Picture: Daily News

 

Thailand's tourism minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan told Daily News yesterday that the Phuket Sandbox was ready to start today.

 

The much heralded reopening of Thailand to foreign tourists will see four flights direct flights arrive today - Ethihad from Abu Dhabi will be first to touch down followed by Qatar from Doha, El Al from Tel Aviv and Singapore from the island nation. 

 

Pipat said that Thai PM Prayuth Chan-ocha will be at the airport with his entourage to greet arrivals from Singapore at 5.10 pm. 

 

In total 300 people are expected aboard the four flights. 

 

Pipat said that problems over the issuance of Certificate of Entry certificates had been ironed out and tourists would definitely not be required to quarantine for 14 days.

 

Meanwhile in a related report Thai Rath outlined the drive to vaccinate people on Phuket saying that targets had been exceeded. 

 

As of yesterday 82% of the people on the southern Thai island had received a first dose of vaccine or 383,158 people out of a total of 466,587. 

 

A total of 64% have received two doses or 298,344 people.

 

Planning to visit Phuket? Book your Sandbox hotel here

 

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How long until the island locks down and these 300 poor souls are forced to stay in their rooms for the duration of their holiday?

 

Saying that, it's probably better than walking down a deserted patong beach during the rainy season....

 

How depressing can you get! ????

I guess most of these are not actually from the Middle East but transiting through on Qatar or Etihad.

43 minutes ago, webfact said:

In total 300 people are expected aboard the four flights

So 50 people on a plane that can hold 600 plus.  Sounds like a winning combination for all around with fat profits being made.  Sure its a drop in the bucket, but how many of those 300 are media and travel people who are coming first to check it out and report back on the conditions.  Sure they will do their best to satiate the "Tourists" and put on that famous Thai smile.  Just looked on flight Radar and did see just these 4 flights scheduled as well as those flying in from BKK on Thai Smile and a few other small airlines.  Wonder whose on those flights.

They don't know yet how many really will come. They expect 300 on 4 planes. Subtract the pilot and the airhostessess and maybe a few expats living here how many tourists will be left over?? 

I noticed on the Etihad flight that one of the six code sharing airlines is S7 which is a Russian airline. The routing was Moscow-Abu Dhabi- Phuket. Maybe full of Russians coming to reclaim their property. The flight is 50 minutes late by the way.

5 minutes ago, stratocaster said:

I noticed on the Etihad flight that one of the six code sharing airlines is S7 which is a Russian airline. The routing was Moscow-Abu Dhabi- Phuket. Maybe full of Russians coming to reclaim their property. The flight is 50 minutes late by the way.

Maybe holding them in the air until Prayut and entourage arrive to smile and resent them with the keys to the country as the first arriving true tourists......maybe.....

1 hour ago, WineOh said:

How long until the island locks down and these 300 poor souls are forced to stay in their rooms for the duration of their holiday?

 

Saying that, it's probably better than walking down a deserted patong beach during the rainy season....

 

How depressing can you get! ????

i walk along the deserted Kamala beach daily ( and have been for nearly 18 months) ...... an its lovely  ????

 

why are people still harping on "tourists" arriving for the phuket sandbox?
the Sandbox is to simulate the economy, so it doesn't really matter the reason people are travelling to phuket for

4 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

i walk along the deserted Kamala beach daily ( and have been for nearly 18 months) ...... an its lovely 

are the murderous taxi mafia still speeding about that hole in their red vans??????

Officially 5500 new domestic cases in Thailand today. So what is the risk from international 'tourist' arrivals or returning Thais?

 

Borders are transparent. Recent exodus of migrant workers from lockdown zones proves that - otherwise they will have no chance to return.

 

And they treat these 300 'tourists' as terrorists, pushing them through all thise ridiculous paperwork. With less than 1% probability of any of the vaccinated 'tourist' infected, the risks are negligible. But the Thai authorities keep destroying the country by blocking the internatioanl travel.

 

Thailand is not an island. Blocking legal travel just creates illegal travel, with loss of income for millions.

 

1 hour ago, Phuketshrew said:

Qatar or Etihad.

 

So basically people from sand land are going for Phuket Sandbox.

