News Forum - Tourism Council of Thailand calls for PCR testing on arrival to be dropped asap

[Thaiger]

Tourism businesses in Thailand are struggling to survive and barriers to increasing the number of foreign visitors to the kingdom must be removed immediately. That’s the view of Chamnan Srisawat from the Tourism Council of Thailand, who says the Omicron variant, coupled with Russia’s war on Ukraine, has dealt a double blow to the sector. “Tourism operators are still struggling to maintain business as the number of tourists has yet to fully rebound due to the current travel rules. This obstacle needs to be removed before more operators collapse.” The Bangkok Post reports on the findings of a recent TCT […]

The story Tourism Council of Thailand calls for PCR testing on arrival to be dropped asap as seen on Thaiger News.

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[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

Baring in mind that Anutin won't even allow water splashing on khaosan road, I think they can forget that PCR will be dropped in the near future.

[ace035]

Bla..bla..bla..it's a same thing over and over again, nobody give a s**t about tourism in their inputs. Anutin & Opas will ignore them again.

[EdwardV]

1 hour ago, Thaiger said:

yet to fully rebound due to the current travel rules.

Well at least they got that part right. 

[Janneman]

They will drop all measures, on december 31 I guess. Just in time to miss the start of the high season. And since most tourists have to plan their holidays in advance another high season will be lost.

[JJJ]

Dropping the outbound pcr test while keeping the inbound test does little to help tourists. Singapore has a much more sensible policy for a predeparture antigen test and no further testing from 1 April. Outdoor mask mandates and other silly “prevention” rules also hurt  

The fact is tourism in many places is booming. In a separate piece in BP, Lufthansa noted that Easter travel is up over 2019! Meanwhile Thailand is still off 90%. 

There is just no measure of the costs and the benefits of these rules when crafting them.

Only conclusion: the government just doesn’t care. 

[DFPhuket]

 

With 5 previously approved COEs/Thai Passes (4 Sandbox and 1 Test & Go), you’d think my latest Test & Go application using the same documents would be auto approved. After all, my December Test & Go was approved in 3 hours. 

It’s been 3 days (so far) since I applied for an April 20 Test & Go.  No approval yet. 

 

[Thommo]

3 minutes ago, DFPhuket said:

With 5 previously approved COEs/Thai Passes (4 Sandbox and 1 Test & Go), you’d think my latest Test & Go application using the same documents would be auto approved. After all, my December Test & Go was approved in 3 hours. 

It’s been 3 days (so far) since I applied for an April 20 Test & Go.  No approval yet. 

10 day for my last one  and 4 hours for a colleague of mine who traveled from St Korea to Bkk this week 

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

2 hours ago, Thaiger said:

Tourism operators are still struggling to maintain business as the number of tourists has yet to fully rebound due to the current travel rules.

Did the Thais say they could survive off the local tourist industry …. No requirement for Thai to travel and holiday in Thailand with having all these travel rules, they may even get a big discount from the Thai Government. Oh what’s the latest news ….. 

News Forum - 80% of domestic tourists cancel Songkran trip due to Covid fears, financial woes

[Soidog]

2 minutes ago, Thommo said:

10 day for my last one  and 4 hours for a colleague of mine who traveled from St Korea to Bkk this week 

Like most things here, simply no logic or rhyme or reason to anything. It’s all just random, unpredictable and unguided. On the one hand this can generate an air of risk taking and uncertainty which can add to the spice of life. But when it’s health or your hard earned money that’s in the balance , you need more predictability and certainty. 
 

The good news is. If ever you found yourself in court and found guilty of a crime. You can be sure your appeal would find a different random outcome. 

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

2 minutes ago, Soidog said:

But when it’s health or your hard earned money that’s in the balance , you need more predictability and certainty.

It’s the only way you can Gamble in Thailand …. That and travelling on Thai roads.

[Soidog]

These tourism guys will get what they want in the next couple of months and PCR testing on arrival will be dropped. There will be a big announcement following one of their famous high powered meetings. Everyone around the world will finally give out a sigh of relief. This will be followed by an announcement the following day from some “official” to clarify the situation that PCR test on arrival has been stopped and replaced by a cheaper and more convenient ATK test on arrival. And back to square one we will go!
 

They are literally beyond belief when it comes to levels of stupidity. 

[Tanuki]

So tourism is struggling..?  It had the chance to recover somewhat back in Oct/Nov in time for the 'high season'...BUT oh no..The powers that be believed all incoming tourists will be infected and need to be subjected to heaps of paperwork, documents, No JPGs, & final  acceptance before even leaving their home-country... THEN be subjected to MORE checks, tests, queues, false positive test results, hospital/prison-like treatment..Before being allowed to enter the kingdom as a tourist..!

 Now social media has been broadcasting lots of negative aspects of the Thai entry proceedure since way back then in 21... But for them to back down would be loss of face, so they kept up this brick-wall for potential visitors...NOW..When what woulda been the last coupla weeks of the 'high season' they are contemplating scrapping the PCR on arrival..Well whoopy-doo...Err..bit late for this..?...

...A bit like going to the toilet AFTER you've wet the bed..TiT!

[Soidog]

29 minutes ago, Tanuki said:

The powers that be believed all incoming tourists will be infected and need to be subjected to heaps of paperwork, documents, No JPGs, & final  acceptance before even leaving their home-country...

A product of the nationalism and jingoism that permeates Thai culture. Crafted over hundreds of years to perpetuate a “Them and Us” agenda which keeps the masses in place. 

[DJM]

 

Dropping the PCR test sounds great, BUT simply replacing it with an antigen test (as it has been discussed recently) will still be a huge turn-off for most tourists. The risk of being put into quarantine for several days for most of your holidays, and still lacking confidence that any insurance will actually really cover incredibly high costs of such isolation (for asymptomatic cases and those with mild symptoms - which most of us will experience at some point) is simply too high. 

It seems to me that all really effective prevention measures are domestic - not international. Mask wearing, avoