Record Covid cases will not have any effect on "Sandbox" or 120 day reopening plan, says TAT chief

[webfact]

Picture: Sanook

 

The chief of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Yutthasak Suphasorn has insisted that Thailand's record Covid-19 numbers and deaths will not affect either the Phuket Sandbox or the wider reopening of Thailand to foreign tourism. 

 

The foreign tourists will still be coming. 

 

Sanook said that he told this to INN as cases went through the daily 10,000 barrier and deaths topped 100.

 

It also came as the Moto GP slated for Buriram on October was postponed again and record numbers of cases were reported in Cha-Am.

 

These are both areas where the 120 day reopening was planned in earlier announcements by the Thai premier Prayuth Chan-ocha. 

 

Yutthasak - widely criticised online for claims that appear to be plucked from the ether - told the media that in fact 200,000 nights of accommodation had been booked in Phuket.

 

The media made no attempt to drill down on these figures. Were they just tenative bookings, what was the time frame, how many tourists did they represent were left to the reader to guess. 

 

But the media reported in other comments that 1,000 people would be visiting Koh Samui under their "Samui Plus Model" spending 180 million baht between July 15th and August 15th. 

 

The disconnect between the pronouncements of the tourism authorities and the reality on the ground is now becoming a mainstay of online ridicule, notes ASEAN Now. 

 

Anecdotal evidence points to many foreigners contemplating a visit to Thailand closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation in the country, contrary to what the TAT might suggest. 

 

With options for many potential tourists nearer home being more friendly and less onerous regarding documentation, vaccination and testing requirements, a "wait and see" approach may not result in a visit but a cancellation. 

 

Meanwhile, Naew Na reported that the change in regulations introduced by the EU for its nationals returning from Thailand was likely to have a detrimental effect on the Samui Plus Model reopening of three islands in Surat Thani. 

 

Just four days into that plan it already looks under increasing pressure with claims of 1,000 visitors in a month looking ever less likely. 

 

-- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-07-19

 

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[ezzra]

Rubbish, "insist" all you want sir, as you don't know what tomorrow will bring...

[ikke1959]

I want his brains.. They are new and not used.. How much more stupidity can TAT ventilate??

[smedly]

I'm having whatever he's on - it obviously sends him into a state of hallucinogenic euphoria far distant from reality just waht is needed right now

 

That's basically it in a nutsack

[mickyr55]

There we have it DUMBEST STATEMENT OF THE DAY SO FAR.

However it's still early. 

[Shuya]

Smart move - all people coming in will be fully vaccinated, therefore the percentage of vaccinated people in Thailand will rise. 

[worgeordie]

I am sure it will affect the decisions of any tourists, if they can

get out of their own countries first,  just because TAT says it,

it might not happen , 

regards Worgeordie

[J Town]

HOW can they say this <****> with a straight face?

[internationalism]

for over 3 months him and all his office are working from home.

For a reason.

They don't want to get infected.

Even more so any tourist won't risk their holiday time to been locked in hotel room, send to quarantine, or hospitals

[stigar]

omg

[3NUMBAS]

this charade keeps     on running  ,no sense

[ikke1959]

19 minutes ago, internationalism said:

for over 3 months him and all his office are working from home.

For a reason.

They don't want to get infected.

Even more so any tourist won't risk their holiday time to been locked in hotel room, send to quarantine, or hospitals

work from home not for not being infected, but because of his stupidity.. They can't use him in the office, and this is the proof ... should be banned from TAT for life

[Almer]

33 minutes ago, J Town said:

HOW can they say this <****> with a straight face?

They have to say something to generate there pay cheque and pension, it doesn't have to be true.

[Pattaya Spotter]

I heard 15 tourists have made their way to Samui since 15 July...only 985 more to go. 

[d2b2]

I believe similar attitudes were held on the bridge of the Titanic

[Pravda]

Yet on the news a Wuhan style Lockdown is being considered. 

[sapson]

When their is a ban on fake inaccurate news statements it s amazing what slips through the net and we are treated to yet another dose of drivel from the deluded dummies.

 

Pass the crack pipe Anutin its time for my weekly TAT statement!

[DrPhibes]

This immediately came to mind:

 

[grandpa]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

the media reported in other comments that 1,000 people would be visiting Koh Samui under their "Samui Plus Model" spending 180 million baht between July 15th and August 15th. 

That's 180,000 baht per tourist, even if the Hotel cost 2,000 baht a night that is only 28,000 baht over 14 days. leaving 152,000 baht for what?  No-one spends that amount of money on a 21 week holiday!

[Salerno]

6 minutes ago, grandpa said:

No-one spends that amount of money on a 21 week holiday!

Or perhaps no one you hang out with.

[mtls2005]

What plan?

 

The committees haven't even been formed yet.

[RichardColeman]

So let me get this right, they can come to Phuket and then start wandering freely around and then when they go inland they are now told to stay in ? 

[chalawaan]

Deluudes and Hopium are some helluva drugs.

[chalawaan]

41 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

work from home not for not being infected, but because of his stupidity.. They can't use him in the office, and this is the proof ... should be banned from TAT for life

The idiocy is all bought and paid for, everyone knows they'd all be driving cabs if it wasn't for the traditions of corruption and patronage that put them in charge to begin with. It's a well overdue expose of how 15th Century SEA domestic politics does not cut it in 2021.

[tomazbodner]

Very soon people will be able to come to Thailand, but won't be able to return back home, which, since most don't have unlimited funds and vacation time, will likely lead to them changing the destination away from Thailand to somewhere "safer". I can't really see the charm of visiting destination that has absolutely no control of a deadly disease. Most tourists aren't suicidal.

[Whale]

I have to admit this is quite a hole they are digging themselves with Thai Xenophobes.

 

Are they saying "Foreign tourists welcome but Thais not". Thais are essentially being made an "underclass" in Phuket and Samui (i.e in their own country) because their government failed them with vaccines whilst foreigners (tourists) are still welcome because their governments are more organised on vaccines.

 

Farang number 1, Thai number 2?

[wensiensheng]

36 minutes ago, grandpa said:

That's 180,000 baht per tourist, even if the Hotel cost 2,000 baht a night that is only 28,000 baht over 14 days. leaving 152,000 baht for what?  No-one spends that amount of money on a 21 week holiday!

The Samui tourists are cheap Charlie’s. A couple of days ago TAT predicted Phuket sandbox tourists would be spending 40k baht a day.

 

that’s the trouble when the tourist numbers  are lower than estimates. They have to up the daily spending so that they come back to their original income generated figure. In the commercial world, they would be fired.

[Neilly]

1 hour ago, grandpa said:

even if the Hotel cost 2,000 baht a night that is only 28,000 baht

You not even close!

 

[Pedrogaz]

There is no plan. Certainly no 120 day plan. It is just a figure Prayut snatched from the air to get a positive news item out.

[Swampy999]

 

The chief of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Yutthasak Suphasorn has insisted that Thailand's record Covid-19 numbers and deaths will not affect either the Phuket Sandbox or the wider reopening of Thailand to foreign tourism. ????????????

 

It will if and when Thailand gets on the red list.