by Michael Bridge

So far, the expected spike in Covid cases after the Songkran holidays has not raised its ugly head, so why can’t tourists be encouraged back without crazy restrictions?

The government have declared subject to official confirmation that they will be relaxing the entry rules for foreigners entering the country but is it enough?

The controversial Test & Go travel scheme for foreign arrivals and RT-PCR testing upon arrival is expected to end at the end of April.

This means vaccinated travellers will only need to take self-antigen tests during their stay from May 1 as part of a further easing of entry rules.

With the easing of travel regulations, the government confirmed that Thailand will fully reopen to foreign visitors from May 1.

But will it still make it easier for tourists already wary of travelling overseas?

Here are the new rules explained, which were apparently approved at a meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) this week, although they still need to be officially confirmed in the Royal Gazette.

Vaccinated visitors will not be tested for Covid-19 upon arrival anymore. 

It will be recommended they self-test using antigen kits during their stay. 

Vaccinated travellers must register for entry via Thailand Pass and present proof of vaccination.

If they test positive, they could enter their Covid-19 insurance process or take care of their own treatment.

 

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Unvaccinated travellers will be welcomed if they present proof of a negative RT-PCR test no more than 72 hours before their trip and register via Thailand Pass.

They will be quarantined for five days, with another RT-PCR test on day 4-5. They will also be advised to do self-antigen testing during their stay.

High-risk visitors will be quarantined for five days. 

The minimum Covid-19 insurance coverage for all foreign arrivals will be US$10,000. 

The compulsory tests under the Test & Go entry scheme could be lifted because figures showed an extremely low infection rate among foreign arrivals, only 0.46%, through Test & Go this month.

For arrivals by land, foreign visitors who intend to stay no longer than three days must be fully vaccinated and pass self-antigen tests.

Otherwise, they cannot enter the country. 

For visitors who intend to stay longer, fully vaccinated travellers will not be quarantined if they pass antigen tests, while unvaccinated travellers would be quarantined for five days.

Confused???

Still confusing isn’t it, and as many know, the Thailand Pass online registration in the past has been very erratic and can take up to a week to give final confirmation. 

However, there is more uncertainty to come as the government has plans to devise some different measures for vaccinated and unvaccinated foreign arrivals by air. 

No spike

According to WHO figures up to April 20th, the average number of new laboratory-confirmed (PCR positive) COVID-19 cases reported per day in Thailand decreased by 19% in the past seven days compared to the previous week.

Surely any spike would have been noticed by now.

With the entire Thai population already feeling the cost of rising fuel and general price hikes in the shops, every incoming tourist should at least enable many to return to work which is now essential.

So, for the sake of a few Omicron cases, why not just open the borders, without all this red tape and uncertainty?

This is now a survival course for Thailand’s tourist industry.

 

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Making right and meaningful decisions is not Thailand forte. They are doing better than others due to foreign currency poured in through years and they think they dont need Tourism. Its turning out real bad for people and businesses who are out of work/business for past 2 years.

Again...no one likes registration/approval/tracking when they are planning to visit for fun, that's why they look for visa on arrival or visa exempt. But again they know it very well and believe that tourist will come no matter what.

Nice summary. I could not find anything like this before now.

 

The embassy website for the visa is just a mass of confusion with links all over and confusing info.

just one more week of preparations, registration for May entry starts on 29.4.

Just enough time to arrange holidays from work and buy airfare.

There is no rush at all, as this liberalisation of covid rules is radical and unexpected.

Tourist season has ended in February, within weeks there would be beginning of rainy season.

People come to thailand for very many reasons, tourism being only a part.

First of all there would be small and medium size traders, who would be able to come immediately. Tourists will come during summer holidays (july-august) and later at the end of october

1 hour ago, webfact said:

If they test positive, they could enter their Covid-19 insurance process or take care of their own treatment.

So no need of insurance?

No need of tests for vaccinated.

Insurance is requested for both.

 

The tricky thing is now to anticipate the DELAY of Thai Pass approval.

Because you first have to buy the air ticket i guess.

Could be a LOT of registrations the first weeks starting 29.4

What you guys do you think ? 2-3 days for approval ? 1 week ? More ?

8 minutes ago, Sambotte said:

No need of tests for vaccinated.

Insurance is requested for both.

 

The tricky thing is now to anticipate the DELAY of Thai Pass approval.

Because you first have to buy the air ticket i guess.

Could be a LOT of registrations the first weeks starting 29.4

What you guys do you think ? 2-3 days for approval ? 1 week ? More ?

Why not do it a month ahead along with your flight ticket?

 

Is there some requirement the pass needs to be done right before you leave?

Why can’t the Thai Govt speed up opening the doors to tourism?

 

As the title says. Stupidity, ignorance, lack of worldly understanding, blatant sabotage, organised disruption, strategic pilfering.

 

I could go on.

21 minutes ago, Sambotte said:

No need of tests for vaccinated.

Insurance is requested for both.

 

The tricky thing is now to anticipate the DELAY of Thai Pass approval.

Because you first have to buy the air ticket i guess.

Could be a LOT of registrations the first weeks starting 29.4

What you guys do you think ? 2-3 days for approval ? 1 week ? More ?

If you follow a specific process, it gets approved instantly. Google around, there are some visa/law firms that have blogged about how that works.

