Minor International, prominent hospitality group, urges the Thai government to drop alcohol restrictions

[Snig27]

15 hours ago, ezzra said:

 Bill Heinecke is an astute business man and he talks like a business man who knows that the country is going down the gurgler if they will not open up very soon and learn to live with the Covid/Omicron, as i like everything he saying because in the end, sooner or later, the government will be forced to do just like he is proposing, so why wait?...

He’s a rather unpleasant piece of work who was a major flag waver for the coup and the suppression of democracy in this country. Many of his business practices have been much commented on and are morally questionable too. 

 

That said, he’s right here.

[huangnon]

 

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

And him rich.

And everyday people getting back to work, earn a living, and some sense of normality again.?

 

The Thai Govt couldn't be doing a better job of trying to crash the economy if they tried... Maybe that is the goal..

[Sharp]

I would suggest China's dragonian methods revolve around the pending Olympics if they weren't on the horizon maybe JUST maybe they would have a different approach! But then again it's CHINA! 

[damian]

Hope he included removing the draconian alcohol sales hours restrictions in a PS.

[SiSePuede419]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

lift the current restrictive alcohol drinking hours set at 9 PM in tourist zones, reimplement the “Test&Go” tourism scheme, stop forcing tourists to hospitals if positive for Covid-19 but mild or asymptomatic, and get rid of Thailand pass and replace it with a simple pre-flight vaccine check and covid test.

And stop the insurance requirement.  Any Farang should be able to afford a government hospital.

 

Just require private hospitals to ask Farangs for their insurance before they check-in.

 

If no insurance, send them to a government hospital.

 

Easy. ????

[John Drake]

Looks like Heinecke needs to drop 50 or 60 lbs.

[John Drake]

3 hours ago, Deli said:

He has Thai Nationality

Wonder if when he travels if he uses a Thai or American passport.

[khunjeff]

10 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Wonder if when he travels if he uses a Thai or American passport.

He renounced his US citizenship decades ago.

[hotchilli]

44 minutes ago, huangnon said:

 

And everyday people getting back to work, earn a living, and some sense of normality again.?

 

The Thai Govt couldn't be doing a better job of trying to crash the economy if they tried... Maybe that is the goal..

We've always been told that international tourism is a minority of the Thai economy... why all the fuss.

[mtls2005]

Note to PR staff: Find a better stock photo of CEO.

 

 

[Charlie Halliday]

Heinecke is suffering massive losses so of course he has a vested interest in fully opening. And to be fair he has a point. Sticking healthy people into hospitals is a joke. My own daughter tested + on arrival and spent 10 days at the govts expense in a swanky hospital and they found nothing wrong with her at all. Most likely a false +. The virus is not killing in numbers anymore. Something like 10 a day. So way less than road accidents. Just open the country and at least try to rebuild the economy. Its probably too late already but try at least 

[jaideedave]

49 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Wonder if when he travels if he uses a Thai or American passport.

One would think that when leaving Thailand he would use the US p/p and when returning he would use the Thai p/p. Many Thai spouses of farang do the same when they get a foreign p/p. Mind you some Asian countries allow Thais  visa free entry so that should be a consideration.

[John Drake]

1 minute ago, jaideedave said:

One would think that when leaving Thailand he would use the US p/p and when returning he would use the Thai p/p. Many Thai spouses of farang do the same when they get a foreign p/p. Mind you some Asian countries allow Thais  visa free entry so that should be a consideration.

Someone above said he renounced his US citizenship. Just for the sake of ease of travel, that seems a dumb thing to do. And it doesn't allow you to escape being a "US taxpaying person" even if you do renounce.

[brucegoniners]

Only if you want any tourists. People would like to be able to indulge on vacation. Very few are tea toddlers.

[huangnon]

32 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

We've always been told that international tourism is a minority of the Thai economy... why all the fuss.

It (now) accounts for less than <10% of the Thai GDP, but employs (or used to employ) a vast amount of Thai people.

 

Meanwhile, in manufacturing, farming, petrochemical, and other Thai industries that comprise the other 90%, similar problems (relating to Covid regulations) are happening. Despite what the Thai SET and media are reporting.

[sambum]

16 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

This hospitality group obviously has NO idea who they are talking to. This government believes Thailand is the true and only center of the universe, the government leaders fart rainbows, and if it wasn't their thought in the first place then it is nothing to be considered.

The guy talks a lot of sense , but as you say, this Government will take no notice whatsoever  because it was not their idea in the first place.

