Thailand tourism situation

[caller]

If they do come, I suspect many would end up in their homes in various expat havens, including Hua Hin. There are various 'snowbirds' living where I am, some stayed later than usual before returning in the spring. I was wondering whether we would see them this year. Some might have non-imm visas, but I am sure many come on tourist visas.

[REEM]

We normally spend 6 months a year in Thailand, my wife is Thai and I'm on a retirement visa.

We were in Thailand this year when the Covid thing kicked off and we decided to leave earlier than planned once restrictions for travel were tightening up. We left in March on one of the last flights out. We expected to be able to return in the summer. Now its late summer and Thailand is still all but closed, and a second wave of the virus is gathering pace in Europe. This is likely to be exacerbated by the reluctance of so many stupid people across Europe to take even basic measures of protection (masks, social distancing, gatherings) and the impossibility of enforcing rules and advisories and so we would be very reluctant to go through all the paperwork and testing and then spending 11 hours in the cramped confines of an aircraft followed by an expensive quarantine at a Thai hotel, continued testing and then having our movements restricted. I know quite a few expats who think the same and have no plans or desire to return to Thailand for the foreseeable future. I will let my visa expire and when I do return it will be on a 90 day tourist thingy that I can extend for another 90 and will also free up the B800,000 sitting in my account there and spare me the hassle or arranging health insurance through one of those Thai companies.

[PeteC]

As all this goes on and on, I wouldn't be surprised to see them offering people visas with duration of their choice, with no fee and no other stipulations except perhaps a clean health test and no criminal record.

They're going to hit a wall if this goes on another year, and "begging" for tourists is not too strong of a word IMO.

[Ralfredo]

No problem, each tourist could be fitted with an electronic device so that they can be located at all times.

In the movie Wedlock they used some "gadgets" that could be suitable.

[Khundon1975]

The wife and son usually go to Thailand during the early part of the year for 2 weeks and all of August each year, but Covid has put paid to that.
She’s resigned to the fact that this will go on possibly for all of 2021 in some form or other. So we will endeavour to get her family to the UK on 6 months visas as we’ve done many times before, but not sure when UK travel restrictions will allow us to bring them over.
Their businesses (business and residential property rentals with a few food outlets thrown in) in Thailand don’t rely on Tourists, but restricted movements has seen a small drop in their profits on the food outlets, but nothing that really bothers them.
Everyone talks of a second wave later in the year, if that does happen and Thailand has to lockdown completely, I can’t see many tourist reliant businesses surviving.

[buksida]

WHEN WILL THAILAND REOPEN FOR TOURISM? EVEN OFFICIALS DON’T HAVE A CLUE
Here’s a pro tip when you see headlines proclaiming Thailand is set to reopen its border for foreign tourists in whatever month: take it with a grain of salt, because the people responsible don’t know when either.

Even as different agencies are throwing soundbites of plans to admit visitors to the country – from the so-called bubble agreement to the latest proposal of ‘limited tourism’ on Phuket island – officials interviewed for this story said they have yet to determine whether Thailand is ready for a reopening at all.

“We’re working with relevant stakeholders to finalize the plan,” Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn said. “The principle is already approved by the Prime Minister, but it will take sometime before we can execute it, evaluate it, and expand it to other regions.”

A prominent tourism business federation also threw cold water on the optimistic outlook that foreign arrivals could start any time soon.

“Even if the plan is approved today, it will take some time for hotels and airlines to prepare themselves,” president of Association of Thai Travel Agents Vichit Prakobgosol said. “We also have to market it to potential tourists.”

Thailand placed a ban on most international flights since April, and only Thais and certain groups of foreign nationals may fly into the country. The effect is devastating for the tourism industry, which generated up to 3 trillion baht in 2019.

Tourism operators on Samui island submit a petition on Aug. 21, 2020, asking the government to promote international tourism to Samui.
Tourism authorities estimate Thailand will lose 1.69 trillion baht in revenues due to the travel restrictions amid the pandemic this year.

