News Forum - Countdown to February 1 – opening Thailand’s tourist floodgates?

[JJJ]

The whole thing is a farce. If a tourist gets sick they will happily take a test and seek hospital care. 

Presumably the rule is to prevent asymptomatic spread. But if that were true, the government would be conducting MORE community testing (almost zero now) as that would be the much bigger source than the 200 or so supposedly positive travelers. And Don’t even mention prisons.  

Instead the tourists pay the expense of the government’s neurosis and the tourism businesses suffer the costs of lost tourists.

One test for travel is enough.  

[totes]

SE Asia is starting to wake-up/open up.  Why go through the hassle of TH restrictions & money grab schemes?

PH & Cambodia are wise - My monies & travel will be going there next month!

[ace035]

Thailand will lose a lot of tourists if they don't get their act together for the next month or so, trying to scam us on Day 1 & Day 5 PCR testing upon arrival so we can have false positive only to be send to hospital to get money out of our COVID-19 Insurance.

[TiT]

I feel like Thailand has had multiple 'countdowns' to reopening: Phuket sandbox, Samui sandbox, T&G #1, and now T&G #2.  No matter how many times they count down, its gonna be a disappointment with the excessive restrictions they have imposed.

[MelBurn]

This tourist season is dead. Very few people make vacation plans on a whim and in March it's all over.

[ace035]

15 minutes ago, TiT said:

I feel like Thailand has had multiple 'countdowns' to reopening: Phuket sandbox, Samui sandbox, T&G #1, and now T&G #2.  No matter how many times they count down, its gonna be a disappointment with the excessive restrictions they have imposed.

I'm no rush in going on these places but if Thailand don't make any changes in regards to rules and restrictions for the incoming tourists in the next month, they will be dumb f**k as hell.

[Ksmui]

18 hours ago, dean said:

Tickets are booked for mid April.  If Thailand doesn't follow suit with Philippines ill be changing my tickets.

Its my holiday and I wont be fleeced by thai government beurocracy and the test an go money grabbing hotels.

This is just the beginning as the tourists that do change plans to go elsewhere will now experience another venue and most likely won't return to Thailand.

This policy may affect the thai industry for many more years.

If I travel elsewhere this year I'll definitely be thinking about the next year as well.

I’m in the same boat I have tickets for April it is $300 to cancel. If there is still a day five test I’ll cancel and go to PH. I’ve been to both numerous times. I  want to go back to Thailand but am really starting to lean towards PH. I did Phuket sandbox last November and it was great. However, with omicron a day five test seems to risky. 

Edited January 30, 2022 by Ksmui

[JamesR]

Having bars closed at the moment has very little to do with the number of tourists in Phuket. (I can not speak for places like Pattaya).

Over the last few decades the number of bars in Phuket has shrunk by 75%, more restaurants, hotels, music clubs have been built in their place as that is what the new generation of tourists want, especially the restaurants preferred by the Chinese who make up the single largest group of tourists in Phuket.

Even in 'norma'l times most of the existing bars were empty but restaurants were packed out.

It is becoming like Soho in London, fifty years ago it was a seedy sex tourist area, all that has gone and it is now an high end restaurant area frequented by tourists from all over the world.

But at the moment most people do not want to go anywhere (UK), most people I know including myself will not travel on a plane and then risk getting the virus causing us to end up in a hospital in Thailand at great expense.

I am low risk for severe symptoms as I have had three jabs but I can still be forced to go to Hospital.

Having to jump through all of the hoops does not constitute a holiday, we are not desperate as we are quite comfortable where we are until it becomes less of a pain in say six months time.

I have been keeping an eye on things since August last year so I can have my six months to a year trip to Thailand but for me now is not the time to go. 

 

[satpete]

tourist season is over now,

there should be no 2 pcr tests for the tourists still will come to Thailand,

be happy that some will come now

[Alavan]

Thailand is not reopening for "Test & Go" on Feb 1.
The paperwork is reopening on that day. I guess it will take at least one week before they will see the first arrivals in the "Test & Go".
You can't even start filling your papers right now.
I will do it Feb 1, but have to check about my vaccinations. I got 2 AZ plus Pfizer booster. Do I fill in 1&2? or the second and third?

