Here's a way you might be able to go to Thailand - but would you want to do this?

Anything and everything about Thailand
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21459
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1306 times

Re: Here's a way you might be able to go to Thailand - but would you want to do this?

Post by Gaybutton »

gera wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2020 9:43 am For this plan to succeed
I hope it does succeed, but even if they put your suggestions in place I don't see this becoming popular considering everything a person is required to do before even making the trip, followed by the 14 day quarantine - at the traveler's own expense, and that followed by an additional 7 day quarantine if the traveler wants to go anywhere else. 21 days quarantined - at my own expense? For me, that would be a definite "no thanks".

Maybe a large number of people will actually do this, but I'm not holding my breath. And I'm also not holding my breath for the number of airlines that will want to fly to Thailand if their planes are not carrying enough passengers and cargo to make the flights profitable.

I am also wondering what happens to the air crews once the planes land. I assume if they wish to leave the airport, or even leave the plane at all, they too have to endure the quarantine. How many airline crews would be willing to go through that?

So far, I haven't seen any reports indicating that people are lining up to do this.
Jun

Re: Here's a way you might be able to go to Thailand - but would you want to do this?

Post by Jun »

Gaybutton wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2020 11:06 am I hope it does succeed, but even if they put your suggestions in place I don't see this becoming popular considering everything a person is required to do before even making the trip, followed by the 14 day quarantine - at the traveler's own expense, and that followed by an additional 7 day quarantine if the traveler wants to go anywhere else. 21 days quarantined - at my own expense? For me, that would be a definite "no thanks".
If Thailand wants to re-start tourism, they need a more realistic policy.

Currently, if we take the UK as an example, approximately 0.03% of the population have Covid (source Covidzoe). So 1 in every 3333.

About 1 million British people have been going to Thailand every year, so if they got back to that number, perhaps 300 people with Covid would arrive in Thailand. Obviously not the ideal scenario, although Covid did not exactly get out of control in Thailand when they were allowing tourists in from China in January.

So they need some additional controls. However, having 14 day quarantine AND restricting where we go after that for 7 days is just too unattractive.

I would have thought they could devise a more attractive package, e.g.:

1 Test before boarding plane. Wear mask on plane & in transit. 7 day quarantine with regular testing (e.g. 3 times). Stay in your preferred hotel for 7 days after, with regular testing and requirement to wear masks inside public buildings, excluding restaurants (enforceable by random police checks).

2 Combine with free 120 day visa, with no reporting after initial covid screening phase.

That's for countries like the UK with a low level of covid. For countries with near zero covid cases, reduce the requirement. For countries like Spain which have a higher number of cases at present, continue to stop people entering.

Then consider adjustments for people who have a positive antibody test at an approved test centre. e.g. Reduce requirement to regular testing. Perhaps there isn't the scientific knowledge to support that at present, but it seems probable that anyone who gets reinfected will fight off the virus pretty quickly. Also, for when vaccines are available, again consider the same policy relaxations.
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21459
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1306 times

Re: Here's a way you might be able to go to Thailand - but would you want to do this?

Post by Gaybutton »

I don't know what makes the powers-that-be think people are going to want to do this - quarantine 14 days at one's own expense before being allowed to go anywhere. The article doesn't say anything about mandatory Covid-19 insurance or any of the other hoops people have to jump through, but even if their plan eliminates those, which I doubt will happen, I can't imagine enough tourists wanting to do this, certainly not nearly as many as needed to be of much help to the tourism industry.

We'll have to wait and see what their plan will be, but I am not holding my breath that it will be a plan many reading this board will be jumping for joy about.

I believe the only way farang will be in Thailand any time soon is to already be here . . .
_____________________________________________________

Thailand to Finalize Entry Plan for Foreign Visitors by October

By Randy Thanthong-Knight

September 9, 2020

Thailand is planning to reopen to long-term foreign visitors to help revive an ailing tourism sector and save millions of jobs.

A plan to be submitted to the government for approval and targeted to be finalized before the end of October seeks to allow visitors coming through its international airports provided they do a mandatory 14-day quarantine at the port of entry before being allowed to travel freely, according to Thosaporn Sirisumphand, secretary of the Center for Economic Situation Administration.

Thailand, one of the economies reliant on tourism, is facing its worst contraction this year. Its hospitality and tourism sectors are counting on the return of international visitors, who contributed up to two-thirds of tourism income before the pandemic, to reverse a slump in business and save up to 3.27 million jobs that Thailand Development Research Institute estimates are at risk.

