SURVEY: Sandbox -- the way to go or just a failing PR stunt?

[Scott]

Thailand has been banking heavily on the sandbox concept to increase tourist numbers and revenue.   In your opinion, is this the way to go, or is it a PR stunt that's destined to fail?   Choose the option that best expresses your opinion.

 

Feel free to leave a comment.

[ezzra]

Sandbox alone is not enough, the amount of documents, and expenses even before you get on a plane are daunting and frustrating to say the last, Thai embassies and consulates around the world should be instructed to assist in whatever they can to make the process of coming to the sandbox a lot less stressful...

[Jeffr2]

My friend just went through the process for this. It was amazing how hard it was. Lots of documentation and a long time to get approval. He's lived in Thailand for decades, has a Thai wife, is fully vaccinated, etc.  He just went to the US for jabs, and returned after being fully vaccinated.

 

I flew to Greece at exactly the same time and only needed to fill out an online form and upload a copy of my vaccinaction certificate. Done.

 

And now, no alcohol being served at any hotel. Only with room service. Forget it.

 

What an utter failure for Thailand.

[konaboy]

why are not fully vaccinated persons treated better. If not worthwhile, why even get jabbed?

[Pedrogaz]

PR stunt, PR stunt. 

 

But also Thailand needs to pivot away from tourism. Destroying the environment and natural beauty of Thailand is too high a price to pay for tourists by the million on package holidays paying next to nothing for a hotel room and driven around in buses.

[finnsk]

The sandbox idea is basicly an good idea.

 

But to make it to a succes, the area must be free of covid between the locals. The tourists must not be able to attac covid from the local people.

The tourists must have guaranties that they go to a safe place and if the unluck should arrive, a tourist will get covid, they must be treated with respect and not send to overpriced quarantine hotels. Send them to small care clinics with isolated bungalows let people get a good experience also in that situation.

 

The way of thinking must be, the tourist is our covid free friends, we must take good care of them. Our problem/work is to make the local area safe and nice to the tourist.

 

I will not write much about how it looks they are thinking, with police command centers to 24 hours spy on the tourists etc etc, the way of thinking must change, the problem is not the tourists

[herfiehandbag]

It seems to me that the Sandbox concept will only work with tourists who are used to being/expect to be regulated, extensively documented, moved around in supervised groups and have no expectation or interest of any sort of individual action. Groups who have, dare I say it, little interest or experience of the freedoms in terms of "nightlife", eating and drinking enjoyed by "western" tourists.

 

I wonder where such tourists will be found in large numbers?

[stubuzz]

It is a money grab.

[newnative]

  I selected the second choice but I didn't like any of the choices.  I would have liked something like: 'Thailand needs tourism and should open up with no quarantine to fully vaccinated tourists' as another choice.

[ourmanflint]

1 hour ago, konaboy said:

why are not fully vaccinated persons treated better. If not worthwhile, why even get jabbed?

By the time Thailand is ready to open up even those fully vaccinated will still have to quarantine. Western countries vaccinated early on and everyone will be outside the "vaccinated in past 6 months" window stipulation for getting a stupid certificate. It will never end 

[MyFriend You]

I teetered between the two 

1. The Sandbox is ultimately a failure and threatens to spread the virus.

2. It's time for Thailand to pivot away from dependence on tourism

 

.and decided to select #2.  It WILL spread the virus amongst otherwise healthy tourists, it is inevitable that tourists and locals will interact together, one spreader then you have ???  many.   and after the 'quaranteen' period is over, and the tourist is able to travel 'anywhere in LOS' - it surly will spread even further.  The sandbox idea is just something to placate the rich hotel owners in Phuket and Ko Samui, and on surface, put a few Thai's back to work, or are the hotel workers all Migrants as well??   I read 3 online newspapers a day about Thailand, and am amazed at how many Thai's are "Out of Work". starving, when they import hundreds, thousands(?) of migrant workers in the construction business.   Oh, I forgot, the Rich also own all the construction companies and it's cheaper to hire 5 Burmese than 2 Thais.........it's always about the bottom line isn't it??  Lest I digress, it''s time for Thailand to move slowly but steadily oiut of the tourist business dependency.  Mi Dos Centavos     Peace 

[Jeffr2]

7 minutes ago, ourmanflint said:

By the time Thailand is ready to open up even those fully vaccinated will still have to quarantine. Western countries vaccinated early on and everyone will be outside the "vaccinated in past 6 months" window stipulation for getting a stupid certificate. It will never end 

Stupid certificate? Seriously? Wow...