 

Many years ago, I made a suggestion to a Thai landlord regarding a cheap way of providing warm water, and he pooh poohed the idea. A few months later, the subject came up again, and I said, "You know, that was quite a good idea you came up with a while ago - why didn't you give it a try?" He gave me a wry look and lo and behold, a few days later he did make an effort to instal it, and it did work to a certain extent (not 100%), but the point is you are more likely to get a Thai - any Thai - to do something if they think it's their idea! You are just a dumb farang, and it makes no difference that farangs invented telephones, televisions, and telegraph poles, (or trains and boats and planes!) they think that they had the idea in the first place!  .

 

 

[sambum]

3 minutes ago, brucegoniners said:

Only if you want any tourists. People would like to be able to indulge on vacation. Very few are tea toddlers.

"Tea toddlers" I like it ????

[sambum]

1 hour ago, SiSePuede419 said:

And stop the insurance requirement.  Any Farang should be able to afford a government hospital.

 

Just require private hospitals to ask Farangs for their insurance before they check-in.

 

If no insurance, send them to a government hospital.

 

Easy. ????

I thoughthe extra 300 baht per international arrival was going to pay for that?

[spidermike007]

I feel sorry for the investors and multi nationals who just assumed if a truly tragic event like this took place, they would see some support from the government. Ha! Far too much timidity, far too little vision, far too little intelligence, competence, experience, non existent assistance to the vitally important tourism sector, no talk of the sacrifices needed to attract reasonably affluent tourists, and way too little, way too late. 

Thailand needs the world 20x more than the.world needs Thailand, and that concept is just starting to settle in. The long term effects of the lethargy, cowardice, lack of vision, the decision to choose submarine purchases over small business support, and the sheer hubris, arrogance and misguided fake pride are bringing down the nation, and contaminating its future. No wonder a million youths are discussing how to leave Thailand in their past, right now on FB. Where is their future? 

 

Tourism is not returning anytime soon. The average Thai seems to attribute this to Covid. And that is a significant factor. But, there were a dozen issues plaguing the industry long before covid reared it's ugly head, income was dropping dramatically, as the "number of arrivals" were up, pointing toward a dramatically lower quality of tourist, that Thailand was able to attract. The heavy hitters, and the wealthy tourists have found many other places that meet their need for a nice bottle of wine with dinner (that is not overpriced to a mind boggling degree), a sommelier at the hotel who knows their wine, reasonable luxury goods, so the wife can shop here while on vacation, law and order that addresses jet ski scammers, sewage being dumped into the ocean in resort areas, control over the taxi goons, and far better transportation options (high speed trains, helicopters available for transport, etc). And I am only getting started, as there were a dozen other things that needed to be addressed, and were not on any level, by anyone. 

They still have not learned much. This was a great learning opportunity for Phiphat, and the other goombahs. Obstacles and tragedies can be learning experiences, for mature men and women. And they can offer a path toward improvement, and progress. But, apparently that does not apply to these authorities and so called leaders. 

 

It feels like willful sabotage. You cannot kill tourism more effectively, if you were doing it deliberately. Therefore, the verdict is in. They are trying to reduce the industry to ashes, and rebuild it in their own image. That of saints, sages and holy Buddhists. Put all the bars, nightclubs, go-go's, and related businesses out of business entirely. Then rebuild the industry as a Disneyworld, family type attraction. Pure as winter snow. Of course we all know this will be a dismal failure. I expect no more than 4-5 million tourists a year, 5-10 years from now, and for that trend of diminishing arrivals to continue, for the next 50 years. News bulletin! They killed the golden goose. 
 

They just keep forgetting. 

1. Thailand needs foreign tourism 100X more than tourists need Thailand. 

2. Thailand is NOT the center of the known universe. 

3. Thailand is not the most desirable nation on earth. 

4. Thailand is not what it used to be. Alot of the character is disappearing. 

5. Thailand is run by idiotic and arrogant children. 

6. The confused and long muddled policy has turned off 99% of tourists. Thailand has been forgotten. 

 

 

[sambum]

5 hours ago, sirineou said:

The test and go program was not suspended to prevent the Omicron variant for coming to Thailand,  everyone understands that it will come, It is suspended to slow it down until such time that we have a handle on it and the dangers it presents, and as such it is working. 

We seem to have a kneejerk reaction against everything the goverment in Thailand does, some times with proper justification, but in this instance any one of us would have done the same if we were in charge. 

It seems like Omicron is not a dangerous as it was originally thought to be, but  I think that it is a little premature to make a definitive determination , as this hospital group seems to have. A few more weeks should give us the data pessary to make better assessment .IMO   

"as this hospital group seems to have."?

