BANGKOK (NNT) - Following the launch of the Phuket Sandbox tourism scheme on July 1st this year, many foreign tourists moved by the warm hospitality of the people of Phuket, are looking forward to visiting other provinces, such as Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Those who have now returned to their home countries say they plan to visit the kingdom with their families again.

 

Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, as Spokesman for the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), said today that almost a month after the Phuket Sandbox model’s launch, Thailand has welcomed almost 10,000 international visitors, with the top five countries being the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), Israel, Germany and France. The average stay per guest was 11 nights. Total cost per trip is about 70,000 baht, which covers accommodation, swab tests, food and drinks, transportation, airfares and other expenses. The average spending is 5,500 baht per person, generating 534.31 million baht in revenue.

 

According to the tourist satisfaction assessment, tourists are most satisfied with the shuttle service with the Safety and Health Administration (SHA) Plus certification at Phuket International Airport, followed by overall services offered at Phuket International Airport. The reopening has been quite successful and will help Thailand prepare for more arrivals by the end of the year.

 

The next stage is to reopen the three tourist islands of Krabi province - Ko Phi Phi, Ko Ngai and Railay, and the three tourist islands of Phang Nga province - Khao Lak, Ko Yao Noi and Ko Yao Yai. They are scheduled to reopen on August 1st. The 7+7 plan will now be implemented. Tourists entering the kingdom will be required to spend seven days under the Phuket Sandbox model, down from the initial 14-day period, and to take a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test twice. They can then travel to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao in Surat Thani province, as well as Ko Phi Phi, Ko Ngai and Railay of Krabi and Khao Lak, Ko Yao Noi and Ko Yao Yai of Phang Nga, via sealed routes, or the island-hopping model, starting August 8th. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has set this year’s revenue target at 850 billion baht, 300 billion of which will come from 3 million international visitors and the remaining 550 billion from the domestic market.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-07-26

 

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So after all the hoops jumped through 2 week stays on beaches, hotels, restaurants, shopping interacting with their hosts the most satisfying thing was the shuttle!! 

And....they're off!

30 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

tourists are most satisfied with the shuttle service

So the tuk tuk mafia got SHA+ cerfication...

Looks like the TAT Management have been smoking the wacky baccy again.. remember puff, puff, pass... If they have have come up with this dilutional BS without drugs, then they are a bunch complete morons.. 

Is that the 6 million tourists from the UK that TAT predicted in the pic?

to make things clear - airfare is around 25k, tests 9k.

so 70k minus 34k is 36k.

and that means 2.5mln tourists. That quantity will take 4 years

 

Edited July 26, 20214 yr by internationalism

It's quite sobering that the 70k total includes the airfare and multiple mandatory Covid tests. What remains after deducting that, divided by the number of days, is a much more credible daily spend.

 

I think the biggest issue that the sandbox now has is that onward travel within Thailand isn't really an option. So you're kind of stuck there, or return earlier than planned.

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

warm hospitality of the people of Phuket

      are you sure about that ...        lol

'Thailand Expects'.   Now where have i read that before !

I doubt the net benefit to ordinary people of Phuket be little more than the salaries of the TATty elite with their frequent flying <deleted> finding missions. Suggest all transferred to Ministry of HEalth to help out in hopitals , food , care and hospice duites for thise with long Covid, I'm sure they will see sense in this or the nexxt century when several people are almost certain to arrive..maybe.Perhaps money better invested in training succesful heroin distributors who can elude NSW's finest longer and return more funds into the savings cabinet.

I'll have some of whatever they're having. 

 

I honestly can imagine 10,000 people having arrived in the past few weeks. Quarantine, lock downs, no dining in restaurants, no drinks, no parties, no clubbing. Why would they come? 

Edited July 26, 20214 yr by djayz

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Following the launch of the Phuket Sandbox tourism scheme on July 1st this year, many foreign tourists moved by the warm hospitality of the people of Phuket

LOL ???? -hyperbole much…

 

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

are looking forward to visiting other provinces, such as Chiang Mai and Bangkok

Good luck with that. 
 

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Those who have now returned to their home countries say they plan to visit the kingdom with their families again.

Ah huh…yeah right, sure. 

Edited July 26, 20214 yr by Bluespunk

TAT must be using some magic mushrooms or licking the LSD coated postage stamps they are mailing out their tourist plans with.  I understand the need to believe what you have done is truly working and will save Thailand, but living in an alternative universe and hallucinating daily has to be detrimental to how these tourism authority people view things.

They said they would shut the Phuket Sandbox down if they reached 90 cases. 

 

There have been 101 confirmed cases on Phuket over the last five days. 

the  long haul planes are not there to acomplish this

Utter non stop drivel from the TAT.....

550 billion from the domestic market ?

Keep dreaming TAT..... 

So if you have paid and coming after the 1st is there a refund for at least one test ????

They should rename themselves inserting a "W"  after the first "T"

Not sure tourism is the answer.  I think Thailand is truly over reliant on tourism prospects and this article tells it like it is. Very interesting insights from the article.

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 where will the expected billions come from.  Pipe dream. 

Fully legalise weed, break the current monopoly, and lost revenue from tourism will soon be recouped.

And a SIMPLE plan to allow foreign ownership of land and the coffers will be overflowing.

36 minutes ago, Thailand said:

Fully legalise weed

no thanks .......  there's enough nutters loose out there as it is. 

TAT expects 850 billion baht in tourism revenue after successful reopening

 

Once again….TAT takes the lead in the celebration of imaginary events.

 

 

 

Edited July 27, 20214 yr by Hayduke

27 minutes ago, steven100 said:

no thanks .......  there's enough nutters loose out there as it is. 

I totally agree with you on this. Imagine we might even get some more nutters saying how good the PM is. and how well he has managed the pandemic. Heavens forbid.

Ooooh! What magnificently large numbers. Aren't they just lovely and huge with zeroes disappearing into the tropical sunset.

 

Now then, when are they expecting this 'successful reopening' ? In about 850 billion days ?

Honestly !! What in the name of all that’s holy have they been drinking ? ????

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

no thanks .......  there's enough nutters loose out there as it is. 

You really have no idea do you?

Folly....