By Nop Meechukhun

 

Phuket – A total of 26,400 fully vaccinated tourists from 62 vaccinated countries have been visiting Phuket in the past two months since the launch of the “Phuket Sandbox” in July, Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn revealed Wednesday, September 1st.

 

According to the TAT record, Phuket has welcomed 26,400 vaccinated tourists from July 1st to August 31st. Of that, 83 (as of September 1st) were found positive with Covid-19 and 26,317 people were not. ( 0.32 percent)

 

Vaccinated tourists from the United States were ranked the number one visitors to the island from foreign countries at 3,438 people, followed by the United Kingdom with 3,389, Israel with 2,729, Germany with 2,072, France with 2,050, the United Arab Emirates with 838, Switzerland with 559, the Netherlands with 536, Australia with 452, and China with 417. An additional 3,335 visitors were Thais.

 

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Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2021/09/03/total-of-26400-vaccinated-tourists-reported-visiting-phuket-sandbox-project-since-it-first-launched-in-july-tat-reveals/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2021-09-03

 

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The Phuket Sandbox is definitely an improvement on being kept in an hotel room for two weeks.  However, given how few of the fully vaxxed and tested visitors were positive any rational person would review this policy.  These foreign visitors do no represent an overall Covid 19 risk to Thailand; given how much Covid is already in the country.  Rather it underlines the fact that if Thailand is serious about ramping up the number of fully vaxxed and tested visitors it needs to abolish any notion of quarantine.  

49 minutes ago, Adelphi said:

The Phuket Sandbox is definitely an improvement on being kept in an hotel room for two weeks.  However, given how few of the fully vaxxed and tested visitors were positive any rational person would review this policy.  These foreign visitors do no represent an overall Covid 19 risk to Thailand; given how much Covid is already in the country.  Rather it underlines the fact that if Thailand is serious about ramping up the number of fully vaxxed and tested visitors it needs to abolish any notion of quarantine.  

Yes the incomers were just an easy target to get money from.  They are a miniscule risk compaered to the millions of Thais that are running around un vaccinated.  Silly policy was the sandbox as far as a COVID limiting thing. 

What a number! That really meets up to all the speculated assumptions 1-2 months ago.

 

Wonder how we are going to spin the next fairy tale?

and how many of the 83 caught the virus from a local in Phuket and whos fault was that ? - very obviously the local authorities for not ensuring the virus was erradicated from Phuket, more importantly was how those foreigners were then forced to pay up while having to being quarantined through no fault of there own

4 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

What a number! That really meets up to all the speculated assumptions 1-2 months ago.

 

Wonder how we are going to spin the next fairy tale?

they have gone silent

 

reopening to local tourism is a clue - sandbox is done

11 minutes ago, smedly said:

they have gone silent

Ok, I get it. They are in stealth mode.

and I suppose they each spent 85 million baht, totalling 37 gazillion baht. Hooray !!!

2 hours ago, smedly said:

 

reopening to local tourism is a clue - sandbox is done

Spot on. Local tourism represented 1/3 of tourism revenues pre-pandemic. This is the path of least resistance. How many of those 26,000 'tourists' actually live here and chose sandbox over AQ?

15 minutes ago, bkk_bwana said:

Spot on. Local tourism represented 1/3 of tourism revenues pre-pandemic. This is the path of least resistance. How many of those 26,000 'tourists' actually live here and chose sandbox over AQ?

Does it really matter? 26,000 people spent money in Phuket.

Give up TAT!  I doubt there is anybody out there anymore who has the slightest shred of confidence in your statistics.

5 hours ago, Adelphi said:

Rather it underlines the fact that if Thailand is serious about ramping up the number of fully vaxxed and tested visitors it needs to abolish any notion of quarantine.  

Or get on and vaccinate it's own population and abolish the need for sandbox schemes?

1 hour ago, mrfill said:

and I suppose they each spent 85 million baht, totalling 37 gazillion baht. Hooray !!!

Cheap Charlies.

