Thailand Pass To Entice More International Tourists

[sambum]

14 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Would someone PLEASE explain to them using small words that the only way to get tourists to return is to stop this nonsense and open up the bars and nightclubs. Maybe pictures drawn with crayons would help?

Note the two top stories running side by side today.

 

Number One is the Tourism and Sports Minister extolling the virtues of yet  another new scheme which is going to "greatly contribute to the increasing number of foreign tourists when the country reopens on November 1."

 

Number Two is proudly advertising the fact that police have arrested 61 people in one venue in Bangkok where "horror of horrors" they had heard a tip that alcohol was being served.

 

Okay, the law is the law, but what a great way of enticing foreign tourists - NOT! 

 

 

[mtls2005]

"Entice"?

 

 

Usually they use "lure".

 

 

 

Until all is as it was pre-COVID, people will make excuses about not wanting to come to thailand.

 

And we haven't even gotten to the mask mandate and debate.

 

 

 

[HappyExpat57]

2 hours ago, rainman333 said:

I agree that the 2nd test shouldn't be necessary in this situation, but to be fair, the traveller could have gotten infected during the trip to the airport (there was a news story couple months ago on here about how someone died of covid and in one of their tweets they thought the cab driver that drove him to the airport  infected him because the cab driver was coughing badly and looked sick overall)

Also, there's a possibility that the test papers may be faked (either by individuals wanting to save money, or are infected and didn't want to cancel reservations , flights etc or just wanted to be in thailand no matter what)

 

But the odds are minute that this will happen, and this test/"non-quarantine" quarantine requirement is keeping people away. If you're fully vaxxed you should be able to just come into the country as any Thai can. And we shouldn't be punished for others' crimes. If we're fully vaccinated and contract Covid from a cheater, we get a cold, they get a lot worse.

Edited October 28, 2021 by HappyExpat57

[Mario Cosmopolite]

14 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Would someone PLEASE explain to them using small words that the only way to get tourists to return is to stop this nonsense and open up the bars and nightclubs. Maybe pictures drawn with crayons would help?

I enjoyed the ASEANNOW juxtaposition of the two headlines; you scallywags!

[bberg]

CEO is a problem, personally I have applied after already been given a non-immigrant VISA but don't get answer on the CEO I cannot plan or book the remaining.

 

I have applied in South Korea, Thai embassy are impossible to contact by phone, they never answer, they do answer on emails but it takes days/weeks.

 

Unless I get answer by Friday (tomorrow), my intended travel is 3rd November being a Wednesday (mid week to have a chance to get PCR test provided in time - 72h before) and depart also on a Wednesday for same reason, getting the PCR test in time before travel, I will have to gamble on the new Thailand pass opening 1st November 9am Thailand time or cancel the trip altogether or postpone until later when its possible to obtain all the documentation required to travel. 

 

If Thailand want tourists and visitors coming the systems must be achievable.

 

Another issue is the high added cost to your travels, for me I expect approx. 800USD in added cost to the travel which is basically 5 PCR tests, extra hotels, extra flight and added insurance - to my usual travel expenses. This is per person - for a family it would for most people by impossible. 

 

Also; the added risk of somebody in m vicinity during my travel will be found COVID19 positive I will be subjected to 14 days quarantine at my own expenses and my whole travel ruined altogether. 

 

Its seems, ironically, the least of anybody's worries these days is the virus it self but the bureaucracy and penalties of being in the wrong spot at the wrong time. 

 

I travel because of close family illness with days left to live I hope to be able to see before departing this planet.     

 

 

[Joe Mama]

They're getting closer, but still no cigar!   I know of no other country in the world that is requiring $50K of health insurance for their tourists, & 2 expensive RT-PCR Tests to boot!  Also, I wonder if they are willing to refund me  the over $500 I lost back in July when they wouldn't approve my COE in time for the Phuket Sandbox program!

[Seeall]

14 hours ago, Thailand said:

 If they had changed the name of the COE two months ago they could have already been enjoying the benefits.

They are on salaries why care....... just talk some rubbish so the boss thinks they are still awake.....

[Guderian]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan is confident that replacing the Certificate of Entry(COE) system with the ‘Thailand Pass’ system will greatly contribute to the increasing number of foreign tourists

Talk about wishful thinking!

There, there, Pipat, Santa will bring you a nice rich foreign tourist for Christmas, I'm sure of it.

[HappyExpat57]

1 hour ago, BananaGuy said:

Can’t understand the support for your very naive comment there.

YES there is a possibility that test #2 is positive when test 1 is negative …

 

Test #1 is entirely under the passenger’s control. Maybe fake. Maybe real but wrong (accuracy is <100%). Maybe caught C19 in the 48 or 72 hours prior to boarding. All other passengers on the flight? same caveats apply.

 

Test #2 is presumably administered by the receiving country. They control quality, not the passenger. Any test which is <100% accurate, cheap and fast? Good idea to repeat it.

 

All the above is (or should be) common knowledge ~ 2 years into this business.

 

You and your upvoters really do need to try and keep up.

