Tourism and Sports Ministry to propose “Thailand Pass” cancellation and introduce single ATK test to spur tourism growth

[webfact]

PHOTO: Prachachat

 

By Nop Meechukhun

 

Bangkok – The Tourism and Sports Ministry is planning to propose the cancellation of the “Thailand Pass” scheme and introduce a single ATK test to welcome international tourists and spur tourism growth.

 

Tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn revealed at the 2022 general meeting of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) today, March 24th, that the ministry would propose a plan to revoke the “Thailand Pass”, hopefully, to be implemented from June 1st onwards, in order to enhance more opportunities for the tourism sector to recover from the Covid-19 situation hardship.

 

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In short, the plan would encourage traveling to Thailand to return to normal as in 2019 or before the Covid-19 global pandemic, Phiphat said.

 

Travelers would not be required to register either “Test&Go” or “Sandbox” or “Quarantine Tourism” and, in principle, should not require a Covid-19 test. However, the minister suggested that ATK testing should still be conducted on the first day of arrival for public confidence or that the test could be optional but encouraged.

 

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2022/03/24/tourism-and-sports-ministry-to-propose-thailand-pass-cancellation-and-introduce-single-atk-test-to-spur-tourism-growth/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2022-03-25

 

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[Willy Wombat]

Test before departure. Not on arrival .

Dummies

[Laughing Gravy]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Bangkok – The Tourism and Sports Ministry is planning to propose the cancellation of the “Thailand Pass” scheme

Finally the penny has dropped.

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

and introduce a single ATK test to welcome international tourists and spur tourism growth.

But they still don't get it.

 

Eventually they will but already that is too late.  When they do eventually see sense i wonder will they ever admit how slow they were, like with the closing of borders, vaccination programme etc.

 

I imagine they will not and it will be 'slaps on the back' on what an amazing job they have done, yet again. The land of no accountability.

[Spilornis]

In announcing sweeping reductions in its covid restrictions yesterday Singapore mentioned that traffic through Changi was at 13% pre covid rates.

Few wish to travel to or through destinations with restrictions

[bristolgeoff]

Step in the right direction,maybe a LFT  show that you are jabbed up.before or when u arrive.neg test is all u need.show insurance if needed for the visa at the gates of entry.Let people apply like before at consulate near where u live.Make it easier  to arrive  and tourist will return

[Destiny1990]

Why not drop the Thailand pass immediately?what so difficult about returning the happiness? 

[Dcheech]

Desperately trying to put lipstick on a pig. Until they do something about testing & an asymptomatic result getting you tossed into the hospital, and the insurance does not pay, it means nothing. Why would tourists want to risk it?

[Petey11]

They just cant realise that testing on arrival is probably one of the things putting people off travelling. If they are leaning towards this I bet they will still have quarantine/isolation even when they declare Covid endemic.

[ezzra]

2 hours ago, Willy Wombat said:

Test before departure. Not on arrival .

Dummies

Maybe they trust the results of overseas testing and want to be sure 100%, if its done quickly and efficiently at the airport i don't see why not, if this will rid us the travellers for other headaches having to do  more testing and quarantine i'm for it...

[TheFishman1]

Get rid of that Thai Pass

[blazes]

Maybe require evidence of vaccination ....and that's it.  Any kind of testing, before or after arrival, is both costly and potentially producing false positives.

[NHPT]

I am willing to do ATK before departure and fully vaccinated.

 

ANY test on arrival, quarantine, prepaid hotel, hospital, hospitEl, incarceration any other stupid requirements is still a NO GO

 

[oscarsmum]

4 minutes ago, NHPT said:

I am willing to do ATK before departure and fully vaccinated.

 

ANY test on arrival, quarantine, prepaid hotel, hospital, hospitEl, incarceration any other stupid requirements is still a NO GO

 

Agree!

[Fairynuff]

Testing is the biggest deterrent to international travel on a cost basis.

Germany €25
UK £60

Thailand 3000 THB

Tourists aren’t interested in costly restrictions and Thailand will lose out to the rest of Asia as they ditch their restrictions more quickly.

[peter zwart]

Finaly, some one is waking up. And no vaccine requirements onymore i quess.???? Good. Welcome back realistic world.

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, Spilornis said:

In announcing sweeping reductions in its covid restrictions yesterday Singapore mentioned that traffic through Changi was at 13% pre covid rates.

Few wish to travel to or through destinations with restrictions

Wonder how many of the missing 87% are Chinese, who are absent because of their own country's restrictions. Everybody knows what is best in an improving situation.....

[peter zwart]

29 minutes ago, blazes said:

Maybe require evidence of vaccination ....and that's it.  Any kind of testing, before or after arrival, is both costly and potentially producing false positives.

Do forget about the vaccination. its rubbish. What if the vaccin is already 4/5 months old and has no effect anymore???

