Foreigners eager to visit to Thailand, but few have actually booked flights: Poll

[Millcx]

19 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

waste of breath.

Miss Thailand but hell will freeze over rather than stick the red tape no bars and empty streets with 2 faced puritans 

Vietnam and Cambodia are better options or it’s off to Portugal

[bberg]

I have booked flight 3rd November, a week away from traveling I cant make any plans, still pending COE (Thailand pass is not available yet), I don't know what will happen after I arrive in Thailand or whether I will be allowed to board the flight in the first place. I have made some calculation on PCR test which is currently at 5 tests at approx. figure of 100USD/test (500USD added cost), the fact I need to travel domestically a day before, lack of travel option and overnight in hotel prior flight etc, etc, etc - my calculations are approx. 800USD/person in added cost not included air fare. 

 

I am going because of family illness and plan only to stay 1 week for that reason but its a high risk travel with much uncertainty. 

 

Added risk; what if somebody on my flight are found COVID19 positive after arriving in Thailand and likewise going back home (I live in South Korea presently) which could send me to 14 days quarantine adding cost to 2K USD easily and a complete failure of intended travel.    

 

I hope the experience will be better than my worst worries, its certainly a travel experience for the experienced and not for a family relaxing holiday under the sun. 

 

I try to stay positive and live in hope over the next 6 months to 1 year its all much better and we can again enjoy sunny Thailand we all miss so much. 

[AJR3RD]

3 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

I must say you seem to have a lot of bad feeling

Not so much bad feeling as sad feeling. I've lived in Thailand for more than a decade. Also have a GF waiting for me. We will go elsewhere. Thailand is not the same - never will be again. Too much corruption. Too much pandering to wealthy Chinese and others looking for a place to launder their dollars. The word is SAD. Not bad.

 

[AJR3RD]

2 minutes ago, Millcx said:

19 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

waste of breath.

Miss Thailand but hell will freeze over rather than stick the red tape

Perfect. Absolutely correct.

 

[sucit]

Can’t say this enough…

 

This is a country where six month old is allowed on a motorbike with a family of four on a highway. There are no cars seats here, or very few….

 

Youre telling me the thai govt cares about death/tragedy? I don’t blame them, but no. They care only about perception. That’s why they do what they do. 
 

They need to open up 100%, no regulations, get their tourists industry back on track for the sake of their own people. If they cared about actual lives, answer why they would just not require children to be in car seats? This is 100% decisions based upon their feared perception… which always equates (or usually) to bad decisions. You decide policy based on facts. 

 

 

[AJR3RD]

4 minutes ago, bberg said:

I try to stay positive and live in hope over the next 6 months to 1 year its all much better and we can again enjoy sunny Thailand we all miss so much. 

I wish you the very best. I have lived in and loved Thailand for 10 years - but the country has given up on people like me. It's not the same. Never will be. Maybe the world has changed too - but I see open arms and welcoming smiling face in many other places now, without all the government corruption and B.S. paperwork. The hassle that was deliberately created to rid the country of people like me has done what it was intended to do. Now Thailand will enjoy hundreds of thousands of empty condos and people looking for a "taste" of what once was, but is now only a facsimile. I too, try to stay positive - but Thailand has destroyed that for me. Now, it is a search for other places.

 

[AJR3RD]

3 minutes ago, sucit said:

They need to open up 100%, no regulations, get their tourists industry back on track for the sake of their own people.

Damned right.

[poskat]

as they say, actions speak louder than words, or in this case responses to a poll

[Flink]

32 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Until it's exactly like it was pre-COVID: cheap plane ticket, visa exempt, alcohol/entertainment/nightlife, people will make excuses about not wanting to visit for the beaches, food and temples.

 

 

 

To clarify: Tar ball covered beaches, dual priced temples/waterfalls/parks, and restaurants where a glass of wine/beer with your meal may/may not be allowed. Yeah, I can see a lot of draw there for 2 week tourists.

[SymS]

Who did they ask? It's not clear. Since ASEAN Now made the survey I suppose they asked members who are not currently in Thailand.

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

It is likely the majority of those surveyed are ex-pats who want to return here. With over 70 countries fully open for tourism, with no restrictions other than a double vaccination, and a covid negative test, Thailand is appearing to be the major coward in the room (we will not even discuss Australia!). If they had some adults working on policy, and some coherence, and consistency, there might be a chance of attracting as many as 100,00 tourists for the high season. Maybe. As it stands, expect no more than 50,000 total. 

 

News bulletin! The Golden Goose has been shot in cold blood, mortally wounded, and is on life support. Expect no more than 5 million tourists a year, five to ten years from now, and for that number to remain consistent, or lower for the rest of our lifetimes. A once vibrant industry has been sabotaged beyond resuscitation. 

