Phuket Sandbox: Officials say island ready to open, but fewer tourists expected

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Chelseafan said:

 

 

As I mentioned before, the earlier flights in July are going to be fuller due to farangs desperately wanting to get back into the country to see their loved ones without having to quarantine.

 

I bet those flights in August & Sept are going to be fairly empty...

 

 

Yes, and when it these early farang returners report that it was all well managed and their experience was great, the more reluctant farangs will sign up. When they also report that it's working even better than they expected, the 'tourists' will start to sign up. Once the word spreads among tourists that it's a decent vacation experience, it will be high season.

 

BTW, I'm a glass-half-full kinda guy.

[WineOh]

6 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

BTW, I'm a glass-half-full kinda guy.

Honestly?

 

I'd put you down as a rose tinted spectacle kinda guy myself.

 

If the sky was blue you'd swear it was red, especially if it was made in Thailand.

 

Edited June 26, 2021 by WineOh

[cardinalblue]

Phuket amounts to a 14 day island quarantine and then a return 7 day quarantine in UK....

 

Wow can’t wait....

[10baht]

Will real "tourists" coming to play in the sandbox risk being locked down somewhere if they don't pass all their tests? or even register a false positive? Would they risk that and further quarantines in their home country once or if they made it out of forced hospitalization.  Would a real "tourists" risk getting a positive test from the many Thais in the sandbox who may have had only the ineffective Chinese vaccine or only one dose or no dose at all? And pay all those bloated hotel prices for a rainy season “vacation”?

[bluedoc]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Phuket governor Narong Woonciew said that everything was in place for the start of the eagerly anticipated Phuket Sandbox project

 

[greenmonkey]

If/when the rest of the world finds out how Thailand is really handling covid - no doubt will be placed on the red list. Then Phuket can kiss that imaginary 8.9 billion baht goodbye! This is only going to get worse... and worse. ????

[kaneko86]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

He also said that a press and agents' trip from Dubai would be landing in Phuket next Friday to report on the island's reopening, further spreading the good news. 

 

Doesn't help much with this:

 

"Pattaya: 121 foreigners and Thais arrested drinking alcohol at restaurants and beach gatherings"

 

as previous news...

 

[RichardColeman]

1 hour ago, poskat said:

we will soon see the typically ugly collision of hope and reality

Sounds like a lot of bars and their 'wares' I have sought out with my friends !

[Captain Monday]

1 hour ago, skorp13 said:

How do you spend 8.9 million baht in a city that is predominately closed???

Take Phuket taxis and eat 300 baht pad khapow gai

[mancub]

1 hour ago, zzzzz said:

you do understand Phuket is a large island with various "cities"
some , like Patong are 90% shut down 

some, Like Rawai, Chern talay are 85% open

some, like Kamala are 75% open

some, like Phuket town are 90% OPEN

 

Errr  8.9 BILLION baht.............?

[mancub]

15 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Sounds like a lot of bars and their 'wares' I have sought out with my friends !

"Aim low, never be disappointed", is a friend of mine's  motto. Should work just as well for the Governor of Phuket.

[ThailandRyan]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The governor said it was imperative for the local economy that Phuket reopens and spoke of his confidence in the preventative measures put in place to stop the spread of the virus. 

Imperative for the local economy or his pocket book? and just who are they trying to keep from spreading the virus, the vaccinated travelers? you have to be kidding me.  If they believe they are the ones who will spread the virus they have another thing coming.

[hotchilli]

A lot of if's and expectations, lets see what really happens next month.

[pentagara]

40 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

Yes, and when it these early farang returners report that it was all well managed and their experience was great, the more reluctant farangs will sign up. When they also report that it's working even better than they expected, the 'tourists' will start to sign up. Once the word spreads among tourists that it's a decent vacation experience, it will be high season.

 

BTW, I'm a glass-half-full kinda guy.

