They really believed and hoped this vicious scheme will actually work?

On the other hand....Not such a bad idea, combining two different tourist areas...It worked very well for me, long time go.....I used to combine Soi Cowboy and Nana Plaza quite regularly, but now I am a good lad...

Edited August 2, 20214 yr by drenddy

13 minutes ago, drenddy said:

On the other hand....Not such a bad idea, combining two different tourist areas...It worked very well for me, long time go.....I used to combine Soi Cowboy and Nana Plaza quite regularly, but now I am a good lad...

You just were not quite adventurous enough, as you never added a quick walk thru Patpong...lol

On 8/1/2021 at 8:55 AM, DrJack54 said:

Think your being kind.

In my book the whole concept was a joke.

Added to that, I would love to know the breakdown of genuine tourists vs folk with serious ties to Thailand (married etc) returning via Sandbox.

I think that they should have kept it to ASQ perhaps 7 to 10 days quarantine for fully vaxed folk. 

Cut out all the rubbish.

BTW imo Phuket never got close to 70%.

Smoke and mirrors. Esp with population numbers.

"I would love to know the breakdown of genuine tourists vs folk with serious ties to Thailand (married etc) returning via Sandbox."

What does it matter ?

Why does this concern you ?

What negative are you looking for ?

Much of the Sandbox arrivals in my villiage are the latter , and  were made to pay for a Hotel for 2 weeks like any 'normal' tourist. 

Their health Status had to be way better than any locals, just  to be here.

Now they are spending up  , renting a villa or condo  for the next 6 months/  year or the  rest of their Retirement. Often they have  leased a car or rented scooters , got a happy Thai lady in tow , and sometimes some Thai kids  that they will clothe and educate and feed.  Unlike a 'real' tourist , they are  buying appliances , furniture  , health care and a myriad of products/services that  result in expenditures  much larger  and penetrating to the local economy than  tourism. 

And that was the intention !

To get work and income happening now .

 

It seems a bit 'dog in the manger' to me  that people  sitting on their bums  in the West  and receiving fat allowances under Job Seeker  ( $750 a week !) or 'Hardship' cheques  for doing nothing , think that people with NO welfare or incomes  at all , should quietly accept their lot and wait and wait... 

Darn selfish .

 

I know  my observations will annoy many sad sack 'criticize everything '  pundits on here , but this is a good program and it is working.

 A figure of 0.2 %  of tourists have tested positive to Covid and hospitalised/removed from interaction  (  whether really sick or not ) , and over 13,000  arrivals are now spending money .

Tourist are facebooking  positively and reporting the process getting easier  , and better organised. Certainly those Sandboxers  Ive met with were enjoying the natural beauty and sense of space , but , admittedly , none were party animals either.

You can now ride up and down the West Coast  and see small Thai restaurants , Coffee Clubs , and Family Marts re-opening , bums on deckchairs   ,  beach massage  tents manned again ( so old ladies making some money )  , and a general big tidy up happening at last. 

It has to start somewhere .

If you like Thailand and the Thai , I think you should be happy for them...