Flying to/from Thailand (Covid Era)

[HHTel]

For those contemplating a trip to the UK:

Zero requirements for entry. No tests before or after.

I've just watched Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Take-away. Hundreds in the live audience. No social distancing and not a mask in sight. It seems the UK really have decided to just move on.
Other European countries are following what happens in the UK and the consensus is that they will follow suit.

[Dannie Boy]

There’s obviously a small risk in this strategy, however they talk about “living with Covid “ and after two years there has to be a relaxation in the rules (other than here) and get back to as close to normal as possible. The UK is in a good position vacation wise, but then Thailand isn’t doing so bad now, but you can’t see them rushing to follow the same.

I think more and more countries will try to follow what England are doing (and the other home countries are dropping more and more restrictions) the coming weeks and months will hopefully see a lot more countries doing the same.


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[PeteC]

Govt scraps Day-5 PCR test, lowers insurance cost for Test & Go arrivals

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/22 ... o-arrivals

The government will further relax entry rules for foreign visitors starting next month, bowing to demand from the local tourism industry to lower costs as more countries ease border controls to lure holidaymakers.

Vaccinated arrivals to Thailand won’t be required to undergo a mandatory polymerase chain reaction test on the fifth day of the arrival starting March 1. Instead, they can do a self-antigen test, scrapping the requirement to have a confirmed hotel reservation for the test.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, the main virus task force chaired by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, also lowered the minimum medical insurance coverage for visitors to $20,000 from $50,000.

The government is making it easier for travellers to visit the country’s famed beaches, temples and national parks after nearly two years of tight border curbs decimated the tourism industry.

While the nation is battling a spike in Omicron-led Covid cases, low mortality rate compared to the peak delta wave means healthcare facilities can cope up with the outbreak, Taweesilp Visanuyothin, a spokesman for the task force, said at a briefing Wednesday.

Thailand saw Covid cases jump to 21,232 on Wednesday, a six-month high, but the deaths stood at 39, compared with more than 300 a day during the peak of the delta wave in August.

The baht rallied as much as 0.4% on expectation easier visa rules will boost the country’s current-account surplus. The currency traded at 32.329 to a US dollar, extending gains this year to 3.3%.

The government has been experimenting with several plans in recent month to try to revive the travel sector that used to contribute to about one-fifth of the economy, with 40 million foreign tourists generating more than $60 billion in 2019.

The country has cleared about 302,000 visitors under the Test & Go programme since it was reopened for a second time on Feb 1, according to Dr Taweesilp.

Bangkok, eastern province Chonburi and resort island Phuket received the most travellers under the plan, he said.

[Ginjaninja]

Wow! Great news.

[STEVE G]

Yes, that day 5 thing never made much sense.

[Big Boy]

Hotels, hospitals urged to give travellers refunds

Hotels and their partner hospitals have been asked to voluntarily refund the Day 5 RT-PCR test and room booking or convert it into credits. But the government insisted that it will not force operators to pay back those payments.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/22 ... rs-refunds

[STEVE G]

Hotels, hospitals urged to give travellers refunds

Hotels and their partner hospitals have been asked to voluntarily refund the Day 5 RT-PCR test and room booking or convert it into credits. But the government insisted that it will not force operators to pay back those payments.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/22 ... rs-refunds

The two hotels I booked for my failed trip last month have agreed to giving credit for future bookings but not a refund.

[Dannie Boy]

Hotels, hospitals urged to give travellers refunds

Hotels and their partner hospitals have been asked to voluntarily refund the Day 5 RT-PCR test and room booking or convert it into credits. But the government insisted that it will not force operators to pay back those payments.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/22 ... rs-refunds

The two hotels I booked for my failed trip last month have agreed to giving credit for future bookings but not a refund.

I guess this is similar to the airlines - I still have a voucher from BA for a flight that I had to cancel in 2020.

[maccastime]

I am heading back to Hua Hin late may for 6 weeks, lived there from 2011-2016 love the place. Now at the moment I see for my travel from Australia I am fully vaccinated I will do a pcr test before wheels up.I was told by a mate that if I booked a sha hotel in HH with hotel transport. I can go direct from airport to this hotel? Take a pcr test wait on results then if negative all good. Has any lads on here know about this hope it is right beats a night in over priced Bangkok thanks all

[STEVE G]

I am heading back to Hua Hin late may for 6 weeks, lived there from 2011-2016 love the place. Now at the moment I see for my travel from Australia I am fully vaccinated I will do a pcr test before wheels up.I was told by a mate that if I booked a sha hotel in HH with hotel transport. I can go direct from airport to this hotel? Take a pcr test wait on results then if negative all good. Has any lads on here know about this hope it is right beats a night in over priced Bangkok thanks all

Yes, you can do that but when I was booking last time, the hotel were charging something like 3,000bt for the transport to the hotel in Hua HIn so if you want to save money, it's actually cheaper to stay in Bangkok and organize your own transport the next day.

[joelle]

I am heading back to Hua Hin late may for 6 weeks, lived there from 2011-2016 love the place. Now at the moment I see for my travel from Australia I am fully vaccinated I will do a pcr test before wheels up.I was told by a mate that if I booked a sha hotel in HH with hotel transport. I can go direct from airport to this hotel? Take a pcr test wait on results then if negative all good. Has any lads on here know about this hope it is right beats a night in over priced Bangkok thanks all

Here are a couple of hotels which arrange everything for you but there are more
- G Resort. Check their website. https://ghuahin.com/reopen/hua-hin-test-and-go/

- Sam Sheriff At Surf and Sand is very helpful.  He includes the PCR test and the airport transfer (contact details enclosed as attachment below) 

[HHTel]

G resort actually send you off to Bangkok Hospital under your own steam to join the usual queue along with everyone else waiting for a PCR test.
Many of the SHA hotels in BKK organise the PCR test in the hotel.

[Dakling]

Last week a friend used G resort for both day 1 and 5 stay and test. Airport pick up included. He was happy with the service.

[Dannie Boy]

When I returned back in November you had to stay in Bangkok for the first night, but had the option been there to travel directly to Hua Hin, that’s what I would have done - unless you’re going to take a minibus, you have to pay for a taxi in any case.


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[HHTel]

My daughter had her day 5 test at 'G' on the 20th of last month. I took her to the hotel where she was told to go to Bangkok Hospital for her test. There was a fair sized queue at the hospital. She had to wait around an hour then she walked back to the hotel to complete her check in.

She said the hotel was fine with very good food but the PCR procedure was terrible.

Maybe they've changed in the last week or so.

Thankfully, the day 5 quarantine has now been scrapped.