Phuket Sandbox is failing foreign tourists: tourism official

[webfact]

REUTERS file photo for reference only

 

Following the initial optimism coming out of Phuket in southern Thailand the Thai media is now digging in its claws.

 

The honeymoon is well and truly over and now the island needs to deliver.

 

Manager quoted Thanet Tantiphiriyakij of the Phuket Tourism Business Association as saying that the rise in cases on the island was all internal and nothing to do with foreigners coming in who were all subject to being double vaxxed and having banks of tests.

 

He called for movement from outside to be relaxed so that the economy could continue to grow.

 

Fellow tourist business spokeswoman Chernporn Kanchanasaya said that the health authorities need to reassess in September and get more people vaccinated including children.

 

The "Smart Checkpoint" land border plan needs to be up and running by October to encourage people to travel.

 

Meanwhile elsewhere in the Thai media came a damning assessment from tourism advisor Sarayuth Mallam who said "farang" had told him that they had been conned into coming to Phuket. 

 

He spoke of visitors being unable to travel to places like Krabi and Koh Phi Phi because of onerous swab tests on return to Phuket. 

 

Consequently they were not making onward bookings.

 

He said that he had received complaints from tourists that not only could they not move around as promised but it was ridiculous that they could not get a beer or a glass of wine. 

 

Foreigners had said that they were misled into thinking that Phuket was really open when in reality it was not.

 

But he said that the Sandbox needs to remain or the island would have no tourists in October high season.

 

All along the Sandbox was designed to use Phuket  and visiting tourists like guinea pigs for a bigger reopening and more money come the fourth quarter, suggests ASEAN NOW.

 

Without this income the scheme will be looked on as a pilot that did okay for a while but ultimately failed. 

 

Sarayuth said that if the Sandbox ends that will be the death knell for Phuket. 

 

They need Bangkok tourists and the Chinese and Europeans in large numbers to survive. 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2021-08-30

 

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[Geoffggi]

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

He said that he had received complaints from tourists that not only could they not move around as promised but it was ridiculous that they could not get a beer or a glass of wine. 

This is the information that needs to be reported in foreign countries and not the bull TAT are spinning..!!

[ikke1959]

Yeah...it happens if you make promises and can not fulfill them.. Thailand/Phuket doesn't understand tourism... I wrote it before ... Tourists want freedom, relax and enjoy life and not being confronted with many rules that changes time to time and false promises.. The lies of the Sandbox is debit to this.. But it is still a success....

[Cake Monster]

22 minutes ago, webfact said:

Foreigners had said that they were misled into thinking that Phuket was really open when in reality it was not.

Well who would have thunk that ?

I guess BS really does baffle Brains where some people are concerned

[ezzra]

7 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

Well who would have thunk that ?

I guess BS really does baffle Brains where some people are concerned

Imagine if the y had the truth about Phuket who would have come? some probably would but only those who care about the beaches and the views, but anyone who thought that bars restaurants and other places of fun would be open got very disappointed, and i know, i just been there...

[Scrotobike]

Infighting in the sand box - samd everywhere

 

Of course the numbers will fall as all the pent up demand for getting into Thailand without 2s week hotelprison has been satisfied (Thais returning, visitors returning "home" to Thailand) and a few tourists. So now just the few tourists, lowered by the red listing in the UK.

 

The diversion of vaccines from the sick and elderly has resulted in no benefit to tourism but did create unnecessary deaths.

Stupid.

[WEBBYB808]

Winning!

[smedly]

like I said a few days ago - they are not throwing too many numbers around like they were 4 weeks ago - I wonder why 

 

all fortold on the oracle of this forum 

 

red tape directed squarely at fully vaccinated foreigners only - they got it the wrong way round 

 

Vaccination of the Thai population with "effective" vaccines is the only way out of this - there are no shortcuts 

 

There is no reason why fully vaccinated tourists should not come to Thailand, that is not an issue - the issue is "what has Thailand got to offer" everything is closed down and now the added complication of Thailand now a red zone - the one key factor that it all comes down too is this governments spectacular failure when it comes to vaccines - they don't have enough and a lot of what they have has little impact on delta  