Then by your "logic," everyone in the world should get tested every two days, otherwise how can we live safely?

 

Life needs to move on. Whether you fly in or you're already here, once fully vaxxed then get back to as normal as possible. Open up the clubs, let people have a glass of wine with their dinner, ditch the ridiculous mountain of entry requirements - this is the only way tourism will return.

[dutchweller]

Here's something that is not encouraging for Tourists..

Makes you feel so welcome...

And remember Thai courts just ruled 2 Teir prices is OK as its good for Thailand....

[spidermike007]

Until the creeps muster up the courage to allow nightlife to reopen and allow restaurants and hotels to serve booze, only 10,000 or 20,000 tourists will show up, per month.

 

More egg on their faces. Fun to watch that, but would prefer to see the people of this nation prosper, if that is even possible after years of sabotage. 

 

Just more nonsense from the Zombie brigade. Lack of intelligence, knowledge, wisdom, leadership and a refusal to acknowledge science, are not valid excuses for destroying one's own economy, bringing unhappiness to the people and moving the nation backwards. 

 

Prayuth is a retrograde, not a leader. Phiphat is as unskilled at tourism as Justin Bieber is with particle physics. 

Edited October 28, 2021 by spidermike007

[Boedog]

11 hours ago, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

I am "International" and I am not getting enticed at all. Getting face raped twice just to be able to come to your country, where you can get arrested for having a glass of wine to your dinner or inviting a couple of friends to your garden for a sunset GT is not my kind of holiday MR. Pipat, By they way how did you get your position as Tourist minister?

Probably transferred to Tourist minister for doing something at his last position, isn't that what they do transfer you to an inactive post

[SymS]

I'll soon renew my work pass, apply for extension of pass together with re-entry pass, and even submit my 90-day pass report soon.
It's true. Using the word "Pass" makes everything sound so nicer ????

[mar zarych]

They will continue to get expats who have had to leave the country for one reason or another, Having to pay for the privilege of visiting  Thailand leaves a bad taste in any tourists mouth. I believe they want to restrict and deter Tourists but have to act as if they are trying to help everyone in the tourism sector who have been suffering. By design its not going to work. I just traveled to a country in Central Asia  which required a PCR test prior to boarding the aircraft. After landing I was completely unmolested by the authorities and walked right through customs and out of the airport. Compare that to the charade waiting for you in Bangkok. See you when all the extraneous BS is finished  and the connected Thai insurance companies stop stealing the visitors money. 

[ebean001]

every human hates the idea of 'trying to get a refund'. Let's get real about this. The last time i got a hotel room in Thailand it was pay upon arrival or even pay upon leaving. that should be the way. paying in advance is old school. maybe a small deposit...ok. in any case, if the person is delayed by a gov process, then the gov should get the refund for the tourist. I buy from Lazada. i always pay upon receipt. i no longer track what i have ordered. if i get it i pay. keep it simple

 

[ebean001]

article was 61 people arrested for drinking at bar. that does not help tourism. 

 

[tlcwaterfall]

20 minutes ago, Guderian said:

Talk about wishful thinking!

There, there, Pipat, Santa will bring you a nice rich foreign tourist for Christmas, I'm sure of it.

Will be a few tourists for sure. But their predictions of how many tourists will arrive and how many will actually arrive will be very very different.

 

Back to the drawing board again and this time listen to what the tourists want and not what you want!

[ArcticFox]

Come To Emergency Thailand

Visit your favorite night-time entertainment venue and get a free tour of the Royal Thai Police facilities - FREE!
 

 

[ArcticFox]

Just now, ArcticFox said:

Come To Emergency Thailand

Visit your favorite night-time entertainment venue and get a free tour of the Royal Thai Police facilities - FREE!
 

 

Those farangs will come a flocking, don't ya think?  ????

[LukKrueng]

14 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Now, here's my quandary - You have to take a Covid test and show you're negative to board a plane. What use is another test after getting off the plane other than to generate revenue for the people performing the test? Did I suddenly get Covid from any of the OTHER passengers who ALSO tested negative?

There are no many countries (if any at all) that have covid regulations that make sense. Some countries demand pre- flight test 48 hours before flight, other 72 hours before, and some up to 10 days before flight. Some countries demand the tests for passengers over 12, some over 18 - and we all know by now that little kids can get sick and infect others just as adults do. 

We also know that vaccinated people can get sick and infect others, so why can they travel without quarantine when unvaccinated people, Subject to the same tests must endure quarantine even if they show negative results? 

And here's some regulations for the UK:

COVID-19 PCR Test for Entry?

 

01 October 2020

 

•  TRAVEL ADVICE
•  
• COVID19
•  
• PCR TEST

 

Updated: September 2nd 2021

 

IMPORTANT UPDATE: From July 19th at 4am arrivals who have been fully vaccinated returning to the UK from amber list countries no longer need to quarantine! This includes UK vaccine trials and children under the age of 18 are to be exempt from quarantine on returning to England from amber list countries. Pre-departure testing and day 2 testing measures to remain. 

