Maybe it's a silly question

[Tayida]

There is a way to know if Phuket Sandboxers are more tourists or expat returning home?

[skatewash]

  I would guess that the majority are expats and Thais returning home and wanting to avoid 14-day hotel quarantine in ASQ/ALQ.  There are some actual tourists though.  There was a statistic released that I can't seem to find again that listed the average number of nights that Sandboxers were staying in Phuket.  If I remember correctly, it was below 14 nights which would indicate that there are genuine tourists because anyone leaving Phuket short of the 14-day requirement can only leave Thailand which would tend to be indicative of a tourist rather than an expat.  Presumably a returning Thai or expat would be staying in Phuket the full 14 days so that they can travel elsewhere in Thailand or stay in Phuket.  

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, skatewash said:

  I would guess that the majority are expats and Thais returning home and wanting to avoid 14-day hotel quarantine in ASQ/ALQ.  There are some actual tourists though.  There was a statistic released that I can't seem to find again that listed the average number of nights that Sandboxers were staying in Phuket.  If I remember correctly, it was below 14 nights which would indicate that there are genuine tourists because anyone leaving Phuket short of the 14-day requirement can only leave Thailand which would tend to be indicative of a tourist rather than an expat.  Presumably a returning Thai or expat would be staying in Phuket the full 14 days so that they can travel elsewhere in Thailand or stay in Phuket.  

True, but of course also tourists can stay over 14 days.

[DrDave]

1 hour ago, skatewash said:

  I would guess that the majority are expats and Thais returning home and wanting to avoid 14-day hotel quarantine in ASQ/ALQ.  There are some actual tourists though.  There was a statistic released that I can't seem to find again that listed the average number of nights that Sandboxers were staying in Phuket.  If I remember correctly, it was below 14 nights which would indicate that there are genuine tourists because anyone leaving Phuket short of the 14-day requirement can only leave Thailand which would tend to be indicative of a tourist rather than an expat.  Presumably a returning Thai or expat would be staying in Phuket the full 14 days so that they can travel elsewhere in Thailand or stay in Phuket.  

Yes, the average number of booked nights in Phuket was 11.

In the first 6 weeks of the sandbox, there was about 20,000 arrivals. I suspect a good percentage were returning expats and Thais, although there doesn't seem to be a way of knowing for sure. Going forward, I would think that more of the arrivals will be tourists as most of the expats and Thais would have already returned during the early part of the program. It'll be interesting to see if the number of arrivals in the last 6 weeks of the program keep pace with the first 6 weeks, which would likely indicate more tourists.

[richard_smith237]

I’m most certainly one of those taking ‘advantage’ (a term I use relatively) of the Sandbox scheme so that I’m not stuck in a hotel room for 15 nights. 

 

I also suspect the vast majority of ‘Sandboxers’ are those returning home rather than genuine tourists. 

 

I also suspect the number of 20,000 in 6 weeks is exaggerated, my guess is that realistically its about 100 per day and not something closer to 500 per day, but of course, I could be wrong, 500 Sandbox arrivals per day just seems to be a stretch).

 

 

 

 

[pagallim]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

I’m most certainly one of those taking ‘advantage’ (a term I use relatively) of the Sandbox scheme so that I’m not stuck in a hotel room for 15 nights. 

 

I also suspect the vast majority of ‘Sandboxers’ are those returning home rather than genuine tourists. 

 

I also suspect the number of 20,000 in 6 weeks is exaggerated, my guess is that realistically its about 100 per day and not something closer to 500 per day, but of course, I could be wrong, 500 Sandbox arrivals per day just seems to be a stretch).