[Marc26]

2 hours ago, totes said:

SE Asia is starting to wake-up/open up.  Why go through the hassle of TH restrictions & money grab schemes?

PH & Cambodia are wise - My monies & travel will be going there next month!

I would not go to PH or Cambodia

 

I'm double vaxxed/boosted

 

But there hospitals aren't even close to as good as Thai hospitals if you were one ifnt r unlucky ones to have a serious breakthrough case

 

But having 2 siblings almost die from Covid, I am overly cautious 

[TedG]

I came and went under Test and Go.   I'm not going back under Test and Go.  

[Ksmui]

2 minutes ago, TedG said:

I came and went under Test and Go.   I'm not going back under Test and Go.  

I did sandbox in November - had a great time. I have tickets confirmed for April but will cancel them unless the day five test is eliminated. May wind up going to Philippines. 

[TedG]

1 minute ago, Ksmui said:

I did sandbox in November - had a great time. I have tickets confirmed for April but will cancel them unless the day five test is eliminated. May wind up going to Philippines. 

I'm fine with a pre-flight PCR test.  I'm fine with a test on arrival.   But, the day 5 test is a deal-breaker.

I've never been to the Philippines despite growing up with friends from the Philippines.  Maybe it's time to check it out. 

[Ksmui]

27 minutes ago, TedG said:

I'm fine with a pre-flight PCR test.  I'm fine with a test on arrival.   But, the day 5 test is a deal-breaker.

I've never been to the Philippines despite growing up with friends from the Philippines.  Maybe it's time to check it out. 

I concur, pretest and arrival test is fine.. Day five is a dealbreaker. I found the islands in the Philippines to be spectacular. Some of the most beautiful places I’ve been I would almost same prettier than Thailand. I really appreciate the food in Thailand and the culture. They are very different and each have their own unique redeeming qualities. If you’ve never been I highly suggest checking it out. Send me a PM if you have any questions

[SkylineGTR82]

I think Thailand will very quickly change the Test&Go rule under some pretense as soon as they realize that there are not enough tourists registering for the Thailand Pass. Probably then the 2nd PCR test will be canceled and they will come up with something else. wait...

[dean]

2 hours ago, Ksmui said:

I’m in the same boat I have tickets for April it is $300 to cancel. If there is still a day five test I’ll cancel and go to PH. I’ve been to both numerous times. I  want to go back to Thailand but am really starting to lean towards PH. I did Phuket sandbox last November and it was great. However, with omicron a day five test seems to risky. 

My tickets can be changed without penalty. Even if there was a 300 cost to change id do it on principal.

The government has basic issued a permit to the hotels to fleece the tourists.

If the hotels want a high capacity they should be also fighting this .

2 nights in test an go is the cost of 2 weeks lodging normally.its outrageous. 

Then the fear of testing positive on day 5.

Boom goodbye vacation.

Hello nightmare.

[Ksmui]

Just now, SkylineGTR82 said:

I think Thailand will very quickly change the Test&Go rule under some pretense as soon as they realize that there are not enough tourists registering for the Thailand Pass. Probably then the 2nd PCR test will be canceled and they will come up with something else. wait...

I agree I don’t see the day five test lasting past mid February. That said, I’m still tempted to cancel my tickets and go to Philippines instead. The back-and-forth and constant changing of rules is just draining . 

[Ksmui]

5 minutes ago, dean said:

My tickets can be changed without penalty. Even if there was a 300 cost to change id do it on principal.

The government has basic issued a permit to the hotels to fleece the tourists.

If the hotels want a high capacity they should be also fighting this .

2 nights in test an go is the cost of 2 weeks lodging normally.its outrageous. 

Then the fear of testing positive on day 5.

Boom goodbye vacation.

Hello nightmare.

