Koh Samui: Foreign tourists set to be welcome subject to rules from July 1st

[madmen]

10 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

 

OK. Here are mid afternoon pics. Hope they are less "worthless" to you.

 

 

These are better but still not much good. I could have shown you pre pandemic of walking st Pattaya look shutdown run down and empty during the day with the right timing NO PROBLEMO! ????

[Tropicalevo]

and another.

 

TV software needs a bit of work on it.

[Tropicalevo]

Apologies for the multiple postings. The TV system went AWOL for a while

[PEE TEE]

4 minutes ago, huberthammer said:

 

Mate you seriously need to stop consider your self to be the Samui specialist. It is well known that you hate the island and that you come on here on every occasion to bad mouth it. You don't live here anymore and you just misinformed on so many issues. 

 

I have been registered for the vaccine for two weeks now and so have most of my Farang friends. We now all awaiting for the vaccine to come to Samui. Stop talking about things that you are no longer up to date with and more importantly get over whatever bad happened to you in Samui. If you hate it so much just ignore this part of TV and live a happy life instead of complaining about everything that happens or has happened in Samui.

I'm with you also have many friends who live here that are registered for June vaccinations . i am still skeptical that will will happen then  

[Chalee53]

Ridiculous!????

 

[terryofcrete]

1 hour ago, Gulfsailor said:

so the local businesses will benefit from these tourists,

What tourists ? ... they are not coming . 

[robsamui]

1 hour ago, madmen said:

I can show pics  like this in any city on planet earth at 4 am . Totally and completely worthless 

How very rude. In the case of Samui there's no need to try to fool anyone (you're used to people wanting to fool you then - American probably) because the entire place (Chaweng) is a ghost town.

 

If you can spare the time, all you need to do is to look on YouTube to see Samui's devastation.

 

Better still come here to see for yourself, instead of being graceless and dismissive.

[kingofthemountain]

10 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

That was my point seeing they have the monopoly 

Bangkok Airways owns Samui airport

so they can do whatever they want

hence the prices and the lack of concurrence

[huberthammer]

5 minutes ago, PEE TEE said:

I'm with you also have many friends who live here that are registered for June vaccinations . i am still skeptical that will will happen then  

In last months batch they did deliver what was promised. Here we will have to see.  My main point was that people who don't live here and have no appropriate information can not just come on here and making statement that are just outright wrong (not being able to register until a few days ago).

 

 

[huberthammer]

6 minutes ago, robsamui said:

How very rude. In the case of Samui there's no need to try to fool anyone (you're used to people wanting to fool you then - American probably) because the entire place is a ghost town.

 

If you can spare the time, all you need to do is to look on YouTube to see Samui's devastation.

 

Better still come here to see for yourself, instead of being graceless and dismissive.

Until Sonkran Bangrak, Bohput and Maenam were quite lively with local expats and Thai tourists. Nothing compared to normal times but I would respectfully disagree on Ghost Town aside from Chaweng and Lamai

[chrisbangkok]

3 hours ago, Hugh Jampton said:

Samui airport not very big, doubt international flights direct, suppose change planes in bkk

Yep , you're correct , it's not an International airport the runway is too short . Just back from 5 weeks on Samui , really quiet and most bars etc closed up , empty beaches ...lovely.

[terryofcrete]

10 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

Bangkok Airways owns Samui airport

so they can do whatever they want

hence the prices and the lack of concurrence

One stroke of the pen by Chan O Cha would fix that .but ... who owns the Airline ?

[robsamui]

3 minutes ago, huberthammer said:

Until Sonkran Bangrak, Bohput and Maenam were quite lively with local expats and Thai tourists. Nothing compared to normal times but I would respectfully disagree on Ghost Town aside from Chaweng and Lamai

(Apologies - I was talking about Chaweng and edited  my post,  moments before you made this response.)

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

After this they can do limited travel for the next three days according to the Samui Sealed Route Model.

 

They will not come into contact with local people.

And just how does that work?

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

My thought is, what would the tourists be returning to? In Lamai and Chaweng especially, 90% of all restaurants have closed permanently. 100% of massage shops and bars are closed. When they are "allowed" to re-open, how many will be able to afford to, and what are they opening to? Who is coming?

The tourists coming in the opening possibility are not the ones that would head straight to Chaweng and Lamai beach roads and look for bars and nightlife, they will rather relax in some of the many star resorts, where almost all they wish for is already available within the walls, and within the dedicated routes allowed for quarantine tourists.

 

And this is based from my observation from last opening for foreign arrivals not that long time ago – by that time one week quarantine if they were vaccinated – where a number of the many star hotels within few days were full of both some Westerners and mainly Asian smiling happy guests.

 

An opening from July is a beginning, but not within reach for everybody. Some month later probably less restriction as both domestic and Worldwide vaccination program progress, and life can slowly begin to restart, including some of the "good old Samui"...????

 

But if you only visit and see the beach roads in Chaweng and Lamai, you see a different part of Samui, which is so much more than those two streets...????

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

The  locals  will miss their  opportunities then.

Yeah the service girls won't like this.

[Mywayboy]

Will they still allow 6 Indians sharing one small bottle of Coke each with a separate straw.

 

[KhaoYai]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

When they are "allowed" to re-open, how many will be able to afford to, and what are they opening to? Who is coming? Will the tourists come to a devastated "island resort" anyway?

I think you raise an important point there.  Its very likely that a great many tourist areas will have fallen into a state of disrepair and that many businesses have closed permanently.  Whenever things return to any sort of 'normal' I can imagine tourists wandering around open mouthed when they find that their dream holiday is to somewhere more like a war zone than the 'paradise' they saw in the glossy brochures.