 

 

There will be a few along shortly to disagree with you and insist the country will be back to 2019 numbers very soon.  I however agree with your view, only those die hard folks will return and then many more will look elsewhere for first time trips and find themselves new destinations to return to. Cozumel Mexico and Baja are seeing a resurgence as well as Playa Del Carmen.  Close to the US and yet no restrictions and inexpensive as well.

[TProphet]

The regulations in Thailand have changed 5 times in the last 6 months and nothing is open once you get there. I booked Costa Rica for November. Maybe I'll look at Thailand again sometime in 2024.

[Tonypandy]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

The lack of people seemingly willing to take the step of actually buying an airline ticket to return to Thailand is perhaps an indication of the confusion regarding Thailand’s reopening plan

It's not just confusion, it's TRUST. 

[Flink]

23 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

I doubt that someone in their mid fifties double pfizered is going to have a huge cost for insurance but I could be wrong. We have been told no quarantine for Australians. I have never been into floating markets or the like.  I have a girlfriend I haven't seen for 19 months. 

I must say you seem to have a lot of bad feeling about a country trying to restart tourism which is what their people are likely to want. Is it better in your mind for thai people that tourists stay away. I'll eat at a range of restaurants, get taxi's, etc. Not sure what you are trying to say in a sense.  Good deal at the Hilton would be nice. 

I think that most here would be happy to see the tourism industry retun to its past glory to help the Thai population, particularly those who were dependant on it such as restaurants, bars, small hotels and hostels. It's not that anyone wants the tourism industry to fail (well, appaently the government and TAT seem to). People are simply pointing out that if you want to rebuild the industry you have to do it logically and in such a way as to tempt people here. You don't rebuild an industry by scaring off the very people you need to survive.

Many places have managed to reopen and are seeing tourists arrive. I have family just back from a 2 week holiday in Greece with their 1 yar old. Short flight, good weather, no quarantine, no overpriced testing and no applying weeks in advance for a certificate that may or may not be granted after you've paid for everything.

If they really want the tourists and to help the Thai population they need to rethink all the bureaucracy. Focus on what tourists come on holiday for. Not everyone is going to want soapy massages and go go bars but they do expect to be able to travel about in a country and know they can have an alcoholic beverage with their evening meal wherever they are. They don't want to be told that if they want to visit a particular town they have to be in their hotel room by 11pm because that area still has a curfew. Theydo not expect to be told tht their family travel insurance plan they have forked out for is not sufficient and they need MORE insurance, or that, on arrival they will be tested at their expense and may find their holiday ends up being in an SHA+ because someone on their flight tested positive. (A point that the proclamations from the government have been noticably lacking in detail about.).

[Guderian]

This government is the country's own worst enemy, why would anyone spend good money trying to wade through such a poorly-designed morass of petty rules and regulations, just to come to a place where everything's still closed?

[Jaxxper]

I don’t think it’s confusion that is stopping people booking, I think it’s lack of confidence that the holiday will be all people expect from a holiday, and fear that the rules will change mid stay.

[WingFat]

May-August 2022 is when I am currently foreseeing my needed trip to LOS. I am thinking by then, the Two-Jab Dance will have played out, the entry restrictions will be relaxed and perhaps back to near what they were pre-pandemic. Also, the May-August timeframe is low-season, and when I lived in LOS before, I preferred low-season, lousy weather and all; much less crowded and more peaceful.

[khunjeff]

16 hours ago, terryp said:

you have seen nothing yet .............   this is the real madness  

 

https://image.mfa.go.th/mfa/0/umufy3EgqL/แบบฟอร์มฝ่ายกงสุล/คู่มือการใช้งาน_ThailandPlus_ภาษาอังกฤษ.pdf

That's Thailand Plus, the app that was required of arrivals for the last year or more, never worked, was never looked at by any Thai official, and has now been completely abandoned. So yes, it's garbage, but we've seen it already and it's now irrelevant.

[ChrisKC]

Potential tourists to Thailand have greater awareness than our Government and its Tourist Marketers, who don't seem to know what the situation is really like at ground level.

 

They know that Thailand being "open" is not just about changing the "open/closed" signs around and opening the doors.

 

The state of the tourist infrastructure in many of the preferred destinations is in conditions that require much work to put them back into commercial use.

 

And all of those clamouring for the tourists to "come back", many will not take the risk of failing from aspects that continue to change and outside of their control, any time soon.

[mommysboy]

Either the vaccines work or they don't. Whichever, life really must go on as normal, maybe with some sensible precautions such as mask wearing. And most people will agree that 80% vaccination rate with 95% of old uns fully vaccinated is perhaps the ideal launch pad.