[richard_smith237]

13 hours ago, Scott said:

Thailand has been banking heavily on the sandbox concept to increase tourist numbers and revenue.   In your opinion, is this the way to go, or is it a PR stunt that's destined to fail?   Choose the option that best expresses your opinion.

 

Feel free to leave a comment.

 

I’m not so sure that is true. 

 

The mere nature of the Sandbox is to ‘experiment’ and allow incoming tourists to the Islands in a controlled manner and to see if the arrivals increase any risks of Covid-19 spread within Thailand.

 

(The term ‘Sandbox' means ’test in a controlled environment’).

 

 

In terms of recognising that Sandbox arrivals do not present any major risk of increasing Covid-19 numbers in Thailand I would argue that the Sandbox is a success. 

 

In terms of ‘increasing’ tourism I do not thing the Sandbox has been a success and tourist arrivals have been limited, certainly not enough to provide the economic stimulus required to keep the wolf from the door for many businesses related to tourism. 

 

 

The next step is of course to permit international arrivals to Thailand ‘beyond’ the Sandbox and rely on a similar system of allowing only vaccinated arrivals with a pre-flight and arrival PCR test without any specific need to remain in a geographic region. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RichardColeman]

Sorry, I cannot vote in this - since the option of time to abandon sandbox and return to normal is not on the list. My own opinion is the sandbox is a complete and utter failure.

 

Thailand is in dire economic life-support condition now. It needs tourists to survive - Time to pivot away from tourism is not an option in the short term anyhow.

 

Drip feeding tourists into Thailand is a complete waste of time, It needs mass tourism and it needs mass tourism now, not drip, drip, drip. Too few tourists arriving is as bad as none at all - a handful of people visiting a hotel or restaurant wont keep it afloat !

 

so option 5. Abandon Sandbox and Cancel COE, PCR tests, Quarantine, flash your vaccine passport and get on with tourism with Sandbox

 

 

[onekoolguy]

6 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Sorry, I cannot vote in this - since the option of time to abandon sandbox and return to normal is not on the list. My own opinion is the sandbox is a complete and utter failure.

 

Thailand is in dire economic life-support condition now. It needs tourists to survive - Time to pivot away from tourism is not an option in the short term anyhow.

 

Drip feeding tourists into Thailand is a complete waste of time, It needs mass tourism and it needs mass tourism now, not drip, drip, drip. Too few tourists arriving is as bad as none at all - a handful of people visiting a hotel or restaurant wont keep it afloat !

 

so option 5. Abandon Sandbox and Cancel COE, PCR tests, Quarantine, flash your vaccine passport and get on with tourism with Sandbox

 

 

The danger is not from the vaccinated tourists. The real danger is to the tourists from the deep red zone! Having entry requirements other than vaccination, has no benefit to Thailand. At one time maybe it did? But now that covid is so widespread, it makes no sense?

[mlkik]

Last year I did the 15 night quarantene in Bangkok and paid ฿40.000 .I have since returned to the UK and had my double vaccination.

In 6 weeks time I am flying direct to Phuket and staying in a 5 star hotel and the cost of that stay and my 3 PCR tests is ฿22.500.

I much prefer the thought of my up coming stay in Phuket to the Bangkok quarantene.

For us long stay visa holders it is a much better way to return home to Thailand.

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, mlkik said:

Last year I did the 15 night quarantene in Bangkok and paid ฿40.000 .I have since returned to the UK and had my double vaccination.

