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

[007 RED]

One very minor stumbling block that the big man seems to have forgotten. 

 

As of now (26 June 2021), Thai Embassies around the world have not been able to process any applications for Certificates of Entry for the Phuket Sandbox Scheme.  This is because the beloved Thai government have not yet gained the Royal approval and the terms and conditions published in the Royal Gazetteer. 

 

According to the Thai Embassy in Singapore and Tel Aviv, they hope to be able to start process CoEs on Monday 28 June 2021 - just 3 days before the start of the 'Sand Pit'.

 

See link:  https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/foreign-embassies-offering-coes-for-sandbox-travellers-from-monday-june-28

 

Given that it normally take several days for approval to be given by the MoFA in Bangkok, it is highly doubtful anyone will be arriving on the 1st July.  I would love to see the PM's face as he wait at the airport to greet the arrivals.

 

So all the numbers of anticipated visitors quoted by TAT, the Governor of Phuket and the Tourist Association are just 'pie in the sky' (or more commonly known as BS).

[Cake Monster]

32 minutes ago, flyingfox1 said:

uk soon to allow anyone with 2 vaccines quarantine free travel from all orange zones  countries- getting announced in the coming weeks

It is only presumed that the UK will stop Quarantine from Orange Zoned Countries.

With the current Covid situation in the UK, this will be unlikely to happen.

If it were to happen at all, the UK Government would simply change many Countries standing of Orange to Red if they saw fit to do so.

[keithcresswell]

If I were a cynic I might think that maybe the 8.9 billion is based on each tourist damaging a rented jetski every day.

[NanLaew]

15 minutes ago, 007 RED said:

Given that it normally take several days for approval to be given by the MoFA in Bangkok, it is highly doubtful anyone will be arriving on the 1st July. 

 

The CoE is acquired via the RTE of the country you are applying in. My experience with Seoul and Kuala Lumpur earlier this year was approval within 24-hours. They have the hot-line with the MFA. Last year's slow and tortuous two-step CoE application process with the local RTE and the MFA has gone.

 

So nobody will be arriving on 1st July. So what?

[lavender19]

Probably load up a plane in Bangkok with look a like tourists and fly them in

[NanLaew]

18 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

It is only presumed that the UK will stop Quarantine from Orange Zoned Countries.

With the current Covid situation in the UK, this will be unlikely to happen.

If it were to happen at all, the UK Government would simply change many Countries standing of Orange to Red if they saw fit to do so.

 

Moot point no? Nobody in their right mind in the UK is going to take a punt at a far east vacation when the new 'local' ones like Malta are on a variation of the 'green list' which means it can be yanked at short notice like Spain and Portugal.

[daejung]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Officials in Phuket on Friday confirmed that the island is ready to welcome foreign tourists from July 1. 

 

They are ready, but foreigners are not as long as there is any kind of quarantine.

As for me, I will spend summer in a friendly country and place : greek islands

[jesimps]

6 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

So many untruths in this article is difficult to know where to begin.  8.9 billion baht ????

But the above really shows how delusional these people are. The UK is far more likely to move Thailand from amber to red with the current worsening Covid-19 situation and the pathetic vaccination program.

Yes, their vaccine rollout is pathetic. I tried the Intervac website again today (a daily task) and it's still closed to new registrations. Seeing I was given an appointment date of 1 Jan 1970 which I didn't turn up for incidentally, I suppose that gives them the right to write me off.

Edited June 26, 2021 by jesimps

[bstafford214]

6 hours ago, billd766 said:

Tell me in August how many foreign tourists actually turned up and how much they really spent.

 

Please be aware that I am the proud possessor of these two beauties.

 

 

 

 

 

BS detector v01

 

You really think they would tell the truth, more horse manure to spread, that's what it will be. Any tourist that comes here probably needs their head examined.

 

[Jorgendk]

In the ruels about the sandbox, I don't see anything about turist have to where face masks.

Is that Thai ruel not in forse on Phuket ? 

[Yorkshire Tea]

I've not seen any mention of the regular mass testing of Phuket locals for covid, to stop infected locals interacting with the paying guest saviours & causing them to test positive & get locked up for the duration of their holiday.  Only multiple, expensive tests of the fully vaccinated tourists.  Shurely, this is @rse about t1t.

[007 RED]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

The CoE is acquired via the RTE of the country you are applying in. My experience with Seoul and Kuala Lumpur earlier this year was approval within 24-hours. They have the hot-line with the MFA. Last year's slow and tortuous two-step CoE application process with the local RTE and the MFA has gone.

 

So nobody will be arriving on 1st July. So what?

I'm aware that the Thai MoFA 'streamlined' their CoE procedure earlier this year for most types of visa entries and glad to hear that you got confirmation within 24 hours, but when you applied for your CoE you were not required to provide proof that you had been fully vaccinated with a vaccine which has been approved by the Thai MoH. 

 

Full vaccination, with a vaccine approved by the Thai MoH, is now a fundamental requirement of the Phuket Sandbox Scheme.  As a result potential visitors applying for a CoE (under the Phuket Sandbox Scheme) must now also submit the QR code on their certificate of vaccination to their local Embassy.  The QR code will will then be forwarded to the MoFA in Bangkok (together with the other required details).  The MoFA will then authenticate that the applicant has in fact been fully vaccinated.  Obviously this minor additional entry requirement will take time to verify with the original government body that issued the vaccine certificate bearing in mind time zones etc.