 

There are certain things you must do in a specific way, such as booking hotel from a particular website, providing your hotel evidence all in one page, and NOT uploading certain very popular file types.

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

why not just open the borders, without all this red tape and uncertainty?

Cant  until election has been won

Ya 2 things the booking of a hotel when we have family in Bangkok isn't happening,the thai pass isn't happening either.My wife and I have waited patiently for more than 2 years all the while watching country after country remove restrictions. Come hell or high water we're going on a vacation this year,Thailand be damned.

40 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Why can’t the Thai Govt speed up opening the doors to tourism?

 

As the title says. Stupidity, ignorance, lack of worldly understanding, blatant sabotage, organised disruption, strategic pilfering.

 

I could go on.

All the above but the real reason is that no one want to take responsibility to the one to say OK, let open up Thailand and get one with business as usual...

The Thai Pass needs to be scrapped from 1st May.

1 hour ago, JimTripper said:

Why not do it a month ahead along with your flight ticket?

 

Is there some requirement the pass needs to be done right before you leave?

As a regular in Thailand for business and recreation from 2005 to Covid I often booked the day of or the day before travel and often arrived into Swampy 3-4 times a month. 

 

The current rules are hopeless for regular travellers. 

 

Couple that with the mask mandates which extend to outdoor as well as indoor mask rules and early closing bar rules + limitations on activities and you have a pretty unappealing mix to offer travellers who can travel in Europe, the US and other places with much less drama. 

 

 

If Thai Pass is not cancelled immediately there is a risk that the next high season will be lost  whatever happens tourists will be in much lesser numbers than prepandenic owing war in Ukraine, Chinese Covid restrictions and increased inflation including vastly increased air fares.

1 hour ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Why can’t the Thai Govt speed up opening the doors to tourism?

 

As the title says. Stupidity, ignorance, lack of worldly understanding, blatant sabotage, organised disruption, strategic pilfering.

 

I could go on.

Would you accuse Japan of the same? They haven't fully opened yet.

Power trippin' behind the curve, backward thinking hilljacks without a clue, for starters. 

20 minutes ago, bangkokbonecollector said:

Would you accuse Japan of the same? They haven't fully opened yet.

As this is a Thai forum, plus I don't own any property in Japan or call it home, I have nothing to comment on about Japan.

I have 4 groups of friends who have decided to go to V N ,or Cambodia .... Great work gov you have destroyed the tourist sector .

I need to get rid of Thai Pass TIT

5 hours ago, webfact said:

So far, the expected spike in Covid cases after the Songkran holidays has not raised its ugly head, so why can’t tourists be encouraged back without crazy restrictions?

One word> CONTROL.

16 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

One word> CONTROL.

Agree 

2 hours ago, JimTripper said:

Why not do it a month ahead along with your flight ticket?

 

Is there some requirement the pass needs to be done right before you leave?

If they want to enter under the new rules they have to wait until 29/4 as thai pass site has locked may entry out.

What is the new definition of "fully vaccinated" and what is the age limit for kids not needing to be vaccinated?

22 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

One word> CONTROL.

We have a long wait before thinks get back to normal. Rushing it won't make it happen. So who takes the responsibility if all this open door let them in policy with little or no regard for other people doesn't work?

Will be interesting to see if the COVID-19 Emergency Decree is extended again.

 

Any decision should be mid-May, for the period June 1 - July 31.

 

And if vaccination remains a requirement.

 

And if insurance remains a requirement.

 

And if masks remain a requirement.

 

 

I think the airlines can enforce the vaccination requirement. And if insurance is dropped then so can the thaipass procedures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a family with a mix of unvaccinated children and vaccinated adults it would certainly be some confusion if children tested positive.

 

For a single person or a couple who are vaccinated, it is pretty damn simple process.

5 hours ago, JimTripper said:

Nice summary. I could not find anything like this before now.

 

The embassy website for the visa is just a mass of confusion with links all over and confusing info.

I agree with you . The embassy can either be easy or a pain in the butt . On tender hooks waiting for your application to be accepted and in many cases your bookings for flying , hotel and insurance are just a couple of days away from being used .  Perfectly presented files rejected for one reason or another but when I present them to the agency asq the T/P or COE is made in hours . I always use the asq agency because no hassle  

2 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

Cant  until election has been won

Haven't they already counted all the ballots?

6 hours ago, webfact said:

So far, the expected spike in Covid cases after the Songkran holidays has not raised its ugly head

Given the Covid incubation period of 2-14 days, any spike would be expected to become evident this week.

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The controversial Test & Go travel scheme

What's "controversial" about it?

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

vaccinated travellers will only need to take self-antigen tests during their stay from May 1

As "Bridge" himself states later, they will not need to take self-antigen tests - they are only "encouraged" to do so.

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

confirmed that Thailand will fully reopen to foreign visitors from May 1

Every single change in entry policy has been described as the country "fully reopening". None of them, including this one, actually meets that description.

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

If they test positive, they could enter their Covid-19 insurance process or take care of their own treatment

Insurance is a method of payment, not a means of treatment, so this is rather meaningless.

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Unvaccinated travellers will be welcomed if they present proof of a negative RT-PCR test no more than 72 hours before their trip and register via Thailand Pass.

They will be quarantined for five days

If they upload a negative PCR test, hey will NOT be quarantined for five days! The quarantine only applies if they do NOT submit a test result.