TAT chief says October reopening plan for ten provinces will need to be reassessed in light of pandemic

[Derek B]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

He said this included the possibility of foreigners bringing in more infection. 

Better to say both non-Thais & Thais could possibly bring in more infection travelling via the "normal" routes of entry.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Meanwhile, Singapore will open up fully for vaccinated travelers in September, but they are not ruled by clowns and are not seeing the vaccination as a get rich quick scam.

[Magenta408]

I swear to God, they have no clue. They are totally bambuzzled.Stop making wild predictions and go as it comes.

[vermin on arrival]

7 hours ago, J Town said:

Recently the Philippines shut their doors to travelers coming from Thailand.

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/philippines-to-bar-travel-from-malaysia-thailand-to-curb-delta-covid-19s-spread

Interestingly enough the delta variant is already there so it doesn't matter. There is no risk if the people coming in are tested and do asq.

 

"Experts believe that the Delta variant is behind crippling surges in places outside Manila, including Davao city, President Rodrigo Duterte’s home turf, where sweeping lockdown measures in recent weeks have failed to bring down infections."

 

A country can have tens of thousands of infected from local transmission but heavens to betsy if there is one from dirty foreigners. it's absurd

[Pinot]

3 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

It will take time, but the tourists will eventually come back...3-5 years would be my guess. Hopefully, a more sustainable tourism model but with the massive losses from the pandemic, the industry might quickly revert to its tried and true mass tourism model.

A more sustainable tourism model? Tsk, come on...

 

1 hour ago, cjinchiangrai said:

5555 Even TAT isn't taking its nonsense seriously. The really need to stop talking. They look foolish with every announcement.

 

These are career liars with a long rich history of just making <deleted> up. They really need to stop talking? That's their jobs, man.  555

[sucit]

The old reassess, gather bribes, sit down and figure out who gave you the biggest bribe, then make decision 

[dslocum]

Coming at this late, but all I can say about the OP is...

 

- Well, Duh!! -

 

It's not rocket science folks.

[Thunglom]

Master plan or no.... without FULL vaccination, all it will do is bring in loads of strains of Covid. He will be infecting his own people.

[jjczap]

Never mind the world coming here with all the hurdles and nothing to do.      I think we see now and will continue to see the Thai becoming the worlds new tourist     for example the Thai says let's go the US we only need a test 72hr ahead.   NYC.   LA. MIAMI.    WELCOME  you are free to travel.   oh by the way you can have a free vax if you want

 

[Blumpie]

OMG no no no!!!!  Please no!!  I bought my tickets already!

Of course I"m kidding.  I wasn't dropped on my head and didn't fall for the scam.  

[Blumpie]

3 hours ago, Darkside Gray said:

Why would the tourist come back nothing to do anyway could stay at home and do nothing!

It's mind-boggling isn't it?  There is nothing to do.  Everything is closed.  Let's go to Thailand and stare at the water for 2 weeks and hope we don't end up in covid jail or on a cardboard box for two weeks.  

 

How do these people think?  How do they have any employment at all?  They are so inept it's just mind boggling.  

[thailand49]

Throw that idea with all the rest of them laying in the trash bin!

[newnative]

     Nicely, nicely done!  Get out there early (still only JULY!)  with your statement and make sure you strongly emphasize the very slow vaccine roll out.  Now, you've beautifully laid the ground work to deflect all the blame elsewhere if the October opening goes toes up.  (Darn that slow vaccine roll out!!!  Messed up all my plans!)   By the way, as others have said, you do know that Pattaya's mayor is planning a September opening.  

[kimamey]

9 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

Yes, Mr. Yutthasak. If you want to accept foreigners' money you also will have to accept their germs. One thing is not possible without the other, I'm afraid.

 

But even IF the country were to open up, what makes you think that foreigners even would want to come? After all, under the current out-of-control situation, there would be a considerable risk they might BRING BACK an infection FROM Thailand. See? It works BOTH WAYS.

I don't know what the situation is in other countries but in the UK Thailand is on the amber list so you don't need to do the expensive hotel quarantine but you do have to isolate at home. If things get too bad in Thailand then it's possible it could be put on the red list which will make tourism there much harder.

[kimamey]

 

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Prachuap Khirikhan (Hua Hin), Phetchaburi (Cha-Am), Chonburi (Pattaya), Buriram, as well as Phuket, Surat Thani, Krabi and Phangnga

 

Looking at this list I can see 9 well known tourist destinations and Buriram. I live in a neighbouring province but I've not been there often but I'm sure it's not a area many foreign tourists would know. Must just be the high level connection that got it there unless I'm missing something.

