8 minutes ago, ThaiAl said:

4 hours ago, gearbox said:

My prediction is Jan 2022 for proper reopening.

I hope you're right, as I'm still waiting to book a flight, till the is no testing on the arrival.

And I'm holding off making a trip back to the states to see family for exactly the same reason. I read horror stories of people losing their trip because of the inability to successfully get the ridiculous Thai Pass. Sure, there aren't many of them but with my luck, I'd be another victim.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Thanet says it's all smoke and mirrors.

It's worse than the blind leading the blind, at least they might stumble and fall , not shoot themselves in the foot.

so - how many "expats" are there ... 250k?

Thailand peaked at around 40,000,000 visitors. Tat's a big gap for expats to fill.

How much do they spend on tourism per day compared to visitors?

4 hours ago, Henryford said:

No tourist in their right mind would come now. Imagine Christmas and New Year without a drink.

That says more about you and alcohol than tourism

4 hours ago, yogi yogi said:

i can go to cambodia easily from thailand now?  via plane.  no cambodian restrictions?  what about coming back to thailand after going to cambodia.?  i have to do one night quarantine again?  what about if i come back via land?  same one night quarantine required? so many questions, no answers?

If you are away from Thailand for less than 21 days there is no quarantine, I don't know if Cambodia is included in the list of countries that rule applies to. And anyway, that was the rule yesterday. Tomorrow, who knows. You might go there and while you are sleeping it might all change.

He's telling it like it is.  That's his career over then.

will be promoted to an inactive post with no media contact

3 hours ago, James105 said:

Poor guy.   Must be difficult to be the only intelligent person in the room when surrounded by so many clowns.  He must have an extremely sore head from constantly banging it against the wall at every single announcement that falls down from the propaganda tree.   

 

This statement seems to perfectly sum up the intelligence of the covid measures here that are supported by so many:

 

I would actually find the sheer stupidity of this highly amusing if it wasn't destroying so many lives that rely on selling alcohol as part of their business model.

Most countries over the world uses the recommandations of the WHO.
It's not only Thailand who restricts the use of alcohol, the use of masks, a.o. <deleted> about Covid-19.
If someone would be to blame for all this stupidity, only the WHO is the one to take the blame.
 

5 hours ago, Andycoops said:

Thailand hasn't shot it's self in the foot, it's shot it's self in both feet.

What's more, shot itself in both feet with one shot.

The way expats are generally treated, expats bringing in an average of 50,000 baht a month and being the best promoters of Thailand, is an example of doing and thinking things wrong.

3 hours ago, Confuscious said:

Something strange in all this.
There are no tourists and the hotels are empty due to the Pandemic.
But if you try to find a hotel in Pattaya or Jomtien via Booking.com or Pagoda.com, everything is FULL!!!!
 

No you’ve got it wrong only one room left at this price, the usual BS. biggest BSers on the planet.

2 hours ago, mjakob007 said:

They closed shop more than a year back?

Open Booking.com or Pagoda.com (and even Google maps) and they will show a lot of hotels that are OPEN but fully booked.

31 minutes ago, ThaiAl said:

I hope you're right, as I'm still waiting to book a flight, till the is no testing on the arrival.

One thing I forgot about...the number of people coming and covid positive after testing is small...the government should contract a couple of hotels in the popular destinations and put the inbound asymptomatic positive cases there free of charge. This would shore up the confidence in would be tourists - small price to pay but can impact the numbers coming quite a bit. The insurers around the world won't change their policies just because the Thai government has some weird ideas.

I wonder if the fact is that the Thai govt would prefer not to have any tourists at all. Too many foreigners around, seeing what really goes on here. 

Well of course not. Why would they? The pandemic is still an issue and this government has given them absolutely no time to plan their trips.

 

People plan vacations months and sometimes years ahead. Are these guys so ignorant and/or dense to think people are just waiting for the word to book a trip to Thailand?

 

Tourism will be back, but it will be mid 2022 at the earliest and most likely the usual high season next year.

5 hours ago, Andycoops said:

Thailand hasn't shot it's self in the foot, it's shot it's self in both feet.

.....with a machine gun.....????

2 minutes ago, gearbox said:

One thing I forgot about...the number of people coming and covid positive after testing is small...the government should contract a couple of hotels in the popular destinations and put the inbound asymptomatic positive cases there free of charge. This would shore up the confidence in would be tourists - small price to pay but can impact the numbers coming quite a bit. The insurers around the world won't change their policies just because the Thai government has some weird ideas.

Just forget the testing on arrival. What's the point. A person tests negative before they leave and are vaccinated. The number that have tested positive in the sandbox is tiny and dwarfed by the endemic covid daily cases in Thailand.

 

At some point we will have to follow the example of our neighbouring countries starting to do this anyway.

