Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Thailand is Cambodia's neighbor to the West, and this forum is dedicated to Thai news, stories, reviews, blogs, videos, Thai people and anything else related to the country. A lot of expats have both lived and worked in Cambodia and Thailand, and this area is a place to discuss all aspects of life in Thailand and what's going on there. Most topics are about Bangkok and Pattaya because of their larger populations of expatriates and tourists in those cities, but this is for all things Thai.
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CEOCambodiaNews
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Newly reported Covid cases remain high in Thailand:

14 Oct 2021 at 19:42
The Public Health Ministry on Thursday reported 11,276 new Covid-19 cases and 112 more fatalities recorded in the previous 24 hours.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... eplace-coe
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ExPenhMan
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by ExPenhMan »

I don't think you'd want to read this long teeter-totter piece in the Thai Examiner, published the evening of Oct. 14. I did but am no more confident of Thailand's near or far future due to the rampant flip-flopism suffered by all Thai ministers and apparatchiks.

Here it is anyway: The governor of the Tourism Authority says point blank, contradicting Corp. Prayut, he "rules out going back to the old Thai tourism formula of crowded bars and nightlife. He insists the kingdom is instead pursuing a higher quality, more family-friendly market."
Just days after what appeared to be a watershed announcement by Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha that the country would reopen on a blanket basis to visitors from an initial list of 10 countries without quarantine and a suggestion that both alcohol and nightlife may be allowed after December, comes news that stronger controls will be maintained. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn, in recent days, there will still be a mandatory one day quarantine requirement for all visitors while he also suggested that there was no going back to the former tourism market with busy nightlife scenes as Thailand seeks a new tourism market. The TAT boss also revealed that he was surprised when the Prime Minister announced that the 7-day quarantine rule had been scrapped and emphasised that strong controls must be maintained over the activities of visiting tourists to protect the population from the virus threat.
:facepalm:


Sorry to draw your attention to this babble but I warned you:

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news- ... r-testing/
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Cowshed Cowboy
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by Cowshed Cowboy »

^ If Mr TAT hasn't learnt anything from the failure of The Phuket Sandbox model relative to his own expectations, there really is no hope for the Thai tourist industry and the millions of low paid workers used to scraping out a living servicing it. The numbers will tell the story from November to January, I wonder how long it will take these clowns to realise what they want and offer isn't aligning with what their customers want and expect. He seems to be forgetting he's head of a service industry not in charge of a prison camp.
Yes sir, I can boogie, I can boogie, boogie, boogie all night long.
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by Bongmab69 »

Cowshed Cowboy wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:04 am ^ If Mr TAT hasn't learnt anything from the failure of The Phuket Sandbox model relative to his own expectations, there really is no hope for the Thai tourist industry and the millions of low paid workers used to scraping out a living servicing it. The numbers will tell the story from November to January, I wonder how long it will take these clowns to realise what they want and offer isn't aligning with what their customers want and expect. He seems to be forgetting he's head of a service industry not in charge of a prison camp.
Sandbox failure ?? I dont see it like that, after 2 months now in Phuket, i am still enjoying it, of course, they hoped for more people to come, but wh could predict that. The entry-requirements are bureeucratic, indeed, but try (without pandemic) to entre in US !! ?? Thats worse, and a lot !! The sandbox is in my eyes a lab, they tried something, and the rest of the world is watching, and will copy it, and make some modifications, samesame as the formula 1, they tested often years before some technical things get in the "real-life-cars" !! Any way, its quiet here in Patong, but as i live also in Spain in a small beach-town,it lookes here now in october very similar as i would walk trough my spanish beachtown !! Anyway, i dont want to be here if there are half a million drunk english and aussies !! And ofcourse there is also a nice side-effect in the girlie business: its a buyers marked, because "we" are hopeless outnumbered ! !! As long as HE doesnt open KOW i am very happy overhere !!! Good for Chang brewery, bad for the Anchor-one !!! Sjjookaaamooii !!
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by Cowshed Cowboy »