Yup - day five test is a dealbreaker! I have no problem canceling and losing the 300 bucks

The Thai government really is ludicrous the way they change at the drop of a hat. You do not hear the same drama from all of the other southeast Asian countries. They kept their mouth shut until they made their decision, rather than making all kinds of crazy cumbersome hurdles to jump then changing them at the last minute. A lot of people lost money on flight changes cancellations etc.

it really appears that the tie government does not want average Middle class tourists. They constantly want to figure out schemes to cater to super wealthy which to be frank  that is not there demographic. They had the boat program, the golf program, the elite visa. I did not want to be jaded and really did not want to see it as a money grab however after seeing scheme after scheme instituted it really does seem that the focus is on quick money. I feel bad for the Thai people. The government is screwing them over. God knows they can’t count on the government to take care of them. 

[BIGGLES]

The Thai's in my opinion, need to understand that they have nothing special to offer if they price themselves out of the market. 

They should be offering international tourists incentives to go, not put hurdles in the way of tourists, and be f.....g thankful that we want to go and give them our money.

 

[Ksmui]

10 minutes ago, BIGGLES said:

The Thai's in my opinion, need to understand that they have nothing special to offer if they price themselves out of the market. 

They should be offering international tourists incentives to go, not put hurdles in the way of tourists, and be f.....g thankful that we want to go and give them our money.

you mean that the invitation to take a test on day five, Pay a  300 baht entry fee, New and improved health insurance ,two nights minimum in a SHA+ hotel, with an option for private transportation/escort to a capable facility in the event that you are sick, as well as earning the name as a “dirty Falang” is not inviting???? Shocking

[Koen]

Pensionned with 3 vaccinations,  and I am OK with a test before departure. But this is where I draw the line. No quarantine, no more tests. 

 You guys will loose February tourism as well, you will see.  Then why should I go to the tropics when whether is improving here at home. 

So, till next winter. In fact, perhaps this is good time to check around for more tourist friendly destinations and not very ready to forgive how you have treated us in 2022. 

[JamesR]

1 hour ago, Koen said:

Pensionned with 3 vaccinations,  and I am OK with a test before departure. But this is where I draw the line. No quarantine, no more tests. 

 You guys will loose February tourism as well, you will see.  Then why should I go to the tropics when whether is improving here at home. 

So, till next winter. In fact, perhaps this is good time to check around for more tourist friendly destinations and not very ready to forgive how you have treated us in 2022. 

Why is everyone complaining?

As far as I can see most sensible countries in the world have looked after their own millions of people above a few tourists .

Most countries have reacted and changed their rules domestically and as far as arrivals from other countries go as a result of the changing situation regarding the virus.

Most of us do not want to travel at the moment anyway, we are not sitting around sulking all day long, get on with it. 

[Wills]

Is risk-adverse Thailand too late to the table? Absolutely! And it may well damage their tourism industry, and their people, for many years to come.

Please do not misunderstand: I have loved Thailand ever since I lived and worked there in the late 80s/early 90s and have returned many times since as a tourist. I also have huge respect for the Thai authorities who have handle the pandemic better than most and protected the Thai people. Thailand records 2.42M cases and 22,145 deaths^#. In contrast, UK records 16.4M cases and 156,000 deaths^#. Thailand’s figures are 14-15% that of UK. So, by any measure, Thailand has done brilliantly. Although, at what cost to their tourism industry and people?

However, what the Thai authorities have, seemingly, not comprehended is that Covid-19 is here to stay for many years to come: probably, until the world is vaccinated. And, since the wealthiest countries have been so selfish with their vaccinations (at least so far), that could be a very long time. Indeed, there is already concern over a sub-variant of Omicron, designated BA.2 by UKHSA^*. Early data suggests that BA.2 spreads more quickly than the original Omicron variant. So, what will the Thai authorities do now – suspend Test&Go2 before it has barely begun?

So why is Thailand too late to the table?