2 hours ago, mrfill said:

and I suppose they each spent 85 million baht, totalling 37 gazillion baht. Hooray !!!

Give that calculator back to TAT!

Think someones maths is a bit off.

What are the estimates on the split between real tourists, and those wanting to return without ASQ?

 

Seen some estimates that coalesce around 50% are tourists.

 

Saw this just now in a nearby thread... 2% went missing?

 

58% went back to their country of origin after Phuket.

 

40% went elsewhere in Thailand.

6 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

What a number! That really meets up to all the speculated assumptions 1-2 months ago.

 

Wonder how we are going to spin the next fairy tale?

Yes, I wonder how many BILLIONS bahts they brought to the island.

42 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Or get on and vaccinate it's own population and abolish the need for sandbox schemes?

100% agree

 

And lets spin the litter box numbers

 

I wonder how many of the 26,000 were not tourists - Lets see exclude:

 

1. Thais returning home

2. Forigners returning to their families/GF here

3. Business reason

4. Am I missing any other non-tourists

 

Then lets see how many in the last 2 weeks of August

 

Sorry if this winds up the Phuket dreamers.

 

8 hours ago, sungod said:

Does it really matter? 26,000 people spent money in Phuket.

You could also argue that they therefore didn't spend money in Bangkok.

13 hours ago, webfact said:

According to the TAT record, Phuket has welcomed 26,400 vaccinated tourists from July 1st to August 31st.

Impressive !!

13 hours ago, webfact said:

According to the TAT record, Phuket has welcomed 26,400 vaccinated tourists from July 1st to August 31st. Of that, 83 (as of September 1st) were found positive with Covid-19 and 26,317 people were not. ( 0.32 percent)

And, also according to TAT, approximately half of them were not tourists, but returnees or relatives of Thais who, after Phuket, continued on their way to their final destination.

9 hours ago, sungod said:

Does it really matter? 26,000 people spent money in Phuket.

Yes, I think it does matter.  I, too, would really be curious to know what pourcentage are real tourists vs. Thailand residents.  You're right that they all spend money, but those who are residents would have probably spent the money anyway in a Bangkok ASQ, so this whole operation is just moving money from Bangkok hotels to Phuket.  No extra revenue for Thailand.  Granted, as a Thailand resident, I'd far prefer to do 2 weeks in Phuket rather than in an ASQ, but if Thailand isn't making extra money, I wonder how long they can keep up the Sandbox.

14 hours ago, bkk_bwana said:

You could also argue that they therefore didn't spend money in Bangkok.

nor Pattaya, Hua Hin, Krabi, Chaing Mai....................................Whats your point?

12 hours ago, carlf said:

Yes, I think it does matter.  I, too, would really be curious to know what pourcentage are real tourists vs. Thailand residents.  You're right that they all spend money, but those who are residents would have probably spent the money anyway in a Bangkok ASQ, so this whole operation is just moving money from Bangkok hotels to Phuket.  No extra revenue for Thailand.  Granted, as a Thailand resident, I'd far prefer to do 2 weeks in Phuket rather than in an ASQ, but if Thailand isn't making extra money, I wonder how long they can keep up the Sandbox.

People walking around sand boxes are spending money in local businesses, my friend ate in the same family run Thai restaurant almost every day for 2 weeks, they were extremely grateful.

1 hour ago, sungod said:

nor Pattaya, Hua Hin, Krabi, Chaing Mai....................................Whats your point?

My point is that a shift of returnees to Phuket sandbox rather than Bangkok ASQ will have moved the spending from one place to another. Great for Phuket hotels and local businesses, not so good for Bangkok AQ hotels and their staff and suppliers.

11 hours ago, sungod said:

my friend ate in the same family run Thai restaurant almost every day for 2 weeks,

It has to be good.

Do you know name of restaurant?

I'm going to Phuket sandbox next week.

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Espanol said:

It has to be good.

Do you know name of restaurant?

I'm going to Phuket sandbox next week.

 

 

 

 

no idea, wander around and find one u like. ????