[Andy65]

In fact, i am here right now. its better than the quarantine in Bangkok, so i don't complain.  I didn't expect so many shops and restaurants being closed. For tourists, at the moment, why would they come here. Europe is closer, more open, and still summer there. Tourist attractions in Phuket are closed, hard to find restaurants. No alcohol served. So they can stay at their resort and enjoy the beach. At least they could allow to serve drinks in the Hotel for Hotel guests. My opinion: the virus is here in Thailand, the low number of infection coming from outside doesn't justify the q14, 15 or 16 days quarantine anymore. They should open more for travelers, make the quarantine shorter for vaccinated people. Lower the number of tests (total of 4 test within 16 days= 300$) this is a waste tests for those instead of using them for local hotspots. Put more effort in delivering vaccine to the Thai people, this will help. 

[Mickeymaus]

If they want to travel at Covid times it is naive to expect a normal holiday. On top of it they might have problems to travel back to their home countries because of changing regulations or even cancelled flights (we had all this already last year). And if they test positive for Covid in the foreign country it might get an unforgettable holiday experience... 

[petermik]

Why don,t they openly admit...sorry chaps the sandbox will be open to adjustments as and when we see fit....if you don,t like it tough.....in the meantime enjoy your stay.

[smedly]

I am surprised at the lack of knowledge and understanding they have of western tourists for some reason they got confused and thought they were Chinese that can be ferried around like lemings and generally ripped off 

 

Western tourists are free thinking people, they don't do well with restrictions and being steered around and told what to do especially when it comes to vaccations, you might get away with that with the Chinese but you are on a serious looser with a western tourist, they cannot be tamed into Chinese lapdogs - you got that seriously wrong 

 

AS it turns out and said on these forums many times - Phuket offered a marginal improvement on ASQ - that is all it was 

[petermik]

Holidays are limited item to many working people (30 days in the UK but usually only 14 days taken off at any one time) and need planning months beforehand booking suitable flights and hotels etc. to have the goalposts changed and restrictions put on what you can and cannot do once you arrive is suicidal....but do the authorities care?

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Without this income the scheme will be looked on as a pilot that did okay for a while but ultimately failed. 

They "did okay for a while", when foreign expats used the sandbox as a more pleasant quarantine; some had even been waiting for the sandbox to open. Real tourists were most likely limited in numbers from the beginning, and fully understandable that some, perhaps many, of the few real tourists were disappointed, as Phuket was not at all as an usual tourist holiday - if I were a tourist there, I would also have been disappointed.

[khunPer]

48 minutes ago, Andy65 said:

In fact, i am here right now. its better than the quarantine in Bangkok, so i don't complain.  I didn't expect so many shops and restaurants being closed. For tourists, at the moment, why would they come here. Europe is closer, more open, and still summer there. Tourist attractions in Phuket are closed, hard to find restaurants. No alcohol served. So they can stay at their resort and enjoy the beach. At least they could allow to serve drinks in the Hotel for Hotel guests. My opinion: the virus is here in Thailand, the low number of infection coming from outside doesn't justify the q14, 15 or 16 days quarantine anymore. They should open more for travelers, make the quarantine shorter for vaccinated people. Lower the number of tests (total of 4 test within 16 days= 300$) this is a waste tests for those instead of using them for local hotspots. Put more effort in delivering vaccine to the Thai people, this will help. 

Very well said...????

[ThailandRyan]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile elsewhere in the Thai media came a damning assessment from tourism advisor Sarayuth Mallam who said "farang" had told him that they had been conned into coming to Phuket. 

 

He spoke of visitors being unable to travel to places like Krabi and Koh Phi Phi because of onerous swab tests on return to Phuket. 

 

Consequently they were not making onward bookings.

Well well well, how the worm has turned.  Seems that the 150k visitirs by years end that was dropped from 3 million may be even too many as Phuket saw a mass exodus of British folks, many who had just arrived, in order to return home before the mandatory quarantines started in the UK.  Then add in the expanding cases  reported for Phuket and one wonders how many were vaccinated prior to becoming infected.  There are many folks who see the sandbox as succeeding, but now there are even officials who are taking a step back it appears.  I wish the tourism for the country much luck, but as of now and my guess will be until a year from now we may only be seeing domestic tourism with the restrictions they have just lifted and the advent of green cards and yellow cards being needed.

