Phuket Opinion: Silence is killing confidence

[webfact]

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn was in Phuket in person yesterday (June 12) to make sure the message for July 1 was being heard, yet more needs to be revealed publicly to instill confidence among the public. Photo: TAT

 

By The Phuket News

 

PHUKET: The lack of clear information about the July 1 reopening of Phuket to receiving vaccinated foreign tourists needs immediate attention before the silence does any more damage to just the confidence among prospective tourists that local officials have any idea of what they are doing to prepare for the milestone event.

 

International expert reports calling the preparations for the July 1 reopening “chaotic” is being polite. Not in that nothing is being done, but the near-daily announcements of changes in the requirements and the scramble to make sure hotels and other tourism-service businesses are ready is not helping.

 

Having reports circulate just yesterday citing Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn saying that Phuket “will not be ready” for July 1 would have deterred any prospective tourists from making any decisions of travel to Phuket – even if just for day until they learned that Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn was in Phuket in person that same day (yesterday) to lead a workshop with leading Phuket tourism figures about making sure that businesses and services that will be open for the reopening are so in full compliance with anti-COVID measures.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-opinion-silence-is-killing-confidence-80320.php

 

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2021-06-14

 

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[ukrules]

There is zero confidence, it's simply not going to happen.

 

Nothing will return to normal until at least next year.

 

Nothing!

[simple1]

Seems to be a flaw in these announcements for foreign tourist arrivals i.e. which countries currently permit travel to Thailand without requiring quarantine upon return?

[Boomer6969]

They can't even say clearly what they try to achieve;  an alternative to the current ASQ (AASQ)? or attract genuine holiday makers who want to have a good time and return home after a few weeks?

 

If it is the latter, only idiots would come if they would have to wear masks outdoors and be unable to dine with a good bottle of wine or a cold gold after a hot day at the beach. Now, maybe the Chinese would be less demanding as long as they are allowed to take off their masks for selfies.

[Tarteso]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Governor Yuthasak Supasorn was in Phuket in person yesterday

In Person …
 

The reporters present were able to verify that what they felt there was the extracorporeal shadow of a ghostly presence of the politician

[metisdead]

A troll post using an animated trolling meme has been removed. 

 

Some off topic posts have been removed.  This topic is not about travelling to the USA. 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

PHUKET: The lack of clear information about the July 1 reopening of Phuket to receiving vaccinated foreign tourists needs immediate attention before the silence does any more damage to just the confidence among prospective tourists that local officials have any idea of what they are doing to prepare for the milestone event.

Sums up Thailands government nicely... 

T.A.T should remain quiet with their ideas until they've been confirmed by the people in power.

Spouting dreams on a daily basis has created the confusion.

[Henryford]

I had a holiday booked to Phuket, airfare, hotel, car hire. But cancelled the lot. Not worth even considering Phuket at the moment.

[ChipButty]

1 hour ago, simple1 said:

Seems to be a flaw in these announcements for foreign tourist arrivals i.e. which countries currently permit travel to Thailand without requiring quarantine upon return?

I think the USA other than that not many

[ChipButty]

1 minute ago, Henryford said:

I had a holiday booked to Phuket, airfare, hotel, car hire. But cancelled the lot. Not worth even considering Phuket at the moment.

My guess is you are not alone, the other day we had a family of 4 cancel 

[RobMuir]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The lack of clear information about the July 1 reopening of Phuket to receiving vaccinated foreign tourists needs immediate attention before the silence does any more damage to just the confidence among prospective tourists that local officials have any idea of what they are doing to prepare for the milestone event.

 

Is anyone else sick of the whining coming out daily from this "Phuket News"? 

 

Obviously have an axe to grind or simply are trying to get readership by carrying on. 

 

And is the writer a trained "writer"? Looking at that first paragraph it is very obvious to me he isn't. 

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

International expert reports calling the preparations for the July 1 reopening “chaotic” is being polite.

 

Which international experts? 

 

Many people have been working very hard to get Phuket reopened. It closed through no fault of their own and after the sandbox plan was announced unfortunately we had the British variant sweep through Thailand, infecting tens of thousands and killing hundreds. 

 

The Phuket tourist industry employs tens of thousands of Thais (and Burmese) that have had a very tough 18 months. 

