

[John Drake]

Sandbox strategy.

 

 

[Guderian]

43 minutes ago, webfact said:

#4 This is from January 1st 2022 when everything is starting to get back to normal.

 

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[ikke1959]

Yes sure... but Thai people will not be vaccinated by January 2022 and expats living here too and with the new strains of India I am not sure if this is realistic. Maybe 2023 and for Phuket .... yeah... with all the regulations it will be full of tourist the from the 1st of July..

[Dogmatix]

More hot air from vacuous officials following the Asian preference to give the good news first and blame it on someone else when reality hits.  Are these Thai officials booking trips to India?

 

Tourists are not going to book trips to a country with an out of control epidemic and a largely unvaccinated population with restaurants, bars and maybe even beaches closed. There is too much risk of getting infected themselves or getting stranded.  

 

Just concentrate on getting the virus under control and most of the population vaccinated.  When you made significant progress in both and can see the wood for the trees, then talk about plans for reopening tourism.

[Pottinger]

Brian Wilson tried the sandbox method, look where it got him.

 

On another note, it will be interesting to (eventually) read the details of the initial, Phuket, sandbox; for example, will there be limits on numbers? Will tourists have to fly direct, on designated flights? Will tourists have to stay in designated accommodation, or are they free to chop and change hotels/airbnb/apartments within the 7-day island-wide quarantine? What about the various apps and reporting whereabouts, will there be requirements there? After seven days, will tourists truly be allowed to travel Thailand-wide? Will all facilities currently closed be opened up by July 1st?

 

Many questions, few answers....

[madmen]

52 minutes ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Opening up meaning no CoE and no ASQ? What about covid19 test 72h before departure? Test on arrival? 100.000USD insurance? 

Where can stay and how much are the forced travel packages to qualify? 

[khunphil]

7 minutes ago, Pottinger said:

Brian Wilson tried the sandbox method, look where it got him.

 

On another note, it will be interesting to (eventually) read the details of the initial, Phuket, sandbox; for example, will there be limits on numbers? Will tourists have to fly direct, on designated flights? Will tourists have to stay in designated accommodation, or are they free to chop and change hotels/airbnb/apartments within the 7-day island-wide quarantine? What about the various apps and reporting whereabouts, will there be requirements there? After seven days, will tourists truly be allowed to travel Thailand-wide? Will all facilities currently closed be opened up by July 1st?

 

Many questions, few answers....

It's OK, it is only in 1 month half .. until that date, we can estimate 100 flip-flops ... ????

My question is, as someone compared Phuket to Samui without sandbox ... if they open Phuket for international travelers, do they close it for domestic travelers , as they are speaking about direct flights only ?

If they close Phuket island, what would you agree to sign on NOW ... Regular domestic tourists (including expats) from June-July or "unknown number" of international travelers ready to spend 100,000 or more for a week from July ... ?

Not an easy choice, so maybe Samui, which is not "ready for July test", is not the unlucky one.

My 2 cents

Phil.

[sungod]

53 minutes ago, robblok said:

I would not call 85.000 bt a lot for a two week holiday. Depends a bit on your standards of course.

 

I would doubt the number of tourist more then how much they spend. I paid 3000bt a night for a nice bungalow on the islands. Not everyone goes for the cheapest of the cheap.

Agreed, couple of nights out on walking street.

[wordchild]

What about families?

Will (unvaccinated) kids , who travel with vaccinated parents, be allowed in? 

This seems such a basic question but it doesn't ever get mentioned in any of these announcements.

 

 

[ThLT]

Plans to open? Reality check: A third wave has just started And almost no one has been vaccinated.

More realistic prediction: a fourth wave.

[Rhacsyn]

33 minutes ago, Pottinger said:

Brian Wilson tried the sandbox method, look where it got him.

 

On another note, it will be interesting to (eventually) read the details of the initial, Phuket, sandbox; for example, will there be limits on numbers? Will tourists have to fly direct, on designated flights? Will tourists have to stay in designated accommodation, or are they free to chop and change hotels/airbnb/apartments within the 7-day island-wide quarantine? What about the various apps and reporting whereabouts, will there be requirements there? After seven days, will tourists truly be allowed to travel Thailand-wide? Will all facilities currently closed be opened up by July 1st?

 

Many questions, few answers....

Hi

 

Cannot answer most of your questions but yesterday in TAT's announcement they mentioned 7 day packages priced between Baht 150,000 and Baht 200,000 (????), direct flights and if not available, subsidised special "domestic" from BKK to HKT. My reading of this is that you will stay the 7 days inside one resort and be "free" after that. Covid testing also. From the indicated pricing, choice I guess will be limited to places like Cape Panwa (government connected) but this is guesswork on my side. 

[boogiewoogie]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

I would not call 85.000 bt a lot for a two week holiday. Depends a bit on your standards of course.

 

I would doubt the number of tourist more then how much they spend. I paid 3000bt a night for a nice bungalow on the islands. Not everyone goes for the cheapest of the cheap.

Peanuts basically 

Yesterday it was 150000-200000. Few days more and maybe it will go even lower!

 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2114975/phuket-banking-on-129-000-arrivals

He said seven-day tour packages in Phuket will cost around 150,000-200,000 baht per person

 

 

[wensiensheng]

Two days ago the Phuket Governor said in a Bangkok Post article that Phuket cases need to be in single digits by May 15 in order to open on 1st July.

 

one day to go…

 

 

[mtls2005]

#5 Wish for a unicorn.

 

 

 

 

[sammieuk1]

Read a few days ago 150/185,000 was the cost of this gouging sandpit ????

[86Tiger]

9 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Read a few days ago 150/185,000 was the cost of this gouging sandpit ????

 

 

These people have no concept of what their draw was.  The only advantage Thailand had in tourism was relatively cheap and easy to get to.

 

 

They have killed easy to get to, kill the relatively cheap and Thailand will become fly over country to get somewhere else.......

[keith101]

4 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

Indeed - That's over 85,000 baht each ....

And for a family of 4 parents and 2 kids they think they are going to spend 340,000 baht I DONT THINK SO 

[Cake Monster]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Traisuree said that 70% vaccination of the locals population in the tourist areas was the target by later in the year. The ten provinces mentioned accounted for 80% of tourism revenue in the country in 2019.

These people seem to have  completely different agenda than the rest of the World.

It is 70 % of the entire population that need to be Vaccinated.

No Tourists are going to wander around a Country that has only maybe 10% of the entire population Vaccinated, for fear of carrying the Virus back home to loved ones.

And of course, this will only apply if Government have not placed Thailand on a Red Flag List.

 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, keith101 said:

Where do they keep coming up with these farcical numbers , expectations of grandeur as usual . 

From deep within... I can't elaborate more.

[holy cow cm]

Should be called litterbox since people are still keep getting re-infected 1-2 more times after vaccination. USA TV host Bill Maher just tested positive again after fully vaccinated. 

So what does this tell us? They are host carriers that will infect people who are not vaccinated.

[PETERTHEEATER]

4 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

Indeed - That's over 85,000 baht each ....

Does that include taking a dump in the sandbox?

[ukrules]

4 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

Indeed - That's over 85,000 baht each ....

That's not much when you add in the hotel, very easily done, especially if you go to one of the price gouging holiday resorts which are opening first.