[khunPer]

Many, if not most, European tourists would earlier, befor Covid, take their two weeks holiday on Phuket and hardly commute out of the island, apart from some tours to for example Phi Phi and James Bond Island-area, and like. I'm not sure if the opening to move on was, and is, so important to real tourists - but it certainly is for expats that use the sandbox a more pleasant quarantine - I recall the panic when domestic travelling suddenltly became limited, and demand for special minibusses up north. I know lors of Phuket tourists, many coming back year after year, and they never been up to Bangkok, nor had the interest to head up there.

 

What's important to real tourists is however to enjoy the holiday, which for Europeans - and probably most Westerners - often is similar to a little better life-style than everyday at home; i.e. enjoy a nice dinner with a glass of wine or a beer, a drink in the afternoon and eventual in the evening after dinner - now they don't need to think about who is going to drive home, and therefore shall not enjoy a drink - and some level of excitement that can be tours in the area and entertainment at night, not necessary beer bars, but for example a cabaret show - that's not what you find in everyday's Europe - or "amazing" classic Thai dance and music, or anything else that is different from European culture and cannot be found at home...????

[DrMJA]

It was a SCAM-Box from the start. Everyone living on the island knew it as did the government. The only ones prospering … HiSo wealthy hotels owners and their families. Shame on you Phuket HiSo shame on you!  

[connda]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

"farang" had told him that they had been conned into coming to Phuket. 

 

He spoke of visitors being unable to travel to places like Krabi and Koh Phi Phi because of onerous swab tests on return to Phuket. 

 

Consequently they were not making onward bookings.

 

He said that he had received complaints from tourists that not only could they not move around as promised but it was ridiculous that they could not get a beer or a glass of wine. 

Honestly - Cavet Emptor - Buyer Beware.

Anyone who fails to do the due diligence of investigating the conditions on the ground in the country they are traveling too deserve exactly what they get. 
"We were conned!!!"
By whom?  No farang tourist, you failed to use the resources on the internet to look into the reality as opposed to the spin.  Did you enjoy your "Sandbox" vacation?  No?  That's your fault.  You could have booked a flight to Mexico where you can sit on the beach with a beer as well as to enter the country without all the regulatory hassles and expense.

"But but but, we ❤️ Thailand!"
Fools.  Up to you.  Don't complain then.

[sezze]

The only difference is staying quarantine on  a island vs quarantine inside room . It gives more legroom , but that is the difference . The sandbox will never be a success , that is a fact . Do people want to travel , sure . As long as the list of requirements are easy to get by ( a no for Thailand ) , and local infection numbers are low also ( another no for Thailand ) and last but not least , have something to do back there ( and again a no for Thailand ) . Why would anybody without business/family/relative come there right now , i really can't see it ...

[RafPinto]

Soon new sandboxes opening/ as mentioned by a friend.

Soi Cowboy feel good sandbox

Soi 6 happy time back sandbox

Nana forever sandbox

[connda]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

I wish the tourism for the country much luck, but as of now and my guess will be until a year from now we may only be seeing domestic tourism with the restrictions they have just lifted and the advent of green cards and yellow cards being needed.

If they push Covid Passports and antigen testing, they will not be getting the domestic tourism either. 
This is just a fact of life --> Most Thais and let's not even talk about Joe (End-of-the-line) Farang are not going to have two vaccinations by the time that the October to December High Season starts no less ends - no fault of there own. 
But I bet odds on that the Thai government will do just that.  The Power-elite can not help themselves. What good is ultimate power when you can't wield it? 

Although there are now signs that a few of the power-brokers in government and corporate businesses are beginning to wake up to the fact that enforced Covid Passports and mandatory testing of employees will wreak the economy.  The first rule of business is to "Stay in Business."  Covid Passport mandates and forced periodic antigen testing (at 200 to 300 THB a pop) are economically unsustainable for most businesses. The antigen testing alone will destroy the businesses operating on razor thin profit margins like restaurants.

