File photo: REUTERS

 

The chief of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) has put the biggest stick yet in the spokes  of Prayuth Chan-ocha's 120 day reopening plan.

 

The Thai PM wanted the country opened by the middle of next month to foreign tourists in many areas.

 

His plan was criticized as ambitious in some quarters, utterly unrealistic in others.

 

His pronouncements came back in June as the country began to battle a massive third wave of infections caused by Covid-19. But still the PM insisted his plan was viable and that locally produced vaccine would save the day.

 

ATTA chief Sittiwat Chiwarattanaporn begs to differ on virtually all counts.

 

In a wide ranging interview with Thai business media he said that the Phuket Sandbox and associated plans were a fair start but numbers were very low.

 

There just wasn't the market among inbound foreigners.

 

He said that what the authorities failed to understand was that it was not just about Thailand's tourism readiness.

 

It was about all the countries tourists would come from. They all had their rules and their economic woes.

 

China, for instance, was just non-existent as a tourism market at the moment due to travel restrictions. 

 

Sittiwat said he could see no positive signs in regards to the return of foreign tourists this year.

 

He predicted that it would be Quarter 4 next year before there would be any marked improvement in inbound tourism.

 

Operators would have to get used to that reality and make do with what they could with the domestic market in the meantime. 

 

He called for greater clarity from the government about their reopening plans and a greater accent on getting at least 70% of the country vaccinated to create a so-called herd immunity. 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2021-09-02

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

6 minutes ago, webfact said:

In a wide ranging interview with Thai business media he said that the Phuket Sandbox and associated plans were a fair start but numbers were very low.

 

There just wasn't the market among inbound foreigners.

there might have been without all the senseless red tape and stupid rules directed only at fully vaccinated foreigners

 

I assume arrivals have now died out since they have gone silent and are now trying to resume domestic tourism unfortunately with more stupid rules - they just won't learn will they

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

He called for greater clarity from the government about their reopening plans and a greater accent on getting at least 70% of the country vaccinated to create a so-called herd immunity. 

herd immunity has now been generally ruled out by western experts - not possible with this virus, the consensus now is that every person will get this virus at least once

19 minutes ago, webfact said:

In a wide ranging interview with Thai business media he said that the Phuket Sandbox and associated plans were a fair start but numbers were very low.

 

There just wasn't the market among inbound foreigners.

 

He said that what the authorities failed to understand was that it was not just about Thailand's tourism readiness.

 

It was about all the countries tourists would come from. They all had their rules and their economic woes.

 

China, for instance, was just non-existent as a tourism market at the moment due to travel restrictions. 

This guys gets it.

 

Mass tourism is over for the foreseeable future. 

25 minutes ago, webfact said:

Sittiwat said he could see no positive signs in regards to the return of foreign tourists this year.

Seems to be a very sensible man. Finally someone not out of touch with reality. 

Why can't they all use the same glass ball ????

This kind of truth and reality will just bounce off the amour of the general (personal not the CCP paper tanks)

 

 

A sensible, realistic assessment of the current situation.

 

How odd.

Makes sense, actually makes good sense...????

The T(w)AT will be along any time now to refute this and promise 100M visitors generating 10 trillion baht by Christmas. 

I'll try to come in Q1 next year and I promise to spend at least 10,000 baht 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The chief of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA)

TAT and ATTA - wonder if they have a People's Front of Judea and Judean People's front type fued ? 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The Thai PM wanted the country opened by the middle of next month to foreign tourists in many areas.

What the PM wants is somewhat irrelevant

 

I have 2 British friends, who live in Birmingham (England). They are 60y old, well-off, fully-vaccinated and retired ( = they have time on their hands, and so they're not worried about [self-]quarantining, if that were necessary after a trip). They are *really* well-travelled internationally, and they are open to the idea of travelling internationally again "sometime". 

 

There were considering their Autumn 2021 holiday-travel plans, and they thought that they were ***really*** "pushing-the-boat-out" by booking a 1-week holiday to London (England). 

No  -  they're not thinking of travelling abroad/to South-East Asia/to Thailand for a holiday at-this-time/this year; and I would think that *very* few are.

 

3 hours ago, smedly said:

herd immunity has now been generally ruled out by western experts - not possible with this virus, the consensus now is that every person will get this virus at least once

Well the whole idea that this nightmare is going away anytime soon is nonsense, and with that the idea that mass tourism is going to restart with it.