 

Everyone has been working to get this monumental task, that has never been done before, done well but we have daily snide and negative reports coming out if the Phuket News Daily as "opinion". It won't be without hiccups along the way.

You would think they would be trying to help, not hinder, but unfortunately they have employed an amateur writer who is an habitual whiner who just harps on like a spoilt child daily.

 

Nothing worse than someone uninvited showing up to a place and then constantly complaining. If he doesn't like it he should just leave. He isn't needed or wanted here.

 

[poskat]

very few tourists will come to have a vacation/holiday in a location that is semi-open with restrictions on typical merrymaking behavior.

 

"hey Bill/Trevor/Hans, how was your holiday to phuket?"  "Well, the beaches were great, but everything else sucked...dont go until its all normal"

 

the tourists wont come until things are running normally with most shops/restaurants/bars open, but those places cant open without the money from tourists coming....

[simple1]

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

I think the USA other than that not many

I was interested due to all the ranting concerning facts for travel for foreign tourists. A heads up of  current content from the Thai Embassy in the USA>>>

 

As of today, the Embassy has not received any official guidelines regarding the Phuket Sand Box due to an ongoing situation in Thailand. Thus, the regulation at this time would be quarantine for 14 days.
If you plan to travel to Phuket in July, please check back on the Embassy’s website regularly.

 

https://thaiembdc.org/visas/

Edited June 14, 2021 by simple1

[cclub75]

5 hours ago, ukrules said:

There is zero confidence, it's simply not going to happen.

 

Nothing will return to normal until at least next year.

 

Nothing!

 

Zero confidence because... "Zero Covid" state of mind.

 

The panic is created by this policy. And until Thailand doesn't leave it (because it's absurd, it seems by looking at epidemic in north, then south then north then south hemisphere... that the virus, or viruses have become endemic), we will continue to see such erratic behavior.

 

Let's just imagine : july first, sandbox Phuket opens. Tourists arrive... And then 2 weeks later... boum... we start to get some "PCR test positive", aka "Covid Cases" (which is wrong, because those people are asymptomatic, they are not sick).

 

We all know what would happen : panic, 180 °, U turn, flip flop, even the local people would beg to close the island !

 

Fear is ingrained everywhere. Because of "Zero Covid".

 

Covid is totally benign for the large majority of people. We have vaccines. We need to use them to protect the targets of this virus : old people, sick, fragile.

 

And accept that many people, outside the target, will continue to get "PCR test positive".... so what ?

 

Zero Covid policy hurts the economy, the society, the people.

Edited June 14, 2021 by cclub75

[simple1]

2 hours ago, cclub75 said:

july first, sandbox Phuket opens. Tourists arrive...

 

other than domestic tourism, tourists from which countries currently premitting travel to Thailand and return without quarantine restrictions?

[khunPer]

No surprise, if I was in Europe and planning a summer holiday, I would by now also cancel all ideas of spending two weeks on Phuket.

[chilly07]

As its not going to happen can you please give us back all the vaccines you redirected. Pattaya's expats need is greater than yours! 

[spidermike007]

Having reports circulate just yesterday citing Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn saying that Phuket “will not be ready” for July 1 would have deterred any prospective tourists from making any decisions of travel to Phuket. 

 

Not exactly true. At this point, nothing this gross incompetent says or does means anything to anybody. However, a unified message would help. And there will be questions about whether or not the feds will be on board, and if they will block efforts to allow the tourists into Phuket and continue their rabid sabotage of the tourism industry. That is all. Phiphat is barely an element to consider. He is a nobody at this stage, as he, Anutin and Cha Cha have done everything possible to discredit and disgrace themselves, and their nation. 

. 

[connda]

8 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

They can't even say clearly what they try to achieve; 

Actually they have made if crystal clear - control dirty foreigners as well as to implement controls on morality (shut bars, entertainment venues, massage, etc).
????????  ????  ????  ????  ????
This is it in a nutshell.

Now they are going to watch it all circle around the toilet bowl.

Edited June 14, 2021 by connda

[connda]

8 hours ago, RobMuir said:

Which international experts? 

If you add the word "experts" to your news story it immediately becomes believable and the God's Honest Truth.

[Tropicalevo]

The sound of silence 2021

 

Hello Covid my old friend

I've come to talk to you again

Because a vaccine softly creeping

Did not appear while I was sleeping.....

with thanks to Simon and Garfunkel.