In 6 weeks time I am flying direct to Phuket and staying in a 5 star hotel and the cost of that stay and my 3 PCR tests is ฿22.500.

I much prefer the thought of my up coming stay in Phuket to the Bangkok quarantene.

For us long stay visa holders it is a much better way to return home to Thailand.

Exactly this.....  I am on my 3rd return to Thailand (since the outbreak) - First two were ASQ (15 nights and 10 nights) - this time is is 14 nights Sandbox and a much more palatable prospect than being locked up in a hotel room.

 

It's also much nicer being able to spend the same amount of money on a pool villa than a hotel room in Bangkok. The prospect of being free to go to restaurants, go to the beach, rent a motorcycle and ride around and even go to a bar for a few beers makes the outlook potentially enjoyable. 

 

Additionally, there also the prospect of brining my family down to stay with me during the Sandbox quarantine (if Phuket opens up to domestic tourism at that time). 

 

But... None of the above ‘improves’ things for Thailand, for myself and returnees like myself all the Sandbox has done is ‘divert’ the money from ASQ hotels in Bangkok to hotels in Phuket. That said, local restaurants etc may recognise a very minor benefit but I am under no illusion that ‘Sandboxers’ are making any notable financial contribution to the local economy - the numbers of Sandbox arrivals are just too small. 

 

As an experiment the Sandbox scheme has shown that Vaccinated and PCR tested international arrivals do not present a covid risk to Thailand - Thus, from this perspective the scheme is a success, but only if Thailand can avoid the ‘pathetic discussions’ and act intelligently solely on results by opening up completely to vaccinated international arrivals. 

 

 

[DrMJA]

Scam-box. Only serves the good of entitled. 

[james1943]

I went to America to get my 2 jabs and I am now in the sand box for 1 more week before I can go to my home in the northeast. The sand box is a lot cheaper than being quarantined in Bangkok plus you are free to go out and see and do things. Thailand has been my home for 16 years and after going back to America last month I really feel sorry for the people that have to live there with all the illegals and more coming everyday and the problems they predict that will happen on 9/11 

YES i think it is a very good deal. I wish more people would do it to help the Thai people and to keep the sandbox open. 

[Scouse123]

It's a failure and will not get the revenue or number of tourists to justify the outlay nor will it help hotels or job losses.

 

The way forward is mass vaccination of all island natives and long term stayers. No ifs, buts, or old wives tales why they won't get vaccinated.

 

Best we can hope for at the moment is:

 

1. Open the country to anybody double vaccinated. Covid19 test before departure and travel insurance to cover the trip.

2. Open bars and restaurants,implement a sensible, doable, practical form of social distancing.

3.Wear mask in public spaces, BTS, MRT, Malls, crowded places.

4. No quarantine, and stop treating people like lepers, it's not Ebola!

5. Get near normal conditions everywhere, hotels, beaches, etc instead of everybody looking and dressed like they just walked out of an NBCD laboratory.

 

That's it, that's all and then keep vaccinating until everybody is done, and let it play its course.

 

Be tough on restrictions for everything for non vaccinated.

 

They are saying they don't know what's in it, yet shovel down KFC, Macdonalds, Coke, Dominos Pizzas every day! nor did they get a chance to complain with all the vaccines they received as toddlers that kept the world safe.

 

Too many "wanna be"  and "know it all", forum and Facebook virologists, scientists and doctors who just like to exhale hot air, and do no good in this pandemic, and they get far too much social media coverage.

[ourmanflint]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

Sorry, I cannot vote in this - since the option of time to abandon sandbox and return to normal is not on the list. My own opinion is the sandbox is a complete and utter failure.

 

Thailand is in dire economic life-support condition now. It needs tourists to survive - Time to pivot away from tourism is not an option in the short term anyhow.

 

Drip feeding tourists into Thailand is a complete waste of time, It needs mass tourism and it needs mass tourism now, not drip, drip, drip. Too few tourists arriving is as bad as none at all - a handful of people visiting a hotel or restaurant wont keep it afloat !