 

 

 

 

There seems to be a reasonably accurate account available of 'Sandbox' arrivals each day (see image).   What is missing of course, are the reciprocal numbers of departures.    I think there's no doubt that having reduced the mandatory 14 days Phuket to 7 with the option of 'corridor' destinations, the numbers actually choosing to remain in Phuket will decrease.  The last week has certainly seen a decline in the overall numbers of international arrivals, which given August and September are the real depth of the 'low season' is not to be unexpected.   Given the latest decision of the UK to red list Thailand and thus mandatory (and hotel to be paid) quarantine on return, could be a significant impact.   Of course, the acceptance of the Russian vaccine as 'acceptable' could have an impact on Russian arrival numbers, but of course there have to be the flights to justify them.

[khunPer]

TAT will have the correct answer about actual number of quality tourists, but there might also be others arriving, as a number of ASEAN NOW-members - and members of other forums - have posted that they used Phukets Sandbox as alternative to alternative quarantine...????

[Karma80]

The question should actually be, if the people coming to the sandbox are:

 

1. Short term = People on vacation in the traditional sense with real return flights they intend to make back.

2. Long term = People arriving on tourist visas/waiver with the intention of trying to stay in Thailand for a longer stay. Covid extensions, changing to "ahem" educational/volunteer visa, or transitioning to a legit longer term visa.

3. Expats, PR & Thai citizens = People with retirement visas, Elite visa, work permits and make a usual home in Thailand.

 

The sandbox is the defacto best way to serve quarantine entry requirements back to Thailand for many who don't want to endure 2 weeks locked in room. Of the above, I see the first group in the minority and then split 2 & 3. 

 

There isn't a lot to do in Phuket right now as a tourist. The Bangkok post article says this morning that many foreign consuls are reporting that tourists coming to Phuket feel deceived. I like living in Phuket, but I'd feel the same if I came here as a legit short term tourist.

[hioctane]

13 hours ago, Karma80 said:

The question should actually be, if the people coming to the sandbox are:

 

1. Short term = People on vacation in the traditional sense with real return flights they intend to make back.

2. Long term = People arriving on tourist visas/waiver with the intention of trying to stay in Thailand for a longer stay. Covid extensions, changing to "ahem" educational/volunteer visa, or transitioning to a legit longer term visa.

3. Expats, PR & Thai citizens = People with retirement visas, Elite visa, work permits and make a usual home in Thailand.

 

The sandbox is the defacto best way to serve quarantine entry requirements back to Thailand for many who don't want to endure 2 weeks locked in room. Of the above, I see the first group in the minority and then split 2 & 3. 

 

There isn't a lot to do in Phuket right now as a tourist. The Bangkok post article says this morning that many foreign consuls are reporting that tourists coming to Phuket feel deceived. I like living in Phuket, but I'd feel the same if I came here as a legit short term tourist.

I am group 1 so I must be i.ln the minority.

 

I take anything the media says with a grain of salt. They like to sensationalize with clicks. I am following all the Sandbox groups on Facebook to keep up to date with all the news so I know what to expect. A majority of the tourists from the groups were extremely happy. Of course, the tourists that are unhappy might not have done any research and expected things to be the way they were prepandemic.

[Karma80]

On 8/30/2021 at 11:01 PM, hioctane said:

I am group 1 so I must be i.ln the minority.

 

I take anything the media says with a grain of salt. They like to sensationalize with clicks. I am following all the Sandbox groups on Facebook to keep up to date with all the news so I know what to expect. A majority of the tourists from the groups were extremely happy. Of course, the tourists that are unhappy might not have done any research and expected things to be the way they were prepandemic.

I'm not sure if you are in Phuket or not yet. I hope you do have a good vacation here. A tourist free Phuket is a unique experience.

 

It's certainly nothing like pre-covid times. But as long as you don't believe the marketing fluff and understand the reality of the islands significant challenges being faced, there is much to enjoy.

[hioctane]

14 minutes ago, Karma80 said:

I'm not sure if you are in Phuket or not yet. I hope you do have a good vacation here. A tourist free Phuket is a unique experience.