 

They also demand 2 tests, before and after arrival...

[big dendrobenaes]

comedian.......!!!!

[Sydebolle]

Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan and all his overly smart friends at the helm of this completely failed state should have a look at the following which will explain, why nobody in his right mind choses Thailand over hundreds of easier destinations - unless there is family or work-related reasoning behind it. 

The departure check-in staff is responsible for the checking of travelling documents, so that passenger(s) can get off the plane and enter the destination. Thailand just created another entry into the "Guiness Book of Records" with the following FIVE pages stipulating, under which conditions a passenger may enter Thailand - or not. 

Honestly, does anyone seriously believe, that check-in staff has the time, knowledge and experience to go through this rigid checklist given the standard time allowance of 90 seconds per check-in operation? For each and every passenger bound for Thailand? 

This possibly explains also, why apparently more than 80% of all airline slots into/from Thailand for the winter schedule ending 26 March 2022 were NOT taken by non-Thai carriers; nobody in his right mind can operate an airline if hundreds, if not thousands of destinations come up with a set of local instructions like this. 

[ArcticFox]

14 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Now, here's my quandary - You have to take a Covid test and show you're negative to board a plane. What use is another test after getting off the plane other than to generate revenue for the people performing the test?

Considering the highly inflated, rip-off prices of mandatory PCR tests?  It's a revenue generator that will not be dispensed with anytime in the near future.

[ArcticFox]

Just now, Sydebolle said:

Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan and all his overly smart friends at the helm of this completely failed state should have a look at the following which will explain, why nobody in his right mind choses Thailand over hundreds of easier destinations - unless there is family or work-related reasoning behind it. 

The departure check-in staff is responsible for the checking of travelling documents, so that passenger(s) can get off the plane and enter the destination. Thailand just created another entry into the "Guiness Book of Records" with the following FIVE pages stipulating, under which conditions a passenger may enter Thailand - or not. 

Honestly, does anyone seriously believe, that check-in staff has the time, knowledge and experience to go through this rigid checklist given the standard time allowance of 90 seconds per check-in operation? For each and every passenger bound for Thailand? 

This possibly explains also, why apparently more than 80% of all airline slots into/from Thailand for the winter schedule ending 26 March 2022 were NOT taken by non-Thai carriers; nobody in his right mind can operate an airline if hundreds, if not thousands of destinations come up with a set of local instructions like this. 

Here the quintessential example of what it looks like when Extreme Fear and Loathing meets Unbridled Greed.

[DefaultName]

15 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Now, here's my quandary - You have to take a Covid test and show you're negative to board a plane. What use is another test after getting off the plane other than to generate revenue for the people performing the test? Did I suddenly get Covid from any of the OTHER passengers who ALSO tested negative?

Remember that any Thais on the plane do not need a negative test to fly - unless the airline itself demands it.

[HappyExpat57]

1 minute ago, DefaultName said:

Remember that any Thais on the plane do not need a negative test to fly - unless the airline itself demands it.

I was TODAY years old when I learned about this. Pretty damned steamed up about it. One more case of "us dirty farangs." It reminds me of an old saying - don't cut a fat hog in the a$$. Massage that to "don't cut a fat old white buffalo in the a$$."

We're currently the only ones here with any expendable income keeping the mom and pop shops and underground bars alive. Up until Covid hit, I left them alone and they left me alone. Now, I'm seriously looking at other countries. That 800k baht could certainly help me relocate to a more foreigner-friendly country.

[Bkktodd]

13 hours ago, timberpond said:

According to the Foreign Ministry, the Thailand Pass system is web-based and designed to make the documentation process for people entering Thailand more efficient. This system collects both travel and health information and will help facilitate the filing of TM6 and T8 forms.

 

Your vaccine online application hasn't caused enough laughing stock? Now you want to go international? 

 

Thailand 4.0! Susu na! 

Wait until the system gets hacked…..

[Flink]

2 hours ago, club said:

Your wrong . What will entice more tourism is open all bars , clubs , lift the ban on alcohol and help Businesses financially that for forced to close because of the government slow response to Covid and getting vaccines. Stop the ridiculous testing of fully vaccinated people that fly in internationally. Start all this when you can vaccinate 80% of population. 

The problem is, they need to be testing the tourists.If they don't those testing teams would have to be employed elsewhere testing Thais and that would show the real levels of infection here, and that just would not do!

[cape]

So, question. Can I arrive in BKK, stay airside, transfer to CHIANG MAI and get tested and "quarantine" there?

[Robin]

You don't get it do you.

The point of all these restrictions is to make money for someone in Thailand.  Insurance, testing, quarantine, are all <deleted> except that the tourist can be charged money for them.  it thy also keep out 'undesirables ' like back-packers, single males, (who, Thais know, are only after cheap sex,) so much the better. 

Why don't the Thai  government admit it, and say they don't want any tourists polluting their precious country?

Why not avoid all this sham of CoE, and just charge an 'Entry Fee'  ?

Remember, it is not the Junta that benefit from tourists, but the Thai population, about whom the Junta care not a jot.