[andyman57]

Won't be coming back until all the craps done with

[wealthychef]

3 hours ago, Willy Wombat said:

Test before departure. Not on arrival .

Dummies

No test needed AT ALL.  What is the point?  What is the test stopping from happening?  Last I checked, Omicron is already in Thailand and spreading as rapidly as it does.  All this does is make my vacation plans uncertain.  So I don't make them.  Tests == no tourists.  They'll figure it out.  

[dogfish180]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

Maybe they trust the results of overseas testing and want to be sure 100%, if its done quickly and efficiently at the airport i don't see why not, if this will rid us the travellers for other headaches having to do  more testing and quarantine i'm for it...

Quickly and efficiently! Thailand? There's an oxymoron if I ever heard one ????????????

[spidermike007]

If they scrap the test & go they have a chance of getting back to 2 million tourists a year for the first few years, and as many as 5 million a year five to ten years from now. 

 

That will be about it. It will never recover to even close to where it was before. The world is a different place, and Thailand is essentially a forgotten nation. None of the dozen areas that needed improvement prior to Covid were addressed. The extreme hubris and TCKU (Thailand is the center of the known universe) ignorance continues, unabated. 

 

They are just beginning to acknowledge that the nation needs tourism 40X more than tourists need it. Too many choices now. And Thailand does not have as much flavor or character as it used to. And the puerile pasteurization of the culture of not helping anyone. 

[RichardColeman]

Daft Idea - why on earth would say UK travellers want to risk an expensive quarantine here rather than free quarantine at home ? Especially on a dodgy test kit .

[jacko45k]

Just now, RichardColeman said:

Daft Idea - why on earth would say UK travellers want to risk an expensive quarantine here rather than free quarantine at home ? Especially on a dodgy test kit .

I am not looking for an argument, but some time ago the UK was offering hotel quarantine for UK arrivals, and from all reports, it was very expensive and awful..... 

[Sydebolle]

Well, the Songkran business is toast already and summer vacations are mostly planned and booked as well. 

Drop all that carppy ideas, Thailand passes etc. will not make a difference except feeding the endless Thai bureaucracy. I suggested to all those who asked me in faraway lands NOT to come for the time being. You leave healthy and triple vaccinated without any tests on departure. If there is ONE single positive case (no symptoms nothing, just positive) upon arrival = off to the quarantine slammer at thousand of Baht a night for cold, stale food served in plastic containers by staff dressed in transparent garbage bags. Two weeks later its straight off to the airport to travel to their home country again. 

¿Lo entiendes?

Nobody in his right mind burns his well- and hard earned vacation with such funny weed dreams by the congregation of clowns in Bangkok! 

[ChrisY1]

IMO, the Thailand Pass is really all about money...nothing what so ever to do about protecting anyone from Covid.

The no test prior to traveling to Thailand, is a deterrrent....who knows what result we might get now...a -ive turns into a 7 day stay at cost! 

With so much Covid now in the community..it's a farce to have any rules really.

[RichardColeman]

3 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I am not looking for an argument, but some time ago the UK was offering hotel quarantine for UK arrivals, and from all reports, it was very expensive and awful..... 

Yes, but that was for arrivals - not departures. If you want to run the risk of catching it on holiday then that's your choice - and risk. But I'd rather risk a UK test and stay home than get to Thailand and get fleeced !

[jacko45k]

Just now, ChrisY1 said:

IMO, the Thailand Pass is really all about money...nothing what so ever to do about protecting anyone from Covid.

The no test prior to traveling to Thailand, is a deterrrent....who knows what result we might get now...a -ive turns into a 7 day stay at cost! 

With so much Covid now in the community..it's a farce to have any rules really.

A bit into the conspiracy stuff aren't you?

The very fact that there is a lot of Covid about, with ensuing hospital admissions, and burden on the health service, is, to me, a justification, of some of Thailand's measures. The 2000+ (and rising) daily hospital admissions with or because of Covid in the UK is quite a burden, and I am concerned the UK moved too far too fast, when the health service might have benefitted from some damping down measures.

[Dialemco]

Covid is endemic in Thailand you only have to look at official figures whereas the actual number of Infections is probably much higher therefore visitors are more likely to contract Covid after arrival from local transmission and entry conditions are pointless and should be scraped 

[Bangkok Barry]

13 minutes ago, Dialemco said:

Covid is endemic in Thailand you only have to look at official figures whereas the actual number of Infections is probably much higher therefore visitors are more likely to contract Covid after arrival from local transmission and entry conditions are pointless and should be scraped 

My nephew has been to school for approximately two weeks over the past year and there is no still no word on his school reopening. So yes, Covid in any form appears to be rampant except in official figures, That. or the government doesn't want kids educated. It's a toss-up which is correct. Probably both.

[shdmn]

It's endemic. Get rid of everything.  EVERYTHING!  The science no longer supports any of these dumb policies.  It's all politically driven now.

Edited March 25, 2022 by shdmn