Who are these quality tourists? Is it the Chinese that spend all their money to resorts/hotels own by Chinese? According to statistics Chinese and other asian tourists spend very little money per capita compered to European tourists. Middle East and Scandinavian are the big spenders in Thailand, but since we're not asian we score low on quality.

5 hours ago, crazykopite said:

Not like that on Koh Phangan we’re still having to drink out of tin cups and coffee mugs ☹️

Mind you, on Samui, the only places where you can "legally" get a drink are the restaurants that have bought a special license ("Samui Green Zone") The bars are all still officially closed.

I think it is all very well to suggest targeting rich foreigners. BUT they do nothing to help the Thais in the tourism industry that are not involved with richer establishments - and that will lead to continuing unrest, more below the poverty line and more unemployment. Probably even economic stagnation The rich mans money will not filter down.

 

Also, imagine him announcing he is going to accept thailand dropping say from 9th in tourism to say 40th in the world for number of tourists. It wont happen. Thailand glorifies itself on tourism numbers.

 

It's almost like he us trying to create a situation by only allowing in rich tourists that any new government will simply fail financially

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

I think it is all very well to suggest targeting rich foreigners. BUT they do nothing to help the Thais in the tourism industry that are not involved with richer establishments - and that will lead to continuing unrest, more below the poverty line and more unemployment. Probably even economic stagnation The rich mans money will not filter down.

 

Also, imagine him announcing he is going to accept thailand dropping say from 9th in tourism to say 40th in the world for number of tourists. It wont happen. Thailand glorifies itself on tourism numbers.

 

It's almost like he us trying to create a situation by only allowing in rich tourists that any new government will simply fail financially

 

 

 

New government? 

What's so new about this [or any] governing body and it's style?

Same as it ever was. 

3 hours ago, Speedhump said:

Suddenly you're a medical expert? You need another test after arrival in the UK too, within 2 days. I'm sure these aren't the only two countries in the world demanding this. 

I would suggest a phone evidenced lateral flow test test and mail in or so one your arrival in the UK on day 2 , is not the same as being forced to stay on AQ for however many days AND have a PCR test !

 

Should end all testing for vaccinated and Lateral flows only for travellers

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

I would suggest a phone evidenced lateral flow test test and mail in or so one your arrival in the UK on day 2 , is not the same as being forced to stay on AQ for however many days AND have a PCR test !

 

Should end all testing for vaccinated and Lateral flows only for travellers

Rooster said 'why insist on another test on arrival and create more headaches'. Any test it seems. And I was not talking about quarantine. And I disagree only lateral flow for 'travellers' although not quite sure what you mean, all are travelling. 

 

By the way, the UK 2 day test is RT-PCR even for fully vaccinated travellers. 

Edited October 17, 20214 yr by Speedhump

Thailand is a ridiculous soup sandwich.  The out of touch religious fanatics that run that place actually believe that there are millions of foreign devils waiting in their awful foreign lands for their graces to deign them permission to enter their unique paradise.  There is literally ZERO reason for a tourist to go there.  Returning family members, expat Thais and people with jobs, sure...it'll make their life slightly less difficult, but look around after you jump through their made-up hoops....a broke d*** country with tons of inane rules directed against non-Thais....more freedom to not have any.

 

Somchai finally managed to choke out the goose laying those golden eggs...

Edited October 17, 20214 yr by Used2LuvThailand
Mistake

11 hours ago, BestB said:

Truth be told, Prayut and the rest do not know what to do or how to do it. And in fairness, can not really blame them as this kind of mess has never happened in our life time.

 

That's what they want you to believe, they must be held harmless for all their mistakes and suspicious dealings. After all, how can anyone expect a banana republic general to run the nation, or a building contractor to run the health ministry (or any MP for that matter) without mistakes? "Of course these problems will happen, it's not our fault!" is exactly the hegemony they are trying to instill and they'll be happy to hear you've repeated it.

 

Thanks for another weeks news update Rooster, plus the chuckles from some of the topics you covered.

   I do hope to see Thailand start to fully open by mid December, as the government cannot seem to get

most things right when they get involved. A temperature check on arrival should be the only thing necessary for

international travelers.  If any travelers get feeling sick, they will be using Panda, or room service for meals etc,

until they feel better, or they will go to the hospital like everyone else does.  My friend and I will not be returning to Thailand or any tropical 

country, if there are any restrictions, like alcohol bans, or curfews, and no entertainment places to enjoy a night out as well.

  Looks like 2022 will be the earliest that we will be heading for anywhere.

Geezer

Sorry Rooster, But there will always be the  night life as centauries of Hello HANDSOME MAN has proven. I also think that having a night life gives those that need money a way to earn and those that need to use it an outlet for their feelings. , Thereby reducing the change of raping someone to satisfy their urges.

For me each to his own.

I actually think that we should not be overly worried by the soundbites we hear from the latest crop of Thai politicians.

 

For those of us who come here a long time, the story repeats itself again and again and again: they seek high quality (high paying) tourists, next week it is mass tourism from India they are after...

 

I remember very well, living in Phuket during the tsunami, that there were fearsome proclamations that Patong and Phi Phi Island would be rebuilt solely for high quality tourists, that the days of bars and uncontrolled mass tourism would be gone forever. It took the Thais from that moment on less than a year to build back not just everything as it was, but a lot 'worse' if this would have been the true goal... and I bet history will simply repeat itself.

 

As such I have long learned to basically ignore what politicians here say (it is almost always purely for show), and just to see what they actually do. It saves a lot of nerves to be sure.

Edited October 17, 20214 yr by jts-khorat
typo

20 hours ago, Jaspermiller922 said:

No it's not good enough not going to spend a fortune on flights and covid tests to arrive in a shutdown country and have another test, where I can't even have a beer 

Prague for Xmas I think Thailand needs so sort it's sh#t out

Take a warm coat and you certainly will not need to have ice in your drinks !

On 10/17/2021 at 10:32 AM, ezzra said:

can somebody send this article to our esteemed PM.. he need a cold shower of reality to wake him up and smell the tourism's dollars... Enough is enough with all this lockdown and quarantines and repeated jabs and paperwork that never end...

Waste of effort, he wouldn't understand - far too complicated. 

On 10/17/2021 at 3:12 PM, Tropicalevo said:

Unfortunately, the million or so people who no longer have jobs, money or food on the table do need them.

Well, you're well set up in Samui with options to visit 139 open restaurants selling alcohol. Presumably there are plenty of working men and women catering for your needs - and everyone else's.

 

This pandemic adversely affects all countries one way or another - we should be grateful for what we have, and accept what we can't change. 

Prayut and his cronies have clearly used the pandemic to advance the idea of moving on from Thailand’s sex tourism past

 

The Thai sex areas in Bangkok are much much larger than the areas for farangs - Patpong, Soi 4, Soi Cowboy.  There are more sex massage shops outside of Sukhumvit area as well that are primarily visited by Thai men and not farang.

The problem is that thais dont consider foreigners as honored guests who contribute mightly to the thai ecomony, rather they prefer to remind us that we are "only" guests here with no rights or privilidges