Thailand hopes to welcome tourists to Bangkok, top cities next month

[snoop1130]

FILE PHOTO: Boats that are used to transport tourists around the Chao Phraya river are seen idle due to travel bans and border closures from the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in downtown Bangkok, Thailand February 4, 2021. Picture taken February 4, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand plans to reopen Bangkok and other key destinations to foreign tourists next month, officials said on Thursday, aiming to revive its battered travel industry after indications the number of new coronavirus infections may have peaked.

 

Bangkok, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Chiang Mai will be added to a programme in which fully vaccinated visitors who commit to a series of tests can enter, under certain criteria, said government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan.

 

The scheme is underway on the islands of Samui and Phuket https://reut.rs/3nioKWn, where about 70% of the local population were required to be fully inoculated https://reut.rs/3hhiGKa.

 

The plan to allow quarantine-free entry initially announced in June https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thailand-targets-reopening-within-120-days-economy-flounders-2021-06-16 was questioned after new daily infections soared in August to as high as 23,000, with record fatalities on many days.

 

On Thursday Thailand reported 16,031 new infections, among more than 1.3 million overall, the majority since April. It has recorded 13,731 deaths.

 

Bangkok's reopening would be partial, however, starting with areas popular with visitors, Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters, without elaborating.

 

Yuthasak is targeting 1 million visitors to Thailand this year. That compares to nearly 40 million in 2019.

 

About 88,000 have been recorded so far this year, a third of which went to Phuket, which opened in July.

 

Vaccinations could be an obstacle to an October reopening, however, with only 34% of Bangkok residents fully vaccinated so far, and just 15% of people nationwide given the required two doses.

 

It also comes as some countries place restrictions like quarantine on arrivals from Thailand, in part due to that low rate, including Britain https://reut.rs/3E15cM9, a key market.

 

Local hotel operators, however, hope slowing infections and more vaccinations will help.

 

"We hope that this particular situation resolves itself in time for this critical booking period," said Frederic Varnier, who manages Minor International's Anantara resorts in Phuket.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-09-09

 

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

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

[samtam]

Plans and hopes. Thoughts and prayers.

[ukrules]

This will fail miserably and absolutely.

[bang saen guy]

No quarantine should mean that tourist movements are unrestricted from day 1.

The lockdown on site for 7 days followed by travel on "sealed routes" for 7 days is quarantine and not acceptable. No one will come other than to re-unite with family

[Will B Good]

And these tourists are all then prepared to quarantine back in their own countries because Thailand is red listed???????

[zzaa09]

5 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

And these tourists are all then prepared to quarantine back in their own countries because Thailand is red listed???????

Probably not. This adds to the "reopening" paradox. 

 

They are under some illusion that the bladdy tourists/travellers are gonna come in droves. 

Not with the standing quarantine or partial quarantine, COE nonsense and mandated insurance scam still in practice. 

To truly open, they need to completely remove these requirement - and take their chances.

[smedly]

There is nothing open in Pattaya - 90% of the city is shuttered and closed 

 

it is even difficult to find a 7/11 open

 

Plus there still remains a curfew in place from 9pm 

 

madness 

[cclub75]

Sure !

 

"Hua Hin Today: Only people who have been fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 test result will be allowed to dine in at restaurants in Hua Hin from 1st October"

 

Source : https://www.huahintoday.com/hua-hin-news/vaccine-proof-needed-to-dine-in-hua-hin-restaurants-from-oct-1/

 

Stop the non sense. Scrap all Covid so called "restrictions". Open up the country.

[sungod]

13 minutes ago, smedly said:

There is nothing open in Pattaya - 90% of the city is shuttered and closed 

 

it is even difficult to find a 7/11 open

 

Plus there still remains a curfew in place from 9pm 

 

madness 

Usual doom and gloom.

 

Difficult to find a 7/11 open, pull the other one.

 

Things are shut as no one is here, if people come, things will open.........

 

 

[Wildliferescue]

50 minutes ago, ukrules said:

This will fail miserably and absolutely.

Not sure what to laugh about more, the comment or your “UKrules”!!! Hahaha

[Maha Sarakham]

I read the word 'Scheme' and I click off the article, more rubbish from the incompetents. 

[herfiehandbag]

They will be in very low numbers. Probably few enough for each individual to be greeted by his/her very own senior police officer, to be warned that they face arrest if caught drinking alcohol or organising or attending a party where alcohol is available.

 

So much more welcoming for the visitor than a mere notice or Facebook post don't you think?

[ChomDo]

Of course it's good news for us wanting to return to BKK, but seriously why need this long list of requirements and this and that nonsense. Obviously we all know that these sandboxes are really just for expats returning home to Thailand but if they really want some tourists to come they have to drop all of these ridiculous requirements for fully vaxxed foreigners. 