 

Hence given the fact that Embassies are unable to process CoE for the Phuket Sandbox Scheme until Monday 28th at the earliest, it is highly unlikely that anyone will get their CoE before the 1st July.

 

I would love to be a fly-on-the-wall at Phuket airport on the 1st July when the PM, the Governor and 'uncle tom cobbly and all' are their waiting for the non-arrivals.

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

The CoE is acquired via the RTE of the country you are applying in. My experience with Seoul and Kuala Lumpur earlier this year was approval within 24-hours. They have the hot-line with the MFA. Last year's slow and tortuous two-step CoE application process with the local RTE and the MFA has gone.

 

So nobody will be arriving on 1st July. So what?

Still at it for someone who doesn't give a toss,  but has been a member of TV since it's inception or thereabouts. But hey to each his own.  

[Harry Fingerling]

They will be hard pressed to get 30,000 mugs total by September let alone the less number. Thais love to count the baht before the chickens hatch.

 

totally clueless

[Scott]

Troll posts and replies removed.  

 

[FarangJon]

On July 1st, TAT reports that eight tourists have arrived on Phuket. On the second of July 10 are expected✌️

Edited June 26, 2021 by FarangJon

[DjSilver]

7 hours ago, Rhacsyn said:

i hope to be on that flight from Dubai next Friday as I endeavour to return to Thailand. I received the green light on 24th June to start the COE application which I have done. Nevertheless, I cannot complete it as the SHA+ hotels have yet to get their system (SHABA) up and running from the government. It means I can book the hotel but they cannot send me confirmation until that system is activated. I spoke to the manager at a popular hotel in Phuket this morning and was advised that the system would probably get operational only after the announcement appeared in the Royal Gazette. They thought that would be Monday 28th. I will then be tight on time and I guess this applies to all other "non executive" travellers. Please correct me if you know different!

you can book your hotel with agoda and much cheaper than directly with the scam-hotel.

[DjSilver]

7 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

Interested in the SHA+ booking authenticator QR code I received

• How does it fight a virus? Why don't ASQ hotels produce booking these authenticators?
• Why cant the consulates when issuing a COE just refer to a list as with ASQ hotels?
• Is it just another nifty thing to make Phuket look advanced and cool or is it actually required by gazetted Thai law?

better to book with Agoda. Always much cheaper ????????????

[EricTh]

Just restrict it to a few countries where the virus is well controlled during the past 30 days. We don't want to Indian variant in Thailand.

[wensiensheng]

Ahh, here we are. This is the source of the 300 people arriving on 1st July

 

 

“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.”

[DjSilver]

5 hours ago, Polang said:

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. 

you're wrong in your calculation. A solo traveler might spend arouns 1000 baht/day since that is what I usually spend With wife and daughter we never spend more than 2000 baht/day.

[shdmn]

Lol all the butthurt comments here from the doom mongers being proven wrong yet again, still cheerleading for failure.

Edited June 26, 2021 by shdmn

[KarenBravo]

23 minutes ago, shdmn said:

Lol all the butthurt comments here from the doom mongers being proven wrong yet again, still cheerleading for failure.

 

Somehow, I don't think this post is going to age very well........

[madmitch]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

Out of interest... yeah right.

 

If a foreign visitor was checking Thai AirAsia's website during the pandemic, they would show flights and a few days or even hours later, there wasn't. Right now their services and routes are subject to sudden change due to the passenger loads. That's the LCC model.

 

Some of KLM's services came and went at short notice, as did Garuda's. Didn't mean that there was anything particularly wrong with Thailand, Holland or Indonesia but such changes are far more likely on LCC's.

 

Forecasting the success or otherwise of Phuket's sandbox by looking at flight availability on the internet. Can't be too exciting but whatever floats your boat.

It might sound weird but it really was out of interest, having had a booking with this airline a year ago from Busan to BKK. I just thought it was odd that this particular airline went from never having flown to Phuket to suddenly having 6 flights a week.

 

Off to study the Ulan Bator bus timetable now! ????????

 

 

Edited June 26, 2021 by madmitch

[billd766]

5 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

Here we go again. The assumption that the shortcomings of the early Bangkok ASQ that was handling a whole lot more visitors will automatically be repeated in the Phuket sandbox.

 

You guys are too funny. Predictable but funny.

Now I would have classed them as more realistic, considering that many of them have been in Thailand for a long time.

[billd766]

1 hour ago, shdmn said:

Lol all the butthurt comments here from the doom mongers being proven wrong yet again, still cheerleading for failure.

How are they proven wrong?

[KarenBravo]

1 hour ago, shdmn said:

You are going to have to clarify which failed prediction we are talking about because the goalposts keep moving in the doom mongers never ending pursuit of predicting failure.  I am talking about the doomers prediction Phuket will not open.   That was probably about half a dozen moved goal posts ago.  I think you all are now circle jerking about not enough tourists coming or whatever.....yawwwn.

 

Yes. do us all a favour and go back to sleep.

[gargamon]

11 hours ago, zzzzz said:

some, like Phuket town are 90% OPEN

Is soi sipit open? The only thing I found worthwhile in phuket. The rest is a waste of time.

[KarenBravo]

2 minutes ago, gargamon said:

Is soi sipit open? The only thing I found worthwhile in phuket. The rest is a waste of time.

 

Want to get into specifics?

[Espanol]

9 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

But isn't Thailand, I mean didn't they post themselves as a red zone yesterday?

 

Thailand is Green zone for European Union now.

 

No restrictions for people returning from Thailand.