The government’s 22-billion baht domestic tourism stimulus program, which gives aways 40 percent subsidy for room rates and 600 baht per night cash to spend on other services, also failed to recover the lost revenue from international tourists, according to official figures.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/cri ... ve-a-clue/

Not sure the generals and elite really give a hoot if there are tourists here or not, it doesn't effect their livelihoods.

[oakdale160]

Friends in Pattaya report that it is looking derelict and they feel it can not recover. The govt at central and local levels has been wishing to change the sex-tourism image for years--perhaps this is their chance.

[buksida]

Long weekend sees spike in tourists
Popular tourist destinations were teeming with holidaymakers over the four-day long weekend, giving the ailing tourism industry some hope of recovery.

The four-day long weekend officially began on Friday. The cabinet approved Friday and Monday as substitute Songkran holidays.

In Pattaya, the Walking Street along Beach Road was packed with domestic tourists who spent two to three nights at the resort city, taking advantage of the 40% subsidy for hotel bills under the government's tourism stimulus programme.

The beach was once again filled with families having picnics in the afternoon, while bars and other entertainment venues quickly filled up with patrons as night fell. Local business operators said the hustle and bustle was a welcome reprieve after months of quiet trading due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... n-tourists

I think there may be an element of BS to this story ... we certainly had more big shiny cars around this weekend and yes, the beach was busy with Thais and their bags of plastic. But ... can you really see them filling up Pattaya bars after dark as this article claims? I don't see how any of this helps tourism businesses at all - it helps gas stations for sure.

[Dannie Boy]

I drove from Petchaburi to Cha Am yesterday lunchtime and the traffic was manic especially on the opposite side traveling towards Bangkok. All of the touristy attractions were full to overflowing, so there must have been big money passing hands

[Big Boy]

... can you really see them filling up Pattaya bars after dark as this article claims? I don't see how any of this helps tourism businesses at all - it helps gas stations for sure.

I used to visit Pattaya regularly for many years, and Thai men were never part of the bar scene there. In fact I did mention on one trip report that signs had been put up banning Thai men from Beer Street. As with Hua Hin bars, there are much cheaper options for Thais to get their alcohol fix, so why would they?

[handdrummer]

As George Carlin said: "Never believe anything your government tells you ."

[buksida]

Phuket hotels fighting for their lives as domestic tourism fails to support the island
In the wake of last weekend’s ministerial talkfest and discussions with local industry players on the island, Bill Barnett paints a bleak picture of a tourist island in freefall. All the shops, restaurants and hotels can’t remain empty, or merely keep their doors open with a handful of domestic customers, forever.

Phuket’s hotel industry is reaching breaking point and drastic economic support from the government will be needed for it to survive the high season. The warning from a slew of industry leaders who fear the island has reached a crucial turning point.

In the wake of the controversial “Phuket Model” international travel reopening scheme, reality is biting back as hotels in Thailand’s leading resort island are unable to sustain operating viability based on domestic tourism.

According to the Airports of Thailand, passenger arrivals at the aviation gateway have plunged 65% year-on-year from January through July of this year.

What is clear is that the 86,000 rooms in Phuket’s registered accommodation establishments cannot realistically break-even or even be cash-flow positive with only domestic demand. This realistically could set the scene for 50,000 job losses in the hotel sector this year if there’s no support forth coming or international visitors are not allowed in.

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/phuk ... the-island

Paints a completely different picture than the pandering crap reported in the Post ...

[caller]

But all these reports stating that the Country needs to re-open to foreign tourists, miss the very obvious point, of where are they going to come from? China is actively discouraging foreign travel, as are many other Countries, whilst aussies are currently banned from travelling abroad and scheduled flights to bring in the hordes aren't going to happen until there is a demand.

[Dannie Boy]

I’m sure that if flights were available without too many other restrictions, passengers would creep from out of the woodwork - it’s a bit like the chicken and egg syndrome as to what comes first


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[caller]

I’m sure that if flights were available without too many other restrictions, passengers would creep from out of the woodwork - it’s a bit like the chicken and egg syndrome as to what comes first

I'm sure in due course, without 'too many other restrictions' that will be the case. But I'd give it another year, at least.