[SomchaiCNX]

9 hours ago, smedly said:

I think in the grand scheme of things you have enough community spread across Thailand - why even mention this

 

The real question is - who is going to come here 

 

Also I suspect Thailand is about to get a red rating from all major western countries - Thailand already rates itself as red

The "red shirts" must be pleased ????

[SomchaiCNX]

6 minutes ago, kimamey said:

 

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Prachuap Khirikhan (Hua Hin), Phetchaburi (Cha-Am), Chonburi (Pattaya), Buriram, as well as Phuket, Surat Thani, Krabi and Phangnga

 

Looking at this list I can see 9 well known tourist destinations and Buriram. I live in a neighbouring province but I've not been there often but I'm sure it's not a area many foreign tourists would know. Must just be the high level connection that got it there unless I'm missing something.

Well, those 9 are still more than those in the naburing provinces. Wat Panamroung was already popular 25 years ago.

[geworthomd]

Did you mean to say the possibility of foreigners coming in to the country and catching COVID?  I was just wondering if that was a misprint. At 15,000 new cases each day, it must show that there is abundant disease to spread from within the country already. 

[sekmet]

Wait, what? 

 

Americans and Brits spending money? I thought TAT was all about Chinese and Indians.

[Billybaroo]

11 hours ago, steven100 said:

those dirty farang

  Except, the requirement for foreigners entering Thailand, even if you have residency there, is that one shows proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of departure from your home country. 

[Jingthing]

Time to cancel Songkran 2022.

[eastlight]

9 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

There are already other baskets. Thailand is a major assembly point for computer components and small appliances (air-cons) as well as automobiles. It is also has significant aquaculture and agriculture growing and processing/export sectors. The Thai ship of state isn't in any danger of foundering because of limited foreign tourist arrivals (much to the chagrin of some).

Not much car manufacturing going on outside my window. In fact it looks like the end of the world.

[steven100]

47 minutes ago, eastlight said:

Not much car manufacturing going on outside my window. In fact it looks like the end of the world.

well i'm drinking like there's no tomorrow 

[NanLaew]

14 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

14 hours ago, smedly said:

Also I suspect Thailand is about to get a red rating from all major western countries - Thailand already rates itself as red

Didn't the Philippines just put Thailand on red list?

That says it all.

I read that it's only a 7-day stoppage for Thailand and Malaysia. Unless the Philippines health advisors know something about the Delta variant being infectious for a shorter period (it isn't), then I reckon they are as clueless as their Thai peers.

[SW Happy]

You don't say!

[RichardColeman]

Thailand is digging itself into an every deepening financial hole, and it wont fix itself in 2-3 years, will be decades

[inThailand]

Thailand's handling of the pandemic is going to be a Harvard MBA case study on what Not to do? 

[kimamey]

8 hours ago, Billybaroo said:

  Except, the requirement for foreigners entering Thailand, even if you have residency there, is that one shows proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of departure from your home country. 

Which is more than you need if you're coming from inside the country so that suggests that maybe foreigners aren't the problem.

[ThailandRyan]

3 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Thailand is digging itself into an every deepening financial hole, and it wont fix itself in 2-3 years, will be decades

Here is an interesting article on how over reliant Thailand is on tourism and its effects with Civid as a multiplier now dropping the Thai Baht lower.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/26/asian-currencies-thailand-covid-lack-of-tourism-hit-thai-baht.html

 

So what now since Thailand has had only 34k visitors according to the article up until May of 2021. The 10k Sandbox visitors surely can not be helping either. So under 100k for the year is my best quess at this rate.

[joebrown]

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Here is an interesting article on how over reliant Thailand is on tourism and its effects with Civid as a multiplier now dropping the Thai Baht lower.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/26/asian-currencies-thailand-covid-lack-of-tourism-hit-thai-baht.html

 

So what now since Thailand has had only 34k visitors according to the article up until May of 2021. The 10k Sandbox visitors surely can not be helping either. So under 100k for the year is my best quess at this rate.

I read the CNBC article and have to question the 11% GDP figure given for Thai tourism. The figure ties in with what the Thai gov't say, but it's impossible to factor - in the 'black economy' to arrive at a true figure for loss of GDP.

The last time I checked about a year ago, only about 30% of Thais over working age were registered for paying Income Tax. The rest, the 'black economy', including those working in tourist reliant jobs, simply do not exist.