The government and businesses are weighing the cost between curbing infections and limiting the damage to the economy, which is forecast to contract 8.5% this year. A plan to reopen the island province of Phuket to foreign tourists had been delayed.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... by-october
gera

Re: Here's a way you might be able to go to Thailand - but would you want to do this?

Post by gera »

Nobody knows how the plan works out. In my opinion, Prayut has no choice but to open the country for international tourism. Those who follow the political developments in Thailand know that social tensions in Thailand reached a boiling point with students promising 100000 march to government house in the next few days (and they demand resignation of the government and new elections among other things) and rumors of military coup emerging again. No other economy in the region depends on international tourism as Thai economy and what other options Thailand currently has to mitigate rapidly rising unemployment and lack of job prospects for the new graduates ? On the other side of the world , I am amazed with total inability of US government to respond to the crisis. Where is promised monoclonal antibody cocktails partially funded by the government(three months since the start of third phase clinical trials
by Regeneron) , antiviral drug (promised by Merck many months ago). Having a cure for covid could make human challenge vaccine trial feasible.
Moderna slows down vaccine trial because it cannot recruit enough minorities .Fuck minorities when hundreds of thousand people die. NIH announces an important clinical trial of the combination of remdesevir and beta interferon with target date in 2023 (???). Is it really the right way to deal with extraordinary situation the country in right now?
Jun

Re: Here's a way you might be able to go to Thailand - but would you want to do this?

Post by Jun »

gera wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:32 pmModerna slows down vaccine trial because it cannot recruit enough minorities.
What they should do is continue the trial at full speed. If they can't license it on use for any particular minority as not enough of them showed up for the trial, then too bad.
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21459
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1306 times

Re: Here's a way you might be able to go to Thailand - but would you want to do this?

Post by Gaybutton »

gera wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:32 pm In my opinion, Prayut has no choice but to open the country for international tourism.
Suppose he does open the country. Suppose he does and come one, come all - and no quarantine. Do you think enough people will start traveling to Thailand to rescue the tourist industry? Personally, I doubt it. Tourists would come for what? To do what? So many tourist businesses, bars, attractions, shows, etc. are closed. If all the restrictions are lifted, would there be enough people going to Thailand to make reopening profitable? Would it do the tourist industry any good for people be traveling to Thailand only to find most of what they came for closed or severely under-staffed?

Along with that, there is the possibility of a second outbreak. From what I have been reading, that possibility seems almost inevitable. If that happens, would people find themselves stranded in Thailand again? Would curfews and restrictions be imposed again? Would I want to travel halfway around the world while that is a risk?

If it were me, I wouldn't spend a lot of money to travel somewhere for a holiday if I don't have a very good idea as to what I will be walking into - and whether I will be able to walk out again . . .

Here's the latest:
____________________________________________________

New ‘Special Tourist Visa’ scheme to be considered by Thailand’s cabinet next week

By Nop Meechukhun

10 September 2020

A new tourism agenda for foreigners will be introduced to the cabinet committee for consideration at a meeting next week, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said yesterday, September 9.

According to the TAT, the new scheme is called ‘Special Tourist Visa’ (STV) which will allow foreigners to stay in Thailand for a minimum of 90 days. The visa can be renewed twice, according to the proposal, each time for 90 days, for a maximum stay of 270 days.

The visa expectedly costs about 2,000 baht per person and is suitable for foreign tourists who want to stay in Thailand for a long time.

The scheme is proposed following the Prime Minister’s comment to re-opening the whole country rather than focusing only on ‘Phuket Model’, which has presumably been put aside due to opposition from some residents of the island.

The ‘Special Tourist Visa’ initial guidelines and other future tourism plans during the Covid-19 outbreak must be well planned to balance public health safety, consent from local residents, and income of the tourism industry, which accounts for twenty percent of gross domestic product, Yuthasak said. The Pattaya News notes that when the informal industry is included in this number the total amount of GDP could be even higher. Examples of the informal industry is market stalls, street vendors and the red light industry, which officially doesn’t exist.

The Governor told Associated Press: “If the tourism situation is not yet recovered in the fourth quarter, approximately 2.5 million of a current 4 million people in the industry might be unemployed.”

Some numbers which include the informal industry put this number as high as ten million.

“Therefore, the TAT has to come up with limited exposure plans for foreign tourists, hoping to bring the first group of tourists from, for example, Europe to Thailand within the fourth quarter. The plan might be extended for a larger group of foreign tourists if the outcome was positively good.”

It’s important to note this is just a proposal, like many other plans, and would still require health insurance, multiple covid tests, a mandatory tracking application and a two week quarantine.