 

I think you mean "hospitality" group! ???? 

[khunjeff]

29 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Someone above said he renounced his US citizenship. Just for the sake of ease of travel, that seems a dumb thing to do. And it doesn't allow you to escape being a "US taxpaying person" even if you do renounce.

Heinecke definitely isn't a dumb man, and renouncing did let him avoid US taxes going forward, after paying what was probably a fairly substantial "exit tax". Ease of travel is great, but evidently not worth tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to him.

 

"Renouncing American citizenship (also referred to as expatriation) is a final and irreversible way for Americans who have moved overseas permanently to stop filing U.S. federal taxes, and in 2020 a record number of Americans expatriated....

.

.

Renouncing does make sense for some Americans who have moved abroad permanently. This often depends on tax rules and rates (and passport power) of the country where they live, and their current and expected future financial circumstances. If detailed financial projections indicate they will save a lot of money in the long term by renouncing, then it may make sense."

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2021/11/03/when-might-renouncing-us-citizenship-make-sense-from-a-tax-point-of-view/

 

[Purdey]

While I understand the hotel industry, and its internal restaurants, need customers, but why the emphasis on alcohol? Do people only come to Thailand to get drunk? Can’t hotels find non alcoholic solutions to client needs?

 

Yes, a glass of wine or a beer with a meal is nice, but I am just fascinated by the reliance on alcohol, which sounds so essential that tourists can’t live without it. I imagine there is more profit on alcohol than bedrooms, but this harping on about allowing people to get drunk and stagger around coughing and spluttering on others is remarkable.

[issan101]

The letter and the advice wishin makes too much sense, which means it will be ignored

[stigar]

10 minutes ago, Purdey said:

While I understand the hotel industry, and its internal restaurants, need customers, but why the emphasis on alcohol? Do people only come to Thailand to get drunk? Can’t hotels find non alcoholic solutions to client needs?

 

Yes, a glass of wine or a beer with a meal is nice, but I am just fascinated by the reliance on alcohol, which sounds so essential that tourists can’t live without it. I imagine there is more profit on alcohol than bedrooms, but this harping on about allowing people to get drunk and stagger around coughing and spluttering on others is remarkable.

I think many foreigners live in thailand because of low alcoholprices..many is alcoholics and drugusers.And how many criminals on the run?

[mtls2005]

5 minutes ago, issan101 said:

The letter and the advice wishin makes too much sense, which means it will be ignored

"Ignored" by whom?

 

Yeah, never clear to me who his "audience" is with his "missives"?

 

He has the ear of the regime, so assume he's targeting others, maybe shareholders, with his "message"?

 

Or maybe it just makes him feel like he's "contributing" to the "discussion"?

 

I think MINT has more holdings outside of thailand than inside, bit I don't follow the company closely.

 

 

 

 

 

[khunPer]

One or other way we, and the rest of the World, are going to find a way to live with Covid, just like we have been living with influenza for 100 years.

 

Total number deaths in Thailand from the Covid-19 pandemic, during almost two years now: 21,901

Source link WorldOmeter.

 

Number of deaths in Thailand reported from the 2018-influenza epidemic: 44,549

Source link WorldHealthRankings.

[Stargeezr]

Look around the world and see just how many other countries have 9 PM closing times on their bars and restaurants.

  You will not find many.    Thailand is a tourist destination, and the government seems to have forgotten that fact.

    I have friends who are escaping part of Winter in Mexico, and some went to central America and none of

them have these restrictions.  I guess Thailand has not received the message. Hopefully they will learn shortly that

high season does not last all year, and when it is low season, or rainy season, and hot March and April

the tourists all seem to leave and only the year round expats stay.  Wake up Thailand.

[vVDB]

This gentleman would be responsible if he said please reopen, we cover all costs beyond 15,000 cases and cover the health costs of foreigners without insurance.

 

Because according to him, the government must pay the health costs and hoteliets must take the profits.

[Millcx]

Just drop Anutin a few pallets of dosh … Then you will get you NO …. “Thailand has Fallen”

[Millcx]

45 minutes ago, khunPer said:

One or other way we, and the rest of the World, are going to find a way to live with Covid, just like we have been living with influenza for 100 years.

 

Total number deaths in Thailand from the Covid-19 pandemic, during almost two years now: 21,901

Source link WorldOmeter.

 

Number of deaths in Thailand reported from the 2018-influenza epidemic: 44,549

Source link WorldHealthRankings.

Numbers are from Gov … 100% fictitious and certain half are from Flu …. Haw many road deaths ?