Tourism Council Urges Government to Relax Restrictions to Revitalize Industry

[connda]

Why say anything any longer.  The government simply can not get out of the way.  This status oriented culture is about Elites who tell the Commoners how to live.  That includes commoner foreign tourists as well as Thai nationals.  Elites are elite and power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. They set all of these counter rules and restrictions that wreak the average working class to show the little people how much power they can wield.  "Mask up. Don't drink. No more night entertainment. Go to temple. Obey. Submit. Get tests.  Get shots. Isolate. Stay home. But go shopping in malls but don't get together with friends - and never ever go to nightclubs. blahblahblah"

I know how this eventually turns out.  It's not a happy story for the common Thais or foreigners.  But the elites will show the country who is really in charge and who is connected and who is not, who is special and who are not.  There is no reason to comment on this any longer.  This is like watching a slow motion train wreak where only the second and third class rail cars are destroyed.

[garyk]

Thai tourism council has 0 pull. Not organized and no money to spread around apparently.

[TooMuchTime]

9 hours ago, Zack61 said:

Why bother with the ATK test? The virus is rampant and ATK tests would do little to nothing to alleviate this problem.

Yes, by all means, encourage people to test when they feel symptoms but a one off test is absolutely useless as it is very possible to contract covid 5 minutes after receiving a negative test. Remove all impediments and the masses may respond. Seems like they are finding it difficult to wean themselves off the silly testing regime they have put in place.

The farang are coming from disease ridden countries and may infect Thai nationals.  We need this test to minimize negative effects on the Thai population.

[Edwin Cameron]

My family of over 20 people regularly came to Thailand just about every year until this covid virus hit, we had decided as a family not to get vaccinated, well now we cannot go because we haven't been vaccinated, so there you have it,Thailand loser's 20 potential tourists and a heap of money, we would go if we could but no big deal,we will now spend our thousands of dollar's in Australia, BAD LUCK THAILAND..!  

[nattaya09]

".......and replace the mandatory RT-PCR test-upon-arrival requirement with the more convenient ATK tests...."

 

No tests on arrival

[nattaya09]

11 hours ago, curtklay said:

Meanwhile, the CDC in the US has elevated Thailand to the highest risk level 4, with the advice "avoid travel to Thailand".

What the ****??

Yeah, If the CDC seriously wants Americans to "avoid travel to Thailand" , then they should just direct potential travelers to the Thai entrance requirements

[daveAustin]

We all know what needs to happen—even the cat does—but the gov knows best; it is bringing happiness. They prefer a dead, staid life just like most robots. 

[jacko45k]

It will need some revitalizing. But some have optimism..... 

Last Sunday, perhaps inadvisably, I took a stroll around Pattaya.... the heat and needing to be masked made it an effort. It was apparent in Pattaya that so many businesses have been killed off, the profusion of Indian restaurants an example, closed up, dirty and dingy,  old looking 'for rent' signs. The beer bars all around soi 7 and 8, rubbish strewn around, a brush has not seen these pavements for many a day, a defunct GGB I have been happy in... beggars sleeping around. Yet turn a corner or two around Buakhao and you can see odd places being built and furnished, getting ready for something. Empty pockets have shuffled over the horizon, wide eyed optimists are moving in for a kill. 

Will the latter get their way, we all know the EEC want otherwise?

[tlcwaterfall]

9 hours ago, TooMuchTime said:

The farang are coming from disease ridden countries and may infect Thai nationals.  We need this test to minimize negative effects on the Thai population.

Most ridiculous comment I have seen on this site this year.

[tlcwaterfall]

They are incompetent and will eventually be removed.

The damage they have done to the economy and to the Thai people will take many years to recover from.

[itsari]

What you need and what you get is two different things .

They could forget all special entry rules into Thailand and still not attract the numbers of tourists they need with the exclusion of the Chinese and now the Russians . One has to remember many from the west will be hesitant to travel as well .

Domestic tourism after two years of covid restrictions will be difficult to reach the numbers they need .

[NoshowJones]

17 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Gouging tourists must continue.

Yes! Because once that gouging stops, the unelected generals are going to have thousands of protesters to contend with.

[jacko45k]

29 minutes ago, tlcwaterfall said:

Most ridiculous comment I have seen on this site this year.

That won't last......????

[sambum]

"The TCT president said the agency aims to attract at least 16 million foreign visitors to Thailand and 75 million local travelers, generating 1.2 trillion baht in revenue."

 

Should that not be TAT? ????????

[sambum]

6 hours ago, Edwin Cameron said:

My family of over 20 people regularly came to Thailand just about every year until this covid virus hit, we had decided as a family not to get vaccinated, well now we cannot go because we haven't been vaccinated, so there you have it,Thailand loser's 20 potential tourists and a heap of money, we would go if we could but no big deal,we will now spend our thousands of dollar's in Australia, BAD LUCK THAILAND..!  

"My family of over 20 people........."

 

Any other hobbies? ????