Airlines won't be able to sustain flights with 70-odd people onboard. How long before those three Qatar flights are consolidated into one or two? They're not there to help Phuket, with the exception of the bankrupt national airline, of course.

Well, it is a start....let's give it a chance...but, based on what we have seen across the planet, the Delta Variant is kicking ass and taking names....in those countries that were too arrogant to think that this is just a flu.  

 

Remember, this is only the beginning ...this variant and the other 3 that are in Thailand are just getting started.  

 

Get some Oxygen....you may need it.

 

 

Each of those tourists had better spend a metric butt ton of money!

One dose of vaccine does not protect you you need both doses so I estimate you can cut the 80+ % by 50% these clowns think we are all fools 

249 or 300? should be easy to count now, right?

It does not matter how many come in the first few weeks, 500 or 5000, it matters how many will come over the next 3 months.

 

Most coming will be those with other reasons for coming other than holidays. Fully expect these flights to dry up as the reality hits home nobody will come in numbers for holidays after the initial return of those needing to get back.

 

 

One male tourist tourist on one of the first flights said he was looking forward to seeing the cultural sights and insisted he was not here for the nightlife. Mr Buster Gonad (48) flew in from Abu Dhabi. 

5 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

They don't know yet how many really will come. They expect 300 on 4 planes. Subtract the pilot and the airhostessess and maybe a few expats living here how many tourists will be left over?? 

Both of them.......

1500 tourists were supposed to come today from the news 2 days ago

5 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

I guess most of these are not actually from the Middle East but transiting through on Qatar or Etihad.

Actually, I suspect most are the Middle East tour agents and operators that TAT invited for a freebie visit to “get the word out” about Phuket being open.

 

it was reported a couple of days ago that they had done that, but no mention of how many. Now we know…..300????????

Interestingly, by it's own definition, the Thailand Dept of Disease Control, classifies itself - Thailand - as a Red High Risk Country together with a bunch of other high risk countries that are not welcome to visit just yet ... including South Africa, Netherlands, India etc etc. 

4 hours ago, Amdesign said:

Officially 5500 new domestic cases in Thailand today. So what is the risk from international 'tourist' arrivals or returning Thais?

 

Borders are transparent. Recent exodus of migrant workers from lockdown zones proves that - otherwise they will have no chance to return.

 

And they treat these 300 'tourists' as terrorists, pushing them through all thise ridiculous paperwork. With less than 1% probability of any of the vaccinated 'tourist' infected, the risks are negligible. But the Thai authorities keep destroying the country by blocking the internatioanl travel.

 

Thailand is not an island. Blocking legal travel just creates illegal travel, with loss of income for millions.

 

The issue is not risk from all the tourists, it’s the boatload of resources the authorities have diverted to Phuket to help it look after a few of said tourists.

 

Vaccines used to vaccinate young healthy people in Phuket could have been used for at risk people elsewhere.

 

4 hours ago, zzzzz said:

why are people still harping on "tourists" arriving for the phuket sandbox?
the Sandbox is to simulate the economy, so it doesn't really matter the reason people are travelling to phuket for

It is pretty much a zero sum game.  These are just " tourists???? " who would have been in quarantine in BKK. Same same but not different Thai economy. 

6 minutes ago, Pravda said:

1500 tourists were supposed to come today from the news 2 days ago

Really then the numbers guys are getting better.  Only off by 80%

4 hours ago, zzzzz said:

How long until the island locks down and these 300 poor souls are forced to stay in their rooms for the duration of their holiday?

is the an over/under pool? I want to get in the wagering.

3 hours ago, J Town said:

Each of those tourists had better spend a metric butt ton of money!

The Israelis won’t haha

4 hours ago, lolalol said:

 

So basically people from sand land are going for Phuket Sandbox.

Haa ! That's what I was thinking ... fancy living and being surrounded by desert and then wanting to go to the beaches of of Phuket !!! (if of course they are coming directly from the middle east)

If we add the pilot and airhostesses we get about 310.  Now just 2,999,690 to go to meet target!

36 minutes ago, Wiggy said:

One male tourist tourist on one of the first flights said he was looking forward to seeing the cultural sights and insisted he was not here for the nightlife. Mr Buster Gonad (48) flew in from Abu Dhabi. 

Busted Gonad, must be from a village of sledgehammer makers