And then come the Hot Season they'll look back on the failed 2021 High Season (just like the failed Phuket Sandbox) and blame everyone but themselves.  It will be interesting to see who prevails - The ministerial power freaks or the economists and monied interests who have been bleeding revenues and profits since the Songkran/Thong Lor Nationwide Virus Release debacle.  Time will tell. 

Edited August 30, 2021 by connda

[coxo]

"October High Season", did I hear right, I guess prices are going up.....

[ThailandRyan]

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my.  Space crafts being launched and landing on the moon, Indians arriving in droves, Submarines being launched in the bay, protests daily to run out this government, lack of PCR testing being done, schools to be opened up by November, and of course restrictions being relaxed.  Was the Sandbox really anything more than an open area ASQ with people returning to Thailand for business, returning home, the snow birds returning, the media and bloggers coming and then how many true tourists were there.  My ex-wife and daughter returned through the sandbox in order to get back to see mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, and check on the new house being built, they then returned back to whence they came.  Sure they enjoyed the Sandbox, and yes they would not have come back for 8 weeks had they had to stay in Bangkok in an ASQ.  I believe it was a success for some, but much was made about vaccinating the residents and yet cases are expanding daily around the Island.  Covid is here to stay and what has been learned so far....just a rhetorical question....

[IamNoone88]

Too many external factors were always out of Phuket's control from day one. The initial surge was returnees and now they are back. They won't get China, Hong Kong, SIngapore, Australian, New Zealand, Japan, Korean, UK visitors anytime soon - those countries have strict return quarantine from Thailand. The US has issued a travel warning. Open up the Phuket borders and lets get on with domestic business. It is the only chance the island has and it was sacrificed at the expense of a couple of hundred international travelers per day to shoe horn into local hotels at the expense of the rest of the economy. Make land arrivals vaxxed and PCR tested that is good for 10 days, entry and exit from the date of issue of the test. 

[khunpa]

If me I would focus on domestic tourism to get Phuket and the other tourist destinations back to life.

 

E.g. Offer cheap holiday packages with a free covid test and vacation before arrival. Then offer the last vaccination on site before returning back home.

 

Once you have domestic tourism running, you then open up to foreigners and it will be a more “normal” holiday experience.

 

Of course this would require Government investment, but it would be worth it in the long run.

[xtrnuno41]

Everything is closed, streets are empty, then where you get 162 cases/day from?

Now it turns out sandbox scheme is sandbox scam. I wonder what more changes will come to sandbox 2.0.

O, just red, In thephuketnews it is on a way to a complete breakdown.

Edited August 30, 2021 by xtrnuno41
additional text

[ThailandRyan]

25 minutes ago, khunpa said:

If me I would focus on domestic tourism to get Phuket and the other tourist destinations back to life.

 

E.g. Offer cheap holiday packages with a free covid test and vacation before arrival. Then offer the last vaccination on site before returning back home.

 

Once you have domestic tourism running, you then open up to foreigners and it will be a more “normal” holiday experience.

 

Of course this would require Government investment, but it would be worth it in the long run.

That is an awesome Idea and any country in desperate need of restarting their tourism could see it as a win win. Unfortunately Thailand would refuse to spend the money and make everyone pay for it themselves, oh wait they are....well not the vaccinations that are moving slowly, but you get my point.

[newnative]

  Everything needs to be open with no restrictions and only proof of full vaccination required.  Either open that way or stay closed.  

[Andy65]

26 minutes ago, khunpa said:

If me I would focus on domestic tourism to get Phuket and the other tourist destinations back to life.

 

E.g. Offer cheap holiday packages with a free covid test and vacation before arrival. Then offer the last vaccination on site before returning back home.

 

Once you have domestic tourism running, you then open up to foreigners and it will be a more “normal” holiday experience.

 

Of course this would require Government investment, but it would be worth it in the long run.

Phuket is open for domestic tourists. Just need to fulfill the requirements and find a way to get here.