[NoshowJones]

16 hours ago, alex8912 said:

What they should do ( but common sense is low) is to just scrap the 60 day tourist visa completely. Anyone from any country who would already be excepted for 30 day visa exempt should be able to come here for 60 days with no fee. I remember several years before 2015 that double entry and triple entry visas were free.  You still had to do some paperwork for those however. The poster who may comment " but do you know what my Thai girlfriend had to go through to go to the UK or Canada or wherever " please spare your comment. If you can't figure out the difference then it's a hopeless discussion.  Even 90 days visa exempt would start to get longer term snow birds, digital nomads , young people who just want to travel AND have money$$. It's so stupid Thailand doesn't do  this. Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore don't do this visa stuff for soooo many countries! Why does Thailand? 

Because Thailand is run mainly by poorly educated, unelected soldiers, and are probably living in fear of the protesters.

[Photoguy21]

17 hours ago, 2 is 1 said:

So nobody cant travel like 2 times/ year?! Before covid we travel almost every weekend some place to relax or see new places. 

Yes but it is still only one person

[RafPinto]

19 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

From what I remember "and 75 million local travelers" which I assume are Thai nationals being referred to, is more than the population of the country. In 2020 it was just under 70 million. Has there been an explosion of births in the last two years?

Yes.

I was quite busy travelling and helped out a bit.

Have to change my look otherwise in each city, someone calls me "daddy".

[sambum]

15 hours ago, TooMuchTime said:

The farang are coming from disease ridden countries and may infect Thai nationals.  We need this test to minimize negative effects on the Thai population.

Garbage! Do you not realise that the disease is here already? (Sometimes brought in by people from neighbouring countries crossing your borders illegally - which is to a certain point, irrelevant) The point is that "the farang" coming into the country are double vaxed at the minimum, get tested on arrival and 5 days later(at the moment), so it is the farang who should be worried abouut catching it from unvaxed Thais, and not the other way around!

 

You have been listening too much to the propoganda spouted by your Health Minister Anutin - he'll be telling you next that his marijuana tea will prevent you from catching Covid - and you will probably believe him!

[TooMuchTime]

9 hours ago, sambum said:

Garbage! Do you not realise that the disease is here already? (Sometimes brought in by people from neighbouring countries crossing your borders illegally - which is to a certain point, irrelevant) The point is that "the farang" coming into the country are double vaxed at the minimum, get tested on arrival and 5 days later(at the moment), so it is the farang who should be worried abouut catching it from unvaxed Thais, and not the other way around!

 

You have been listening too much to the propoganda spouted by your Health Minister Anutin - he'll be telling you next that his marijuana tea will prevent you from catching Covid - and you will probably believe him!

Next thing you will believe is that getting double injected and double boosted means you can't get infected and spread covid.  Looks like you didn't get the immunity you were promised.  Was it within 3-6 months any "protection" you had wanes off?

 

Healthy Thai diet with Thai herbs > western concept of fake foods and injections

 

Pfizer and their shareholders thank you for the profits.

[sambum]

22 hours ago, TooMuchTime said:

Next thing you will believe is that getting double injected and double boosted means you can't get infected and spread covid.  Looks like you didn't get the immunity you were promised.  Was it within 3-6 months any "protection" you had wanes off?

 

Healthy Thai diet with Thai herbs > western concept of fake foods and injections

 

Pfizer and their shareholders thank you for the profits.

I didn't expect any "immunity". I am well aware of the difference between immunity and vaccination - I expect that if I do catch Covid, if I am triple vaxed, I will be less likely to be hospitalised and/or on a ventilator.

 

The fact remains that if someone is triple vaxed, tests negative before they travel, test negative 5 days after arrival, they are far less likely to  be infecting other people than to be infected themselves by people who have not taken any precautions at all (i.e. the "anti vaxers")

 

"Healthy Thai diet with Thai herbs".

Are you saying that that will give you more protection than Pfizer or AstraZeneca? Perhaps your amulets or "Good luck to you" from the local monk  will give you even more protection? ???? 

[Pdavies99]

On 3/30/2022 at 10:25 AM, ukrules said:

Until they remove all of the nonsense then hardly anyone will come.

 

It's as simple as that.

 

They should watch what happens to Spain this coming summer, it's going to be carnage as Spain is replaced as the default destination for many UK tourists who will go elsewhere because it's easier and cheaper to do so.

 

The Spanish will relent, it's just a matter of time, but maybe they leave it too late for this year.

 

Quite right, my favorite destination is Thailand, as I'm writing this sitting in a bar at the Canary Islands!

[marcho]

On 3/30/2022 at 8:13 PM, CG1 Blue said:

I'm confused - these are exactly the measures that are keeping tourists away from Thailand. Or were you being sarcastic? 

No, its not the same.

Thailand wants you to have a PCR test and  quaratine until the test comes back. 

 

[CG1 Blue]

8 hours ago, marcho said:

No, its not the same.

Thailand wants you to have a PCR test and  quaratine until the test comes back. 

 

But you say in Australia they're testing arrivals. Presumably if those arrivals test positive there are consequences for them? 

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

On 3/30/2022 at 5:39 AM, webfact said:

The TCT president said the agency aims to attract at least 16 million foreign visitors to Thailand and 75 million local travelers, generating 1.2 trillion baht in revenue.

Thai authorities are sure that once restrictions are lifted, 16 millions foreign tourists will flock into the country.

they misunderstanding the TCT request.

they need to be explained that even if they will remove all restrictions

right now, nothing will happan. people are just not sitting

and waiting to thailand now.

so why won't they just remove all restrictions right now ?

one reason : pride !!