Thailand tourism situation

[handdrummer]

A week ago the Phuket govt. said they would import their own vaccines and were in the process of dealing with a European govt. to secure a supply. If Phuket can do this, every province should be able to do it and if it's true, why do we need a central govt.? For that matter, wealthy individuals should be able to import the vaccine and sell it to other wealthy individuals. I think that called a logical absurdity.

[HHTel]

They're comparing it with the Seychelles. Ridiculous! They have a population of 100,000, 75% of which will have been vaccinated by the middle of next month when vaccinated tourists will be allowed. Phuket's population is 4 times the size of the whole country of the Seychelles and Thailand as a whole has close to 70 million.
As usual, completely insane.

The Seychelles are currently experiencing a spike of new cases, so things there may change.

Plus it will need government approval. That's not going to happen.

[buksida]

Plus it will need government approval. That's not going to happen.

Indeedy ...

Phuket up in arms on   jab order
Tourism operators in Phuket are complaining about the order prohibiting local governmental administrations and the private sector from purchasing Covid-19 vaccines by themselves, submitting a petition to the prime minister on Wednesday.

The letter was signed by 14 associations, including the Phuket Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) in Phuket, expressing a deep concern over the provincial economy.

...

The private sector is ready to pay for the cost of administering the vaccine to their employees, while local administrators have prepared a budget for locals as they consider it the only way to save the provincial economy from peril, said the group.

The government abruptly changed its stance this week as Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed that provincial administration organisations and private organisations were barred from importing any Covid-19 vaccines.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/20 ... -jab-order

No surprise, the junta will keep a tight leash on this as their priorities and profits must come first.

[buksida]

Travel to Thailand isn’t easy. Now scammers are making it painful

Nicole Johnston was watching COVID-19 cases climb toward a new high at home and wanted her son back in Thailand, where he had previously lived and attended university.

Last month they began the process of booking what’s known as “Alternative State Quarantine” for his first two weeks of isolation upon arrival from South Africa. Her son, Thabo Thusi, completed a travel site’s online inquiry form and soon heard back via email from several hotels. He reached terms with one, but after paying THB35,000 (USD$1,170) to book the room, Thusi was surprised by an email from the hotel requesting another transfer of the same amount.

“This caution fees came to stay as a result of some Guest can damage some of the hotel properties and they go, and some Joiner will visit friend on hotel might do some little damage, with this, our management have decided to implement caution fees,” the email said.

Thusi and his mother rightly balked and refused to pay. As they scrambled to book another hotel in time for his Jan. 15 arrival date, came the horrifying realization that they – along with others, they would learn – had become victims of scammers preying on travelers during the pandemic.

“I was devastated,” Johnston said yesterday. “When he phoned me and said they wanted another 35 grand, the hair on the back of my head stood up. I’m retired. I’m on a retirement visa. We spent a lot of money to do this. … The fact that this happened, I cried.”

The hotel staff they were corresponding with in a vain attempt to obtain a refund were scammers.

Full Story: https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/travel ... t-painful/

[buksida]

Lacking vaccination plan, TAT sees Q3 return for foreigners
The plan to welcome back international tourists in the third quarter is on track even though there is no timetable for vaccination of locals, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said it is important for the tourism industry to start the first batch of vaccine distribution to gain tourists' confidence.

If tourism workers are part of the second batch to be vaccinated, following medical staff on the frontline, provincial administrations and companies may not have to purchase vaccine supplies themselves to kick-start the tourism industry, said Mr Yuthasak.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/20 ... foreigners

[PeteC]

Things turned on their head for sure. First was reluctance to let any foreigners in for fear they would infect the locals, now the opposite that tourists won't come out of fear that the locals will infect them. The world will get it right sooner or later?

[buksida]

They still think Thailand is one of the most attractive countries in the world for tourists - but that will all change when everywhere else gets vaccinated first and this place gets left behind, stumbling over its own bureaucracy.

[handdrummer]

Lacking vaccination plan, TAT sees Q3 return for foreigners
The plan to welcome back international tourists in the third quarter is on track even though there is no timetable for vaccination of locals, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said it is important for the tourism industry to start the first batch of vaccine distribution to gain tourists' confidence.

If tourism workers are part of the second batch to be vaccinated, following medical staff on the frontline, provincial administrations and companies may not have to purchase vaccine supplies themselves to kick-start the tourism industry, said Mr Yuthasak.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/20 ... foreigners

But, but, but, the guberment said that private individuals and provinces are not allowed to purchase vaccines so, how can they "may not have to purchase vaccine supplies themselves." Yes, Minister, the Goons and Monty Python all run the country with the Keystone Kops at their beck and call.

[HHTel]

That article is now out of date. The latest is:

BANGKOK — An order mandated by the central government this week bans local authorities and private hospitals from procuring their own coronavirus vaccine supplies, even as the fate of the national vaccination drive remains uncertain.