Bongmab69 wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 10:22 am
Cowshed Cowboy wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:04 am ^ If Mr TAT hasn't learnt anything from the failure of The Phuket Sandbox model relative to his own expectations, there really is no hope for the Thai tourist industry and the millions of low paid workers used to scraping out a living servicing it. The numbers will tell the story from November to January, I wonder how long it will take these clowns to realise what they want and offer isn't aligning with what their customers want and expect. He seems to be forgetting he's head of a service industry not in charge of a prison camp.
Sandbox failure ?? I dont see it like that, after 2 months now in Phuket, i am still enjoying it, of course, they hoped for more people to come, but wh could predict that. The entry-requirements are bureeucratic, indeed, but try (without pandemic) to entre in US !! ?? Thats worse, and a lot !! The sandbox is in my eyes a lab, they tried something, and the rest of the world is watching, and will copy it, and make some modifications, samesame as the formula 1, they tested often years before some technical things get in the "real-life-cars" !! Any way, its quiet here in Patong, but as i live also in Spain in a small beach-town,it lookes here now in october very similar as i would walk trough my spanish beachtown !! Anyway, i dont want to be here if there are half a million drunk english and aussies !! And ofcourse there is also a nice side-effect in the girlie business: its a buyers marked, because "we" are hopeless outnumbered ! !! As long as HE doesnt open KOW i am very happy overhere !!! Good for Chang brewery, bad for the Anchor-one !!! Sjjookaaamooii !!

Hey I'm glad you're having a good time and enjoying yourself and I don't doubt the people that chose to go presumably understanding what was and wasn't available were happy with that situation.

However my point is this - " Of course, they hoped for more people to come, but who could predict that ". Well if you read back the threads you'l find all the guys living here predicted exactly that, even ultra pro-Phuket Richard was sceptical of the figures being quoted. The guys I socialise with predicted it, my friends who come over every year at this time predicted it, not even entertaining the idea given the additional cost and restrictions. So what is it that all of us as foreigners know and understand regarding the Thai tourist mindset having been there before ourselves, that the head of the country's tourism authority doesn't and which leads him to repeatedly setting unrealistic targets and expectations.

Let's not forget this is the same individual who thinks it's the perfect time to hit the headlines with a new Tourist tax, those in the industry must shudder every time he calls a press conference.

Like you I don't like a full on drunken high season but that's a generalisation and not particularly representative of how the millions that visit Thailand behave, unfortunately it seems to be how this government seem to categorise us.
Yes sir, I can boogie, I can boogie, boogie, boogie all night long.
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by Bongmab69 »

Cowshed Cowboy wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 2:21 pm
Bongmab69 wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 10:22 am
Cowshed Cowboy wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:04 am ^ If Mr TAT hasn't learnt anything from the failure of The Phuket Sandbox model relative to his own expectations, there really is no hope for the Thai tourist industry and the millions of low paid workers used to scraping out a living servicing it. The numbers will tell the story from November to January, I wonder how long it will take these clowns to realise what they want and offer isn't aligning with what their customers want and expect. He seems to be forgetting he's head of a service industry not in charge of a prison camp.
Sandbox failure ?? I dont see it like that, after 2 months now in Phuket, i am still enjoying it, of course, they hoped for more people to come, but wh could predict that. The entry-requirements are bureeucratic, indeed, but try (without pandemic) to entre in US !! ?? Thats worse, and a lot !! The sandbox is in my eyes a lab, they tried something, and the rest of the world is watching, and will copy it, and make some modifications, samesame as the formula 1, they tested often years before some technical things get in the "real-life-cars" !! Any way, its quiet here in Patong, but as i live also in Spain in a small beach-town,it lookes here now in october very similar as i would walk trough my spanish beachtown !! Anyway, i dont want to be here if there are half a million drunk english and aussies !! And ofcourse there is also a nice side-effect in the girlie business: its a buyers marked, because "we" are hopeless outnumbered ! !! As long as HE doesnt open KOW i am very happy overhere !!! Good for Chang brewery, bad for the Anchor-one !!! Sjjookaaamooii !!