 

My fully vaccinated wife just went down with covid pneumonia.

Yes she will recover and unlikely to need to be hospitalized. But this is just how it appears it is, with variants spreading across the planet, the travel restrictions are going to be in a constant state of flux for years.

 

With my wifes experience I'm kinda at the point to believe  it either burns itself out, or this is our new normal.

 

Neither of those scenarios bode well for the quick return to tourism as normal

 

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

He predicted that it would be Quarter 4 next year before there would be any marked improvement in inbound tourism.

That's gonna rock the boat.

4 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

This guys gets it.

 

Mass tourism is over for the foreseeable future. 

He's gonna get it.... 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

In a wide ranging interview with Thai business media he said that the Phuket Sandbox and associated plans were a fair start but numbers were very low.

I wondered why we hadn't seen any airport pics lately showing thousands of tourists flooding in.

This is the first realistic view of the situation I have heard from anybody who has a position of Authority.

Unfortunately , it will probably be his Swan Song, as telling the truth about the situation and not lying through your teeth is not in the script.

I have several friends who would love to come to Thailand this year. Pretty much all are fully vaccinated and they tend to spend way too much money!  However they will not endure a quarantine, mandatory overpriced covid insurance and repeated covid tests after entering the country not to mention having to install tracking software on their phones and having to navigate a complicated COE process. 

You have to ask, what are they trying to protect the country from? The horse has already left the barn! Look at the Phuket sandbox statistics. Extremely few positive tests. All varients are already here or will be and cannot be kept out. The high risk people are the thousands of illegal, unvaccinated  workers not the vaccinated tourists.

Why do they not understand that the covid spread is not coming from fully vaccinated tourists but from locals? Lighten up, just require normal entry controls with proof of vaccination and a single covid negative test and the tourists would start returning.

Even in the USA all that is required is a negative test within 3 days of travel for most.

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The chief of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA)

TAT and ATTA - wonder if they have a People's Front of Judea and Judean People's front type fued ? 

Splitters!

With the expensive laundry list of Entry requirements you can bet the tourist number will be non existent.  No brainer

3 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Well the whole idea that this nightmare is going away anytime soon is nonsense, and with that the idea that mass tourism is going to restart with it.

 

My fully vaccinated wife just went down with covid pneumonia.

Yes she will recover and unlikely to need to be hospitalized. But this is just how it appears it is, with variants spreading across the planet, the travel restrictions are going to be in a constant state of flux for years.

 

With my wifes experience I'm kinda at the point to believe  it either burns itself out, or this is our new normal.

 

Neither of those scenarios bode well for the quick return to tourism as normal

 

 

Sorry to hear that. May I ask which vaccine she got? 

2 hours ago, onekoolguy said:

I have several friends who would love to come to Thailand this year. Pretty much all are fully vaccinated and they tend to spend way too much money!  However they will not endure a quarantine, mandatory overpriced covid insurance and repeated covid tests after entering the country not to mention having to install tracking software on their phones and having to navigate a complicated COE process. 

You have to ask, what are they trying to protect the country from? The horse has already left the barn! Look at the Phuket sandbox statistics. Extremely few positive tests. All varients are already here or will be and cannot be kept out. The high risk people are the thousands of illegal, unvaccinated  workers not the vaccinated tourists.

Why do they not understand that the covid spread is not coming from fully vaccinated tourists but from locals? Lighten up, just require normal entry controls with proof of vaccination and a single covid negative test and the tourists would start returning.

Even in the USA all that is required is a negative test within 3 days of travel for most.

You sir have laid exactly the argument ive tried to get a handle on. Im dismayed at all the negativity (from farangs no less) from this and many many other posts covering the sandboxes and “fear” of incoming arrivals.  I wish the thai government would read these posts to get a guage and a common sense approach in saving LOS

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

I wondered why we hadn't seen any airport pics lately showing thousands of tourists flooding in.

No, but there was just one posted in a recent aseannow post  in the airport of a farang and his lady NOT wearing a mask getting temperature checked. Whiskey tango foxtrot ….

Truth for a change..easy if you try and the will is there...Next Year..yes...err Maybe...if..but No more witch doctors style fairytales please ..it just dosnt help..and tends to insinuate..not what you consumed...etc etc,,krup.

7 hours ago, 248900_1469958220 said:

Sorry to hear that. May I ask which vaccine she got? 

Pfizer, back in March