Many people in the UK who would have jumped at visiting Thailand pre-pandemic, have now chosen to travel to other countries like Dubai and South America. Why? Because it is so much easy to travel to those countries and less fraught when there, compared to Thailand. For example: I know 4 families (15 total) who, in 2019, were contemplating/planning holidays to Thailand in 2020. We all know why those plans never came to fruition. Those families have waited in vain hope that travelling to Thailand would once again be relatively easy. They have now given up and will travel to South America and Dubai instead. For sure, they are not the only ones in the UK and the UK not the only country.

The question now, is will such travellers ever contemplate visiting Thailand again?

Doubtful…

Two years of disappointment being turned away and put-off from visiting Thailand, is not easily forgotten. And, if one’s first exciting and wonderful holiday - post lockdowns, no travel, no holidays - is in (say) Dubai or South America, one is far more likely to return to where they enjoyed that exciting and wonderful holiday than the country that caused them so much disappointment.

As for myself, I hope to return to Thailand mid-late February. But then, I am no longer your typical tourist - I haven’t seen my girlfriend since I returned from Thailand in late 2019! However, believe me, it is not proving at all easy. I have spent all weekend researching and emailing hotels on what I need to do to enter Thailand under Test&Go2. I have found, and received, much conflicting information. Furthermore, a fair number of hotels are not ready for the start of Test&Go2 when registration opens 01/February at 09:00 [Thai time]. Without the correct booked and paid hotel, it will not be possible to register at, or shortly after, registration opening. Then, there is the very real possibility of someone, totally unknown to me, travelling on the same flight, testing positive on arrival in Thailand, that could potentially result in me spending 10-days in government quarantine!

For me, it is not so much that I must stay in a SHA+ hotel day 1 and 5 (one must stay somewhere) or the cost of 2 RT-PCR tests (see below) - it is the lack of accurate information and a definitive and easy process to follow. Plus, of course, the extremely worrying possibility of government quarantine.

All of this would most definitely stop me from travelling to Thailand as a typical tourist. Especially, when it is now so much easier, and less fraught once there, to travel to so many other countries.

That is why Thailand is most definitely too late to the table.

As for the cost of RT-PCR tests impeding travel, I’m not sure that argument currently stacks up. The £150 cost [FX approx.] for the 3 RT-PCR tests (UK pre-departure, Thailand day 1 & 5) is outweighed, and in many cases far outweighed, by the current much cheaper hotel prices compared to pre-pandemic times. One can’t have it both ways!

Of course, this is not the case for those returning to visit and stay with family or friends. They do have a valid grievance. However, such visitors will be a relatively small proportion of the near 40M who visited Thailand in 2019^{^}.

The BBC Travel Show stated that Bangkok welcomed 22.8M tourists in 2019⁺ making it the most visited city. For the sake of the Thai tourism industry, and ultimately the Thai people, Thailand needs to return to those figures and accolade now, not in months or years to come. To do this, the Thai authorities MUST accept that Covid-19 is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future, and open Thailand to much easier entry and much less worry of government quarantine once there (except in exceptional circumstances of course).

If they don’t, then their competition – the countries that have realised this and now welcome tourists with ease – will continue to bleed tourists from Thailand at this time and quite possible, for many years to come.

Great media channel by the way. Hopefully see you mid-late February – wish me luck

^#JHU CSSE | Our World in Data, 28/01/2022 (other sources may vary).
^*UK Health Security Agency
^{^}Wikipedia
⁺The Travel Show, BBC News Channel, 29 January 2022.

[Koen]

32 minutes ago, JamesR said:

Why is everyone complaining?

As far as I can see most sensible countries in the world have looked after their own millions of people above a few tourists .

Most countries have reacted and changed their rules domestically and as far as arrivals from other countries go as a result of the changing situation regarding the virus.

Most of us do not want to travel at the moment anyway, we are not sitting around sulking all day long, get on with it. 

I do not wait and see. I actually just decided to travel elsewhere, where the SHA+ garbage arrangements, and the day 1 nose poke , plus the day 5 invasion in my nose plus all the fuss around it, is rightfully deemed absurd