 

Even though I live in BKK, I can't see myself choosing BKK sandbox and having to stay at a hotel in my hometown with restricted movement for 14 days. I'd rather go to Hua Hin then and at least try to make some kind of a holiday out of it. 

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, ChomDo said:

I'd rather go to Hua Hin then and at least try to make some kind of a holiday out of it. 

What sort of things make a nice holiday for you? 

Not many on my list would be available currently in Thailand. 

 

[pasathai]

still need the coe ?

[MrJ2U]

I wonder sometimes if Thailand thinks it's the only country struggling with COVID-19.

 

Its a great time to visit if you are vaccinated and you don't have to quarantine when you get back home.

 

5 star hotels are cheap as they have ever been.

 

No crowds on the beaches.

 

 

 

 

[sezze]

I am willing to come , but they have to make a plan and a exact date and the requirements . Under kind of sandbox scheme , where i am able to go outside my room , i am willing to take the hurdles involved . Since it can take upto 20 days for a COE to come in , and im not booking any flight before i know it is happening .

[MrJ2U]

11 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

What sort of things make a nice holiday for you? 

Not many on my list would be available currently in Thailand. 

 

With our family and either a stay in suite or two at the Marriott or renovated Hilton is bliss for us.

 

My wife and I don't drink so bar closures don't bother us.

 

Our nanny helps with our kids so my wife and can explore on a rented motorcycle or cruise around the different beaches in our SUV with the entire family.

 

Still lots of restaurants open or get Grab and enjoy the suite while watching Netflix.

 

I'm dying to get out of Issan.

 

 

[Bluespunk]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Bangkok, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Chiang Mai will be added to a programme in which fully vaccinated visitors who commit to a series of tests can enter, under certain criteria, said government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan.

So go to Thailand and undergo tests  despite having proof of vaccination) under “certain criteria”-what ever the **** they may be- and then return to your home country and face weeks of quarantine?

 

You have got to be madder than a sack of syphilitic plague rats to think that is going to attract tourists. 
 

Shine on you crazy diamond. 

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, MrJ2U said:

 

I'm dying to get out of Issan.

The OP had heading "Welcome FOREIGN TOURISTS....."

Nothing was stoping you from inter province travel previously.

Take your family to Koh Samet from Issan. 

Your not a tourist.

[bartender100]

1 hour ago, Will B Good said:

And these tourists are all then prepared to quarantine back in their own countries because Thailand is red listed???????

Been talk in the UK press that Boris is about to scrape the amber/red system for fully vaccinated tourists

[shdmn]

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

This will fail miserably and absolutely.

Like Phuket did?  Oh wait.

 

I gotta admit thought, your well thought out argument, backed by hard data, is quite compelling.

[Pravda]

I think there is more freedom of movement in North Korea

[Enzian]

I follow these posts/"stories"/fantasies because I want to come back from California to BKK in December to renew my Non-O for one more (probably last) time, and to work on the gradual removal of my money, stuff, heart from LOS. But if the three biggies-quarantine, ins., COE-are still in place I may just wait till next year. It will be a slow motion separation.

[beano2274]

15 minutes ago, bartender100 said:

Been talk in the UK press that Boris is about to scrape the amber/red system for fully vaccinated tourists

I thought they were going to stop the testing for those who are fully vaccinated when going to the UK, but the quarantine would remain for others who have not been vaccinated either in Europe, UK or the USA

[ikke1959]

They have no clue what the rest of the world think of Thailand in handling the Covid crisis, it seems. A lot of paperwork, tests required on own costs, danger of if someone in the airplane has Covid everyone has to stay in quarantaine, changing rules almost day by day, travellers coming back in home country in quarantaine or negative  travel advices to Thailand... and so on and so on, but the country will open and millions of tourists spending billions are coming........How blind can you be

[beano2274]

3 minutes ago, beano2274 said:

I thought they were going to stop the testing for those who are fully vaccinated when going to the UK, but the quarantine would remain for others who have not been vaccinated either in Europe, UK or the USA

 

20 minutes ago, bartender100 said:

Been talk in the UK press that Boris is about to scrape the amber/red system for fully vaccinated tourists

actually it is the green and amber lists not red and amber

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58491245

[ukrules]

17 minutes ago, shdmn said:

Like Phuket did?  Oh wait.

 

I gotta admit thought, your well thought out argument, backed by hard data, is quite compelling.

If you believe Phuket is some kind of success story then for you everything must be moving along nicely right now ????

 

[shdmn]

1 minute ago, ukrules said:

If you believe Phuket is some kind of success story then for you everything must be moving along nicely right now ????

 

Another compelling argument, backed by even more hard data.  I feel so owned.  

[3NUMBAS]

just a trickle and no big numbers for years to come