 

Prayut is failing to even feed the population so its extremely unlikely that he's going to come up with a rescue plan for the tourist industry.  But its not only the tourist industry - from the outside looking in, things ain't looking good anywhere in Thailand at the moment. I base that on conversations with friends and family - real world sitautions, not controlled media sources

 

I hate to be a 'doom & gloom' merchant and I sincerely hope I'm wrong but I think the mis-handling of the Pandemic is leading to a severe recession in Thailand.  Mind you, what is to be expected when the country is being run by a military despot who has blinkers on and doesn't give a damn about ordinary people.

 

I'm no economist - I just listen to what I'm told and look at the pointers that affect me. My (Thai) family tell me things are bad - they have no work. Friends are either not working or business is very slow. The baht is down against the pound and falling (44.5 today).  I doubt that's because of the strength of the pound - more an indicator of the weakening baht.

 

And this is the country that's planning to attract wealthy tourists in the future?

 

 

[KhunMorris]

More holes that a monger's Singha vest.

 

*I assume children aren't allowed as they can't get vaccinated?!?

 

*What about people who require emergency medical, diplomatic or police services on the mainland??

 

*What's to stop bargirls turning up en masse on boats and spreading Covid?

 

*What vaccine certification is required? No standards thus far.

 

Simply won't happen. Please stop publicising this utter nonsense.

 

Sincerely 

 

MORRIS 

Ex Bar Owner, Cricket Fan

 

 

[cardinalblue]

Fully vaccinated means no quarantine requirements...

 

so is thailand saying they don’t believe in the vaccine? 

[CG1 Blue]

48 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

 

OK. Here are mid afternoon pics. Hope they are less "worthless" to you.

 

 

Are you sure those are recent photos of Chaweng beach road? I thought all the electricity cables were underground now, since about 6 months ago? 

[Rampant Rabbit]

2 hours ago, CanterbrigianBangkoker said:

what will be open and welcoming them? 

Vultures and Hyenas?????

[PEE TEE]

32 minutes ago, huberthammer said:

In last months batch they did deliver what was promised. Here we will have to see.  My main point was that people who don't live here and have no appropriate information can not just come on here and making statement that are just outright wrong (not being able to register until a few days ago).

 

 

yes sure i first registered on morprom may the 1st and got an appointment but told is only for Thais? also registered at a walk in by the lake roundabout  told to check on the 7th will have to see what happens. i agree with you about people making statements who don't live here  its a lovey island 

  

[PEE TEE]

5 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

Vultures and Hyenas?????

So you live in Africa ??  

[khunPer]

42 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

OK. Here are mid afternoon pics.

You show an empty BKK-airport and an empty Karosan Road, which shows that lack of tourists is not something specific Samui; no, it's a general both Thailand and Worldwide problem...????

 

44 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

As of a few days ago, it was not an easy task to get an appointment, as a foreigner on Samui, for a vaccine. The extent to which the government has failed the people on this vaccine push is nothing short of mind boggling. 2% to date?

25,000 residents on Samui has already been vaccinated and from today the next 30,000 vaccinations with Sinovac begins, with second jab three weeks later. Almost no queue on May 15th when I registered for my AZ jab due on June 7th together with numerous other foreigners, but you might hardly know about it as you have not been living on the island for long time... 

 

There are about 60,000 people registered as residents on Samui, and probably up to 90,000 stays on the island, including non-registered residents. migramt workers and foreigners. The about 70 percent vaccination target before July 1st is certainly within reach...????

 

 

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, ronaldo0 said:

So you get a direct flight if already having been vaccinated before , then you get tested , locked up for three days and then basically kept in the hotel grounds for another week before you can go wandering. 
Just sounds like a slightly better option than the 14 day quarantine they suggested before ! 
So what if like me you live there but are not at there at this time but are in the country and already done 16 day government quarantine ? As far as I am aware I have to have a PCR test before I go there and then one 3 days later and even then I think I have to quarantine at home for 10 days when I arrive !! ????

You are a domestic traveller, not international, and you will follow domestic regulations depending of which zone you depart from.

 

It has been mentioned before, that if you have finish an ASQ and continue to Samui within three days thereafter, there is no quarantine. Domestic travelling restrictions however change all the time, others seems to just arrive, get a temperature check and scan an OR-code, so just check the at anytime present regulations you your transporter to the island, airline or ferry-line...????

[NicoBKK]

4 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

That's  my swim in cancelled  then!

One can drive to. I just wonder if these rules would apply to local foreigners, e,g, from Bangkok. Not clear whether a swab test in Bangkok would be ok to avoid quarantine 

[Surasak]

What are the ingredients for these pie in the sky ideas?

[biggles45]

I had a quick look and BKK Airways have 3 flights a day, each way and for a return 8/16 June it was around $100US each way

[BangkokReady]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

what would the tourists be returning to? In Lamai and Chaweng especially, 90% of all restaurants have closed permanently. 100% of massage shops and bars are closed. When they are "allowed" to re-open, how many will be able to afford to, and what are they opening to? Who is coming? Will the tourists come to a devastated "island resort" anyway?

 

Is there no plan/budget for getting the islands open again?  Like some micro-loans to get bars restocked and tidy up small businesses (assuming people come at all)?  Surely a restaurant, a dive tour, a massage parlor, a scooter rental, etc., are not super expensive to get up and running, if some of the infrastructure remains?  I've certainly seen many restaurants in bkk packed away to nothing every night and the bars don't look particularly luxurious.  Many things would be a case of taking the tarps off, cleaning the equipment and getting them running again.