 

 

Yes, they'll gladly report that on days 5 and 12 they were rushing to find those new test centers in Phuket where they were required to take the RT-PCR tests for 2,800 THB a piece (or how they gave up and just went to one of the private hospitals to pay THB 3,500 there).  What an unusual an exciting experience. I assume also the arrival test has to be paid, and in case you go to Bangkok after the 14 days it would be 4 tests, so USD 440 total for the PCR tests in Thailand (and yes, they have scrapped the cheap antigen tests now for the sandbox). What a lavish holiday. Not sure this will lead to many more bookings by their friends though ????

[ThailandRyan]

4 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

A lot of if's and expectations, lets see what really happens next month.

you mean in 5 days when the first planes are supposed to land and then the social media will be abuzz with what they are truly having to go through just to visit for 14 days.

[NanLaew]

50 minutes ago, WineOh said:

Honestly?

 

I'd put you down as a rose tinted spectacle kinda guy myself.

 

If the sky was blue you'd swear it was red, especially if it was made in Thailand.

 

 

Oops @WineOh... your half-empty glass is showing.

 

I think the correct term is saffron-tinted spectacles? That was a popular put-down from the forum's Thai bashers of yore that similarly couldn't hack it here and ultimately spat the dummy and quit.

 

Don't let me stop you though.

[Caldera]

My prediction is that they will fall WAY short. Not only because of all the last-minute "improvements" they've made, but because I'm convinced that Thailand will be red-listed by many countries by the end of July.

[GeilGeilertzen]

3 hours ago, khunPer said:

I presume we are talking about international long distance flights coming from mainly Europe - other articles have again and again stated that European, and American, tourists are the main number expected - which in average will carry about 200 passengers each, if not more.

 

So here comes the simple math...

426 x 200 = 85,200 passenger in July out of about 100,000 during all three month, which total number seems to be scaled down from earlier more specific 129,000 guests  in third quarter's sandbox.

 

If however, only one third of 100,000 arrives in July, the math goes like (100,000 / 3 ) / 426 = 78 passengers in average on each flight...????

 

Oh, perhaps I forgot that a number of these flights are for so-called quality tourists, i.e. private jets only carrying a few people onboard, then the math fits much better...????????

Your math as you put it up is all good. 
Except that your equation is all wrong. ????????

 

You need to add in an X-factor in your equation which is all the negativity being reported back home and in social media.
Such as the feel of being in the new Alcatraz jail, being ripped off, being monitored, deserted and closed businesses, told when to be at hotel, utterly boredom, bib problems and the list just goes on.. 

 

The X-factor variable is not a constant number in an equation. It will swing more than any bargirl in bangla road does. 

Not even calculating in the impact on the equations X-factor if anyone in the hotel catches covid so all will be locked up in their hotel room cells. Only to hammer down on their keyboards on social media. 

 

 

in Thailand no goverment body seems to know what the other does, or thinks or plan.  Do they talk to each other?

Edited June 26, 2021 by GeilGeilertzen

[NanLaew]

35 minutes ago, kaneko86 said:

 

Doesn't help much with this:

 

"Pattaya: 121 foreigners and Thais arrested drinking alcohol at restaurants and beach gatherings"

 

as previous news...

 

 

AFAIK there's no sandbox in Pattaya. It's a deep-red zone with all the restrictions that a deep-red zone gets. If some are just too thick to work out what that means, who cares?

[WineOh]

3 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

That was a popular put-down from the forum's Thai bashers of yore that similarly couldn't hack it here

How long you been here?

[NanLaew]

1 minute ago, Caldera said:

My prediction is that they will fall WAY short. Not only because of all the last-minute "improvements" they've made, but because I'm convinced that Thailand will be red-listed by many countries by the end of July.

Woohoo!.. another glass-half-empty guy.

 

Along with @WineOh, we've now got a spectacular pair of bookends.

[Polang]

2 hours ago, Neilly said:

 

Not bad considering it's been reported that 80% of businesses are closed...????

For solo travelers.....i think the daily budget is probably 5-6000 baht per day. That comes to about 1.500 for a good enough hotel and the rest for a small day trip food drinks exc. 

But the roof is the sky. 

For 2 weeks holiday (2 weeks millionaire) 80.000 is enough. 