The decision by the Ministry of Interior Affairs came after several local governments announced their plan to secure the vaccine for their residents, namely in Phuket, where local officials hoped to open its doors to foreign tourists by October. The reopening plan is now delayed indefinitely due to the ban.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/cri ... ine-drive/

[buksida]

Tourism veering from bad to worse
Airlines and hotels dubbed the tourism situation this year as being a worse crisis than the first outbreak of the pandemic, leaving them to cling to the hope of a remedy from the government.

Tassapon Bijleveld, executive chairman of Asia Aviation, the largest shareholder of Thai AirAsia (TAA), said when international tourists return in the future, Thailand might not have enough supply to serve them as most operators have already shut down due to financial problems.

Unlike the hotel business that saw 6 million room nights in the stimulus campaign fully redeemed, the air ticket quota of 2 million seats still has over 1.3 million seats available, even though the government increased the subsidy from 2,000 baht to 3,000 baht in December.

Mr Tassapon said those figures proved that local tourists skipped flying and shifted to destinations within driving distance, particularly after the fresh wave of Covid-19 starting from December.

Combined with lower purchasing power and travel restrictions in some areas, all airlines will see an even more opaque future as the industry already witnesses fewer flights per day at the moment, he said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand reported that the number of domestic passengers tumbled 27.1% year-on-year in the fourth quarter, while international flights dropped by 99.1% in the period.

TAA is now only operating 20 flights per day on average with just 10 aircraft, down from 40 jets prior to the second outbreak, while it has a total of 62 in the fleet.

"Not only are airlines facing an impact, but half of the restaurants and shops in Don Mueang airport have had to close temporarily which could indicate the lower level of consumption," said Mr Tassapon.

He said all of airlines may have to wait further for the soft loans under the supervision of the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (Exim Bank) as the government is likely to push aside this proposal until the no-confidence debate this week passes.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/20 ... d-to-worse

If the domestic sector is now dead, there is very little hope for a revival of the international sector ... unless the junta gets its finger out with vaccines, opens the airport, scraps the extortionate entry requirements, and devalues the currency!

[Dannie Boy]

Tourism veering from bad to worse
Airlines and hotels dubbed the tourism situation this year as being a worse crisis than the first outbreak of the pandemic, leaving them to cling to the hope of a remedy from the government.

Tassapon Bijleveld, executive chairman of Asia Aviation, the largest shareholder of Thai AirAsia (TAA), said when international tourists return in the future, Thailand might not have enough supply to serve them as most operators have already shut down due to financial problems.

Unlike the hotel business that saw 6 million room nights in the stimulus campaign fully redeemed, the air ticket quota of 2 million seats still has over 1.3 million seats available, even though the government increased the subsidy from 2,000 baht to 3,000 baht in December.

Mr Tassapon said those figures proved that local tourists skipped flying and shifted to destinations within driving distance, particularly after the fresh wave of Covid-19 starting from December.

Combined with lower purchasing power and travel restrictions in some areas, all airlines will see an even more opaque future as the industry already witnesses fewer flights per day at the moment, he said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand reported that the number of domestic passengers tumbled 27.1% year-on-year in the fourth quarter, while international flights dropped by 99.1% in the period.

TAA is now only operating 20 flights per day on average with just 10 aircraft, down from 40 jets prior to the second outbreak, while it has a total of 62 in the fleet.

"Not only are airlines facing an impact, but half of the restaurants and shops in Don Mueang airport have had to close temporarily which could indicate the lower level of consumption," said Mr Tassapon.

He said all of airlines may have to wait further for the soft loans under the supervision of the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (Exim Bank) as the government is likely to push aside this proposal until the no-confidence debate this week passes.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/20 ... d-to-worse

If the domestic sector is now dead, there is very little hope for a revival of the international sector ... unless the junta gets its finger out with vaccines, opens the airport, scraps the extortionate entry requirements, and devalues the currency!

In other words, international tourism is dead!!

[HHTel]

and devalues the currency!

I'm all for that but for purely selfish reasons.

[handdrummer]

and devalues the currency!

I'm all for that but for purely selfish reasons.

Any reasons at all will do.

[usual suspect]

So international flights are down 99.1%.. I've just had my 1st vaccine here in the UK (along with 1000's of other folk
here this week)..But I've to now wait 3 months before I get the 2nd jab.
Now if this is roughly the scene over Europe in general, then the likely-hood of any large numbers of holiday-makers
booking flights before June / July is fairly slim.. Plus by then folk will be thinking of holding off holidaying in the LoS till the dry-season..& also maybe waiting till the PMG/Immigration decide to stop adding new hoops to jump thru' on a weekly basis, & decide to actually make it easier for tourists to book a holiday/long-stay without thinking of ways to line their own pockets in true Thai-style. I for one do not mind doing 2 weeks in a BKK hotel, but not bloody 3 weeks! Nor will I pay for that extortionate government insurance policy there was mention of last week (more pocket-lining)..
... It is rather looking like things will stay just as they are now till year-end I think.

[dtaai-maai]

You are talking, US, as a regular visitor with strong connections to Thailand. I can't see the casual tourist even thinking of Thailand as a destination for at least the next couple of years, until things are back to normal everywhere.