 

It's certainly nothing like pre-covid times. But as long as you don't believe the marketing fluff and understand the reality of the islands significant challenges being faced, there is much to enjoy.

I am returning in October. I have been following the situation closely. I know what to expect.

[patongphil]

7 hours ago, hioctane said:

I am returning in October. I have been following the situation closely. I know what to expect.

My only question would be WHY?

[sallecc]

14 hours ago, patongphil said:

My only question would be WHY?

Why oh why... Maybe he just miss the place and haven't been here a long time ... Maybe he wants to enjoy Phuket without mass tourism, traffic jams and hordes of Chinese everywhere... I've seen those FB Sandbox groups he mentioned, many of them are genuinely happy just to chill on the beach and just missed the place.

 

There's 8 billion people on this planet, so many different preferences and choices... I lived in KL & SG and also visited them often, now it's almost 2 years and I can't wait for them to reopen, even just to stroll down a bit and eat favorite snacks... My sister can't wait for her autumn break to run away from cold Europe to Thailand.

[Espanol]

15 hours ago, patongphil said:

My only question would be WHY?

I bet he has residence or family in Thailand. 

[patongphil]

1 hour ago, Espanol said:

I bet he has residence or family in Thailand. 

He quite clearly states that he is in Category  1. Short term = People on vacation in the traditional sense with real return flights they intend to make back.

 

Didn't you read his post?

[Ralf001]

On 8/30/2021 at 9:30 AM, Karma80 said:

The question should actually be, if the people coming to the sandbox are:

 

1. Short term = People on vacation in the traditional sense with real return flights they intend to make back.

2. Long term = People arriving on tourist visas/waiver with the intention of trying to stay in Thailand for a longer stay. Covid extensions, changing to "ahem" educational/volunteer visa, or transitioning to a legit longer term visa.

3. Expats, PR & Thai citizens = People with retirement visas, Elite visa, work permits and make a usual home in Thailand.

 

The sandbox is the defacto best way to serve quarantine entry requirements back to Thailand for many who don't want to endure 2 weeks locked in room. Of the above, I see the first group in the minority and then split 2 & 3. 

 

There isn't a lot to do in Phuket right now as a tourist. The Bangkok post article says this morning that many foreign consuls are reporting that tourists coming to Phuket feel deceived. I like living in Phuket, but I'd feel the same if I came here as a legit short term tourist.

4. Business men here for meetings.

 

I know 6 Japanese guys currently sandboxing, they will be released next Tuesday. Meetings here at my work Thursday and Friday and Saturday they fly back to Japan.

[1FinickyOne]

20 minutes ago, patongphil said:

Didn't you read his post?

I tried making sense of it - it was a statement with a question mark at the end - you surely found more than I did there... 

[richard_smith237]

On 8/27/2021 at 8:46 PM, richard_smith237 said:

I’m most certainly one of those taking ‘advantage’ (a term I use relatively) of the Sandbox scheme so that I’m not stuck in a hotel room for 15 nights. 

 

I also suspect the vast majority of ‘Sandboxers’ are those returning home rather than genuine tourists. 

 

I also suspect the number of 20,000 in 6 weeks is exaggerated, my guess is that realistically its about 100 per day and not something closer to 500 per day, but of course, I could be wrong, 500 Sandbox arrivals per day just seems to be a stretch).

 

 

I’m thinking I was wrong. The Flight I arrived in on (Qatar Airways) was busy. 

The flight was busy, and carrying an estimated 240 people, the flight attendants told me most of the Qatar Airways flights arriving each day in Qatar are like this.

The staff at Phuket airport also told m few 100 people exit each flight from other airlines. 

 

Thus: 500 arrivals per day - very believable (having arrived myself).

 

 

[Espanol]

I arrived yesterday to Phuket on Qatar Airways. 

Plane was about 30/40% occupied. 

But after Phuket it continued fly to Kuala Lumpur, so I don't know how many of them were staying in Phuket. But airport health control was really busy.