Krabi eyes 500k Russian tourists, despite dual pricing concerns

[webfact]

Picture: Channel 7

 

Special advisor to the Royal Thai Police Pol Lt-Gen Surachate Hakpan made another appearance this time in Krabi where he received a petition for the government from local operators.

 

Sasithorn Kittithorakun, chair of a local tourism business association, operators and Krabi medical personnel presented a letter calling for the government to speed up vaccination of 500,000 people in the area.

 

They want to make sure they get the chance to welcome up to half a million Russians and other former socialist republic countries who have been vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine.

 

Channel 7 said this group of potential tourists were the second largest for Krabi and Phangnga (presumably after Scandinavians).

 

Surachate has been on a whistle stop tour of the south reminiscent of his time as deputy of the tourist police and commander of the Immigration Bureau before he was dumped, then reinstated, by Thai PM Prayuth Chan-ocha.

 

Surachate spoke of the "final bend" before October reopening to foreign tourism saying his contacts in the south with operators indicated everyone wanted the country to open up to foreign tourism ASAP.

 

Meanwhile Phangnga operators want the government to step in after concerns that foreigners were being charged 8,000 baht and Thais 500 baht for tests. This was creating further aggravation and hindering efforts to get the diving business off the ground.

 

Nanthida Atiset, vice-president of foreign affairs at the Phuket TBA, said that slowdowns in Sandbox tourism arrivals were being caused by foreigners unable to get Covid-19 insurance after the government declared Phuket a risky zone and advised against travel there.

 

The areas of Phuket with infection and those being used to house tourists need to be clearly identified as separate entities by the government, she said, to create tourism confidence. 

 

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[ezzra]

Don't you find it amusing that those guys talks in hundreds of thousands and millions of tourist coming in but in actual fact less than 1% of those wild dream-on numbers actually materialized?...

[Scrotobike]

 I keep eying the gold in Fort Knox, but as with 500,000,000,000 (oops becoming TAT) tourists, I have no idea how and no chance.

[grain]

29 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Don't you find it amusing that those guys talks in hundreds of thousands and millions of tourist coming in but in actual fact less than 1% of those wild dream-on numbers actually materialized?...

When you see them discussing tourist projections it's always only in terms of anticipated income, anticipated amounts spent per head. They never seem to take into account that these tourists are human beings that should be treated kindly and given protection from the ever increasing local criminal elements, and given medical treatment when required without patting their hands together with glee and seeing an ill or injured foreigner as someone to be financially gutted.

[kevin612]

Thailand kicked me out last month and didn’t give me an extension. I am very disappointed each immigration office has its own policy. Anyway,

maybe they want money under the table.

[Geoffggi]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile Phangnga operators want the government to step in after concerns that foreigners were being charged 8,000 baht and Thais 500 baht for tests. This was creating further aggravation and hindering efforts to get the diving business off the ground.

Dual pricing is endemic in Thailand and has been as long as I can remember, the only reason being GREED !!!

[khunPer]

So half a million Russians are expected to come to Krabi during the pandemic, I wish it's true, but I'm afraid that they borrowed a TAT-calculator...????

[phetphet]

500K? Better start ordering in the vodka.

[mr_lob]

8000 vs 500 baht. They have NO shame

[crazykopite]

Where can I buy one of there calculators 

[berrec]

17 minutes ago, mr_lob said:

8000 vs 500 baht. They have NO shame

Good old Thai traditions never fade even in a COVID pandemic crises; rip off foreigners at every opportunity.

 

It's a national sporting pastime for most Thais. 

[Mickmouse1]

Well, Those Russians started fkying into Sharm & Hurgheda since last month.

No intention to go further East.

Keep dreaming!!

Wiz Luv from Dahab.

[Mickmouse1]

53 minutes ago, phetphet said:

500K? Better start ordering in the vodka.

Wishful thinking 

[Pedrogaz]

I think dual pricing will come under pressure if prospective tourists get to know about it. They will probably be kept in the dark. Time for foreign governments to step in and advise people about this fraud.

[Benmart]

Repeating past greedy behavior and expecting different results. A failure in the making.

[DrMJA]

LOL, remember the 600,000 in 3 months for Phuket's SCAM-Box..., and here I thought mind alliterating drugs were against the law in Thailand. 

The Muppet show goes on, and on, and on ....

[stigar]

Here we go again.Oh my buddha.

[rupa]

Big Joke is back in business 555

[cheapcanuck]

For a test that cost 300 Baht to do. Someone is getting rich charging 8000 Baht. Times that by 3 tests needed to be cleared to travel in Thailand. Then times that by 500,000 expected tourists and you get life changing numbers for the collectors. 

[aussienam]

49 minutes ago, mr_lob said:

8000 vs 500 baht. They have NO shame

Aw come on. You know the usual saying "Farang rich". And that is topped off with virtue signaling wealthy 'show-off' farangs who actually condone it too.  

I mean, it's only 16 x times more expensive for a farang!   

It's just another subtle way of extortion.  No plastic bags used this way though.  

[TheFishman1]

They have no shame amazing Thailand TIT

[Khun Yogi]

3 hours ago, ezzra said:

Don't you find it amusing that those guys talks in hundreds of thousands and millions of tourist coming in but in actual fact less than 1% of those wild dream-on numbers actually materialized?...

Another pipe dream and all people in Thailand are getting sick of this bull-----t.

[ronster]

Thought Aeroflot has suspended flights to Thailand .

Why only half a million ? Go big and just say 5 million as it’s as believable an amount likely to come in next year ! ????

[BobinBKK]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

foreigners were being charged 8,000 baht and Thais 500 baht for tests

It's not only these tests, there's a lot of dual pricing on many other things. I have ABSOLUTLY ZERO respect for these despicable cockroaches, PERIOD!!!

[herfiehandbag]

1 hour ago, mr_lob said:

8000 vs 500 baht. They have NO shame

They just can't help themselves can they? That is not dual pricing, that is 16 times pricing!

 

Next we will hear that they are trying to ponce Sputnik vaccines of the Russians.

 

Surely there are enough in bemedalled senior goons scratching around in the various sandpits to put a stop to this - surely they realise how such rampant overcharging will screw any such project, or are they blinded by the thought of what their share of 7,500 x 500,000 will be?

[PETERTHEEATER]

1 hour ago, khunPer said:

So half a million Russians are expected to come to Krabi during the pandemic, I wish it's true, but I'm afraid that they borrowed a TAT-calculator...????

The airport does not have the capacity to handle this number and it is recommended that the tourists are parachuted in from Russian air force transport aircraft.......

[ChrisKC]

Inexorably working towards Plan Z

 

Then Back to the Drawing Board

[Smokey and the Bandit]

Why do they do this, again and again. don't they realize how stupid the look???

[Sydebolle]

Удачи Таиланду и Краби

[spidermike007]

They mistakenly added two extra zeroes. What they meant, and what is likely to happen, is they will get 5,000 Russian tourists, if all restrictions are lifted, and an adult in the room acknowledges that any incoming tourists, who have been fully vaccinated with any vaccine other than the Sinovac, and have been tested, are taking an infinitely greater risk by coming here, than any Thai is taking by being around them.

 

So, who are the zombies now?