Well I learnt a new word today, Onanism, thank you kind sir, ???? I would also like to say to the posters who have a pop at people who would like bars & restaurants open and selling alcohol, I would love to go to a restaurant with a couple of friends and the mrs & have a nice relaxed meal with a couple of glasses of wine or beer, I would also like to go to my local and meet my many friends there for a chinwag & a couple of large beers, your attitude toward those who enjoy civilsed beer or relaxed dinner with wine stinks.

 

You seem to see everyone who enjoys alcohol as raging addicts, a very small minded attitude to say the least, my message to you is get lost ( cos I am not allowed to tell you to walk away in short jerky movements. ????????☺

I hope everyone gets the ability  to get a booster shot!  As the vaccine  wanes over time, so all that have returned and have medical insurance  should be hoping for a booster soon.  I mean with the rest of the world mostly  vaccinated and their countries numbers rising, and continue  to do so, and the virus Delta strain still evil and mutating could make for a bad situation  if the numbers were to unfortunately go back up.  I hope they dont go up and that everyone  gets a booster.  Could you imagine  if the hospital's and feild hospitals got as bad as before, and there isnt enough equipment , like respirators, to go around.  Even if one has a million in insurance... if the numbers rise, and there isn't enough equipment... well I'm glad everyone  thought it through and didn't  rush back.  

2 hours ago, Willy Wombat said:

My wife hasn’t seen her Thai family in two years.

 

We haven’t set foot in a house that was completed after Australia turned into Alcatraz.

 

We both agree that we will not contemplate travelling to Thailand until they ask to see vaccination status and that it. No jumping through hoops.

 

Now imagine a Thai woman who misses her family and will not jump

all the hurdles placed of her to travel back.

 

There is no a chance a normal tourist will go through the hassles either.

 

 

I agree with u.I couldnt wait anymore so i went to see my gf.Took 15 day quarantene..this was earlier this year.After i finished the 15 days she picked me up outside my hotel.We had 2 lovely days in BKK before we went to korat.2,5 months there.Priceless.It was worth the price.Anyway..im NOT going back before its easier to go there.

3 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

Well I learnt a new word today, Onanism, thank you kind sir, ???? I would also like to say to the posters who have a pop at people who would like bars & restaurants open and selling alcohol, I would love to go to a restaurant with a couple of friends and the mrs & have a nice relaxed meal with a couple of glasses of wine or beer, I would also like to go to my local and meet my many friends there for a chinwag & a couple of large beers, your attitude toward those who enjoy civilsed beer or relaxed dinner with wine stinks.

 

You seem to see everyone who enjoys alcohol as raging addicts, a very small minded attitude to say the least, my message to you is get lost ( cos I am not allowed to tell you to walk away in short jerky movements. ????????☺

But didnt  you hear?  The Thai health department  head says alcohol  relaxes the pharynx and allows covid to ented the body easily.   I am not making this up

6 hours ago, norfolkandchance said:

He should get a job at TAT.

They should make him the PM ????????

2 minutes ago, WEBBYB808 said:

But didnt  you hear?  The Thai health department  head says alcohol  relaxes the pharynx and allows covid to ented the body easily.   I am not making this up

Yes I read that, such stupidity from a supposedly intelligent person, the guy is a mouthpiece for the government, and they have no idea either.

Well, he speaks a lot of truth. That truth has long been painfully obvious for anyone with a brain.

 

He forgot to mention the stupid and completely unnecessary vaccine requirements. If there's something we've learnt over the last few months is that they don't make a difference so why keep them in place when it only deters potential tourists? To give people a false sense of security? As with many things in Thailand, looking for logic in the rules is often a pointless excercise. Anyway, that's what needs to be done. Scrap the Thailand Pass, all quarantine and vaccination requirements. One test before flying out is more than enough. 

13 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

I wonder if the fact is that the Thai govt would prefer not to have any tourists at all. Too many foreigners around, seeing what really goes on here. 

Because if there's one thing we know about tourists, it's that they're all wannabe investigative journalists. Not here to enjoy the beaches, the scenery, the food at all.

Hmmmm…. What a surprise?

Khun Thanat,

 

I and many on here would like to buy you a drink. Finally someone with a brain and some common sense 

 

????????????

Wow some seriously sensible comments from Thanet. Thanet for PrimeMinister.

he is right

he is right, even that some countries from the middle east still need 2-3 months and more to get even entry visa to Thailand -even they are business people or properties owners or rich people 

56 minutes ago, Confuscious said:

Open Booking.com or Pagoda.com (and even Google maps) and they will show a lot of hotels that are OPEN but fully booked.

yes. I had the same experience. Some of the hotels that i have stayed in the past appeared to be 'sold out'.

 

out of curiosity, i walked by the property when i visited and they were closed until further notice.

 

some other hotels operate only 1-2 floors out of their several floors that are available.

6 hours ago, Andycoops said:

Thailand hasn't shot it's self in the foot, it's shot it's self in both feet.

more like shot itself in the head !!