 

so option 5. Abandon Sandbox and Cancel COE, PCR tests, Quarantine, flash your vaccine passport and get on with tourism with Sandbox

 

 

Vaccine passport? Countries are now setting expiry dates even for those. Austria and Croatia will not accept passports older than 210 days. If Thailand did same that would mean neither myself nor my Thai wife could visit after January 29th 2022.

Like I said earlier this nonsense will never stop

[lapamita]

cant vote, 

thais isolated them selve, keep covid out..it cant bcs due to landboarders

now they double hit  ...failure of goverment action--vaccination--

 

everybody even vaccinated or not will get over time  covid. we just extend the time and lockdowns

 

open without limits and push up vaccination.  or maximum open all for vaccinated  people without limit

we have to live with covid for next xx years

 

all lockdowns and meassures are stupid not only in thai, it many reduce temporary infecction, but not in medium term. the price for all countrys is to high

[alyx]

2 hours ago, mlkik said:

Last year I did the 15 night quarantene in Bangkok and paid ฿40.000 .I have since returned to the UK and had my double vaccination.

In 6 weeks time I am flying direct to Phuket and staying in a 5 star hotel and the cost of that stay and my 3 PCR tests is ฿22.500.

I much prefer the thought of my up coming stay in Phuket to the Bangkok quarantene.

For us long stay visa holders it is a much better way to return home to Thailand.

Agreed but not normal way when one is vaccinated

[drenddy]

Money grab.

Unrealistic, because of incompetence and lack of knowledge.

Disrespectful.

 

 

[Andycoops]

Didn't they say they would shut it down once cases reached a certain level but of course the cases are far in excess of that and to save face they are shuffling along with it.

Pity the silly buggers who want to come and find everything closed.

[Chongalulu]

It’s real purpose is a distraction from the shambles of the vaccination programme and collapse of the tourist trade. A false dawn it was always going to be with no addressing of the fundamentals. Thailand cannot pivot away from tourism thought it may still lose a chunk as a byproduct of the mismanagement. Thais have not got the education system nor skills necessary to substitute for higher tech/knowledge based industries,nor will have - it hasn’t even begun to be addressed so it’s generations away. Mass tourism doesn’t require those skills in any great way so it’s all they’ve realistically got. What industry they have got may also be vulnerable to technical developments elsewhere including AI. The long term outlook with the current mindset is  worrying and the signs are already there

[Aussieroaming]

Sandbox is far better than Bangkok quarantine, that is my personal view after doing Bangkok quarantine. However the scheme won't benefit Phuket until Phuket re-opens to domestic tourism as well. 

[TechnikaIII]

Thai police bid for positions in the Highway Traffic Police because they collect money from traffic offenders who don't want to pay fines.

You can bet the hotels participating in the Sandbox as well as the quaratines were NOT selected on merit, but were 'successful bidders'.

Who did they pay to? ????

Who was running the aution?

Edited August 22, 2021 by TechnikaIII

[Caldera]

It's too complicated and just not worth it for most people, with these regulations they can only attract those who are really desperate to come to Thailand.

 

We can now quantify this group. It does exist, but as suspected by many of us before, it's not millions or hundreds of thousands of members strong.

 

Most people have more viable alternatives. My sister and her family just had a holiday in the Mediterranean - no CoE, no extra insurance, no Covid tests. How much would Phuket's mandatory Covid tests alone cost, for a family of four?

 

All that to holiday on a locked down island where you can't even dine out or have a drink outside of the confines of your room.

[HashBrownHarry]

6 hours ago, mlkik said:

Last year I did the 15 night quarantene in Bangkok and paid ฿40.000 .I have since returned to the UK and had my double vaccination.

In 6 weeks time I am flying direct to Phuket and staying in a 5 star hotel and the cost of that stay and my 3 PCR tests is ฿22.500.

I much prefer the thought of my up coming stay in Phuket to the Bangkok quarantene.

For us long stay visa holders it is a much better way to return home to Thailand.

BINGO