Edited June 14, 2021 by Tropicalevo

[LivinginKata]

1 hour ago, Tropicalevo said:

The sound of silence 2021

 

Hello Covid my old friend

I've come to talk to you again

Because a vaccine softly creeping

Did not appear while I was sleeping.....

with thanks to Simon and Garfunkel.

 

I sang along to that. One of the great songs,

[bermondburi]

15 hours ago, simple1 said:

Seems to be a flaw in these announcements for foreign tourist arrivals i.e. which countries currently permit travel to Thailand without requiring quarantine upon return?

I'm based in Saudi, have immune status. I wouldn't have to quarantine on return. I think UAE is similar.

[DrDave]

Although I realize that the Sandbox is primarily a test to determine whether tourism can safely be opened for the rest of the country, the test is severely flawed due to all of the restrictions. Much like a beta test for software, can you imagine potential beta testers lining up to test a version that has most of its features disabled?

 

Speaking from the perspective of an American, I think the only people who will utilize the Sandbox are those with a real need to come to Thailand specifically, be that for a job, expats returning to their homes, or visiting family in Thailand. In other words, little to no casual tourists.

 

Here's why. A range of tropical destination choices exist for American tourists/vacationers within easy travel distance with little or no restrictions. The resort areas of Mexico (Cancun, Riviera Maya and Cozumel) and some of the Caribbean islands come to mind. For example, Mexico offers: no vaccination and no testing requirements, no mask requirements, all bars and restaurants are open, no restrictions on in-country travel, all-inclusive packages available (unlimited food and drink), most resorts are beachfront and travel time is 4-6 hours from anywhere in the US. Some of the Caribbean islands offer a similar experience as well, so for genuine tourists seeking a tropical beach vacation, crossing Phuket's Sandbox scheme off the list seems like a no-brainer when much better alternatives are available. 

[Albert Zweistein]

16 hours ago, RobMuir said:

Is anyone else sick of the whining coming out daily from this "Phuket News"? 

 

Obviously have an axe to grind or simply are trying to get readership by carrying on. 

 

And is the writer a trained "writer"? Looking at that first paragraph it is very obvious to me he isn't. 

 

 

Which international experts? 

 

Many people have been working very hard to get Phuket reopened. It closed through no fault of their own and after the sandbox plan was announced unfortunately we had the British variant sweep through Thailand, infecting tens of thousands and killing hundreds. 

 

The Phuket tourist industry employs tens of thousands of Thais (and Burmese) that have had a very tough 18 months. 

 

Everyone has been working to get this monumental task, that has never been done before, done well but we have daily snide and negative reports coming out if the Phuket News Daily as "opinion". It won't be without hiccups along the way.

You would think they would be trying to help, not hinder, but unfortunately they have employed an amateur writer who is an habitual whiner who just harps on like a spoilt child daily.

 

Nothing worse than someone uninvited showing up to a place and then constantly complaining. If he doesn't like it he should just leave. He isn't needed or wanted here.

 

Could you explain what kind of hard work many people have been doing to open up Phuket ?

[Albert Zweistein]

13 hours ago, simple1 said:

 

other than domestic tourism, tourists from which countries currently premitting travel to Thailand and return without quarantine restrictions?

Holland no quarantine for people coming from Thailand.

[Meat Pie 47]

19 hours ago, simple1 said:

Seems to be a flaw in these announcements for foreign tourist arrivals i.e. which countries currently permit travel to Thailand without requiring quarantine upon return?

I just checked Australia does not even allow to travel to Thailand unless in emergency.

[Meat Pie 47]

17 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I think the USA other than that not many

I guess you are wrong try to come back to Australia without quarantine

[nkg]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

Having reports circulate just yesterday citing Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn saying that Phuket “will not be ready” for July 1 would have deterred any prospective tourists from making any decisions of travel to Phuket

 

 

Wasn't Thaivisa themselves responsible for those reports? I didn't see any other media outlet report this, apart from Thaiger who quoted Thaivisa as their source.

 

If anyone else knows different, please let me know.

[simple1]

4 hours ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

I just checked Australia does not even allow to travel to Thailand unless in emergency.

 

Correct and currently no public announcements when restrictions are scheduled to be lifted. Previously approx 800k tourist visits from Oz to Thailand p.a.