[spidermike007]

31 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

There will be a few along shortly to disagree with you and insist the country will be back to 2019 numbers very soon.  I however agree with your view, only those die hard folks will return and then many more will look elsewhere for first time trips and find themselves new destinations to return to. Cozumel Mexico and Baja are seeing a resurgence as well as Playa Del Carmen.  Close to the US and yet no restrictions and inexpensive as well.

Mexico never engaged in the economic shutdown nonsense and sabotage, and they are refusing to make vaccines mandatory. They did take a hit with fatalities. But the economy is doing well and the Covid numbers keep dropping. More.evidence that the ridiculous shutdowns do not work? 

 

Disobedience to the WHO and big brother is a beautiful thing to witness. 

[MickyC]

Of course people will not book as long as the rules change everyday. One question i have would be what happens if you test negative but someone on the same flight is positive? Are you then rounded up and thrust into quarantine?

 

[TheFishman1]

If Thailand wants to open they need to do away with all the hoops just to get here TAT

[RafPinto]

20 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Did they mentioned that the bars, go go places and establishments that usually entertain male tourists with huge testosterone levels such as myself would all be closed. I don't think so, would it have made a difference then, I think so, because after a crash and burn event, one carries on to either the beach or the hotel pool for some R&R, that is the beauty of a holiday in Thailand for males with huge testosterone levels, IMO, having been there, done that.

 

Is he playing in the "sandbox"?

[mommysboy]

28 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Mexico never engaged in the economic shutdown nonsense and sabotage, and they are refusing to make vaccines mandatory. They did take a hit with fatalities. But the economy is doing well and the Covid numbers keep dropping. More.evidence that the ridiculous shutdowns do not work? 

 

Disobedience to the WHO and big brother is a beautiful thing to witness. 

'More.evidence that the ridiculous shutdowns do not work? '

 

No, rather that vaccinations together with some appropriate measures do work!

 

Economic shutdown is the unfortunate consequence of social distancing measures, and not the aim.  But shutdowns do plainly work albeit at an enormous price.

[SuwadeeS]

I am considering Thailand as not really ready and would not travel there.

 

Thailand has implimented a new 500 Baht entry fee.

A Thai court has ruled, that dual pricing is legitimated.

(A foreigner filled a complaint against dual pricing in a hospital)

Many Thais have said, that they are not happy to open Thailand to foreigners.

Further the Thai goverment changes the rules and regulations on daily base.

 

Finally, there are many other beautiful destinations.

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, Guderian said:

This government is the country's own worst enemy, why would anyone spend good money trying to wade through such a poorly-designed morass of petty rules and regulations, just to come to a place where everything's still closed?

Unfortunately having waited for a year to return to the US, based upon wanting to be vaccinated first, and second waiting for the restrictions to drop for a return, I will now wade through the poorly designed morass of petty regulations as you so put it.  If the issues in the US could wait longer I would wait, but I am now up against a time clock for completing the closure of an estate and taking care of some property issues.  If I can still return with the few restrictions in place I will do it.  If things change in the next two months before I am to fly out, I will just have the attorney name a new executor and Trustee

[denis911]

I contacted Luma Health to enquire about the new $50,000 covid cover insurance yesterday (actually on Friday but replied yesterday) the reply was hilarious:- "This is to confirm that we have not refined the new premium or the coverage because the Thai Embassy and Health Ministry have changed the requirements from 1st November" Exactly why I sent the enquiry haha. It then went on to say that :- " In the meantime you can still use the $100,000 cover for the Thailand pass" at the full rate and not the NEW rate Ha Ha. It is things like this that makes me love living here in the LOS (as was).

[Skeptic7]

So eager they forgot the most important part...

...GETTING HERE!

[spidermike007]

29 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

'More.evidence that the ridiculous shutdowns do not work? '

 

No, rather that vaccinations together with some appropriate measures do work!

 

Economic shutdown is the unfortunate consequence of social distancing measures, and not the aim.  But shutdowns do plainly work albeit at an enormous price.

Perhaps intelligent shutdowns work, sometimes. Thai style shutdowns do not. Especially with nitwits like Anutin and Cha Cha in charge. They are highly selective, punitive for the common man, yet lenient for canning plants, construction sites, army bases and the Covid capital, with regard to travel.

 

It is incredibly stupid, reckless and inhumane to shut down hundreds of thousands of businesses, put millions of out work, and then allow people from Zombie central (Bangkok) to travel anywhere they want. Beyond dumb. 

 

Much of the 3rd wave could have been avoided, and the "Pratin pair" are directly responsible for much pain, suffering, deaths and hardship. 

 

Prayuth. Bringing unhappiness to the Thai people daily, lowering their quality of life, and ensuring his cronies just get richer and never face the consequences of their crimes. 

 

Woe is Thailand.