Further information should be available next week after the Cabinet meeting.

https://thepattayanews.com/2020/09/10/n ... next-week/
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21459
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1306 times

Re: Here's a way you might be able to go to Thailand - but would you want to do this?

Post by Gaybutton »

What the article does not say is whether people already in Thailand on the visa amnesty and want to continue their stay in Thailand are eligible for this visa. If they have already been in Thailand for months, they certainly would not need to be quarantined. But are they eligible for this without having to first leave Thailand, obtain this visa, and then return? That would seem a strange procedural requirement, but strange procedures involving Thai immigration are nothing unusual.

It seems as if you can afford it and are willing to endure the quarantine, if you are coming from a country where "coronavirus disease had not been spreading in past months" you might be able to come as soon as October.

From my take on this, Thailand is going to welcome foreigners who have a lot of money to spend and do not come from a country where the virus is still a serious problem - if they are willing to be quarantined for 14 days. The article says the target is 100 to 300 people per week. It doesn't say how they arrive at those numbers. For Thailand's sake I hope it works out that way, but I have a feeling they are vastly overestimating how many people are going to want to do this. I would think at first people who do have money and also have close friends and/or family in Thailand and have been separated for the last 6 months are going to jump at the chance. After they arrive, how many who are just plain wealthy tourists are going to want to do this?

It's a start, but in my opinion not really much of one. I like traveling and tourism as much as anyone, but if I would have to be quarantined for 14 days first, my response to this offer would be "Thanks, but include me out."

Apparently, due to the spread of the virus, you will not be eligible for this visa, assuming you would even want it, if you come from the USA or the UK.

Is anyone reading this going to try to get this visa and go to Thailand?
___________________________________________________________

Cabinet approves long-term tourist visas

Quarantine compulsory, 90-day renewable stay

15 Sep 2020

The cabinet on Tuesday agreed to allow in foreign tourists who agree to 14-day quarantine and stay for at least 90 days, to help the flagging economy.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said after the cabinet meeting that the government would issue special tourist visas for long-stay visitors. The most important condition would be a 14-day quarantine.

"Visitors can arrive for tourism or health services, and they can stay at alternative state quarantine facilities, specific areas or at hospitals that function as quarantine facilities," he said.

"Our public health system is amongst the best in the world and people can have confidence in it."

The prime minister said the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration would later elaborate on the matter.

Deputy government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisaranakul said long-stay visitors would have to present proof of payment for their long stay in the country. This could be payment for a hotel reservation, or the lease of a condominium room.

"The target is to welcome 100-300 visitors a week, or up to 1,200 people a month, and generate income of about 1 billion baht a month," she said.

The 90-day special tourist visa could be extended twice, for 90 days each time. Long-stay visitors could begin arriving next month, Ms Traisulee said.

Prasong Poontaneat, finance permanent secretary, said the country needed to generate income from visitors, especially those from the countries where coronavirus disease had not been spreading in past months - such as China, Taiwan and some countries in Europe.

Twenty Chinese provinces were free of Covid-19 and had a combined population of around 800 million. If only one percent of them, about 8 million people, visited Thailand they could support the tourism sector, he said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... rist-visas
gera

Re: Here's a way you might be able to go to Thailand - but would you want to do this?

Post by gera »

Gaybutton wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 6:46 pm
Apparently, due to the spread of the virus, you will not be eligible for this visa, assuming you would even want it, if you come from the USA or the UK.

From what I read about this visa there will be no restrictions on countries where tourists come from. Moreover, the idea is to eventually welcome millions of tourists. Fourteen day quarantine and other measures make it irrelevant the level of virus infection for the country of departure. There is another proposal related to short term visitors from "safe" countries with an obvious idea to attract Chinese tourists. In my opinion, it is much more dangerous because it avoids quarantine altogether.
gerefan
Posts: 727
Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2010 6:33 am
Has thanked: 18 times
Been thanked: 87 times

Re: Here's a way you might be able to go to Thailand - but would you want to do this?

Post by gerefan »

Gaybutton wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 6:46 pm Apparently, due to the spread of the virus, you will not be eligible for this visa, assuming you would even want it, if you come from the USA or the UK.
Where is the reference for this?
gerefan
Posts: 727
Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2010 6:33 am
Has thanked: 18 times
Been thanked: 87 times

Re: Here's a way you might be able to go to Thailand - but would you want to do this?

Post by gerefan »

Another day another unworkable plan.

In brief who is going to pay for 90 days accommodation in advance and risk losing all their money if the borders close again? Not me.

Who spends 833,333 baht per month? 1,000,000,000 baht divided by 1200 tourists.

Pure Thai.....TiT.

Next please.
Post Reply