 

Families with children (4 people) perhaps they spend 120.000 to 200.000 and even then it makes 50.000 per person. 

If you want to break 8.9 billion baht to 30.000 tourists (laugh 5555) this comes to almost 300.000 baht per tourist. 

Maybe some tourists are going to spend 50.000 baht = 1.350€ <1.650$> so the rest of then must to spend 1.000.000 baht.......right. 

Of course nothing of this will happen and sandbox will be only good for cats. 

[NanLaew]

1 minute ago, WineOh said:

How long you been here?

Why? That's both irrlevant and personal.

 

But if you insist, I have white hairs on my balls.

 

Have yours dropped yet?

[WineOh]

1 minute ago, NanLaew said:

Why? That's both irrlevant and personal.

 

But if you insist, I have white hairs on my balls.

 

Have yours dropped yet?

have to give you that one mate.

 

That was top drawer! ????

[Bobydog]

2 hours ago, Neilly said:

 

Not bad considering it's been reported that 80% of businesses are closed...????

Is it true that Banglar Road has been cleared to construct a real sandpit.

[thurien]

2 hours ago, skorp13 said:

How do you spend 8.9 million baht in a city that is predominately closed???

 

buying cryptos over the internet during that boring holiday

[Chongalulu]

2 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

4 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Meanwhile, Mr Yutthasak, that he expects the UK to scrap quarantine for people returning there from Phuket.

 

On what grounds does he base that ..

Mental illnesses?  ???? 

[pentagara]

Ah, just learned that Phuket issued a new rule for the sandbox:  If you want to leave the island after quarantine for another province (e.g. Bangkok), you need the following document at checkin at the airport for the domestic flight:

"Proof of COVID-19 test showing that COVID-19 was not detected during the 14-night stay in Phuket with the document issued by an agency of the Ministry of Public Health"

 

In ASQ in Bangkok, this document was sent by mail (postal mail) roughly one week after quarantine was done. At checkout the hotel said that they were very sorry that they can't provide the document at checkout since they didn't get it yet0, they were only able to provide a confirmation by the contract hospital that the quarantine test results were negative. At the time, no one ever cared about this document, also not for travel to other provinces.

 

Now Phuket makes it mandatory if you want to leave the province by air. That of course would be on top to requirements eg. Bangkok sets for entering their province ????

 

If one really needs to go to Thailand now, it actually might be better to choose ASQ instead of the Phuket sandbox. Quite likely cheaper (considering what they charge for tests in Phuket for the sandbox), and also actually can be planned.

[Chongalulu]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

Yes, and when it these early farang returners report that it was all well managed and their experience was great, the more reluctant farangs will sign up. When they also report that it's working even better than they expected, the 'tourists' will start to sign up. Once the word spreads among tourists that it's a decent vacation experience, it will be high season.

 

BTW, I'm a glass-half-full kinda guy.

Half soaked,more accurately! ???? 

[ThailandRyan]

12 minutes ago, pentagara said:

Ah, just learned that Phuket issued a new rule for the sandbox:  If you want to leave the island after quarantine for another province (e.g. Bangkok), you need the following document at checkin at the airport for the domestic flight:

"Proof of COVID-19 test showing that COVID-19 was not detected during the 14-night stay in Phuket with the document issued by an agency of the Ministry of Public Health"

 

In ASQ in Bangkok, this document was sent by mail (postal mail) roughly one week after quarantine was done. At checkout the hotel said that they were very sorry that they can't provide the document at checkout since they didn't get it yet0, they were only able to provide a confirmation by the contract hospital that the quarantine test results were negative. At the time, no one ever cared about this document, also not for travel to other provinces.

 

Now Phuket makes it mandatory if you want to leave the province by air. That of course would be on top to requirements eg. Bangkok sets for entering their province ????

 

If one really needs to go to Thailand now, it actually might be better to choose ASQ instead of the Phuket sandbox. Quite likely cheaper (considering what they charge for tests in Phuket for the sandbox), and also actually can be planned.

The Thai people running this feces show have obviously graduated recently from a class in idiotic pathetic movements, also known as how to make things as complicated as possible without trying hard.