Hey I'm glad you're having a good time and enjoying yourself and I don't doubt the people that chose to go presumably understanding what was and wasn't available were happy with that situation.

However my point is this - " Of course, they hoped for more people to come, but who could predict that ". Well if you read back the threads you'l find all the guys living here predicted exactly that, even ultra pro-Phuket Richard was sceptical of the figures being quoted. The guys I socialise with predicted it, my friends who come over every year at this time predicted it, not even entertaining the idea given the additional cost and restrictions. So what is it that all of us as foreigners know and understand regarding the Thai tourist mindset having been there before ourselves, that the head of the country's tourism authority doesn't and which leads him to repeatedly setting unrealistic targets and expectations.

Let's not forget this is the same individual who thinks it's the perfect time to hit the headlines with a new Tourist tax, those in the industry must shudder every time he calls a press conference.

Like you I don't like a full on drunken high season but that's a generalisation and not particularly representative of how the millions that visit Thailand behave, unfortunately it seems to be how this government seem to categorise us.
It s maybe a perfec t wake-up call for the thais, that they realise now, they do need us, and all the shit-rules they where doing before covid, to make the barang run away.
In Spain happened exactly the same after 2008, they where so arrogant, they didnt need the barangs, give me your money and fuck off, that was their mentality pre-2008. But then came 2008 . . . And now they are happy with barangs overthere (sorry, spanjards do see us as barang, they are "above" it), it was going slowlyslowly better in Spain, but then came Covid, and again, a wake up call for them. I think Thailand is on the same trace for that. And ofcourse in KOW its not like that, but in my eyes its also for them a "small wake-up call": maybe keep the barangs as friend, and don,t do it the Thai-way !! ??
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by Alex »

The biggest excitement about a Thailand holiday in November will be the prospect of getting arrested for having an illegal beer with your dinner.

Or testing positive after arrival and finding out whether your Covid insurance covers a stay at a "hospitel" as an asymptomatic "patient".

I think it's just too much for 95% of potential visitors. They don't need that shit, they can simply go elsewhere and postpone a trip to Thailand for another year.
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by phuketrichard »

I can say that i have read not one negative comment posted anywhere coming from one of the 45,000+ visitors to phuket sandbox since July 1st, all have praised the island, even sans alcohol and the hoops they had to jump thru, said it was worth it.

Even Hollywood star Russell Crowe had nothing but praise for his 14 day stay in Phuket, thai food and people, (he's in Thailand for a new movie)
tells ya something,
Now with it made even easier to visit, i can see numbers increasing PLUS its heading into a cold wet winter in Europe, Russia and China>
Wont see the 10's of millions in the next 4 month's as normally, but can see a million + visitor's over the next 5 months

One thing i have learned over the past 37 years, ( 34 of them in Phuket). Phuket and Thailand are survivors and always come back on top
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by Cowshed Cowboy »

As they go to open countrywide for foreign tourists from November 1st starting from a historical low point, here's a reminder of the high season tourist figures and demographic from the pre-covid historical high point of 2019/2020.

November 2019 - 3.35m
( China/HK/Taiwan 943k, Asean 910k, Europe 684k, Japan/Korea 311k, India 173k, US/Can 149k, Aus/NZ 66k )

December 2019 - 3.93m
January 2020 - 3.81m
February 2019 - 3.60m ( Covid effect started so 2019 used )
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by Alex »

phuketrichard wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 7:37 am I can say that i have read not one negative comment posted anywhere coming from one of the 45,000+ visitors to phuket sandbox since July 1st, all have praised the island, even sans alcohol and the hoops they had to jump thru, said it was worth it.
But that number in itself shows you how large (or rather, how small) the hardcore fan base really is. To me, it's also quite telling that a large chunk of those 45,000 visitors arrived within the first month. Their glowing reports didn't seem to induce 100,000s of others to follow suit. THAT is the real story here.

Of course there are people who are willing to jump through all those silly hoops and fly halfway around the world to have an alcohol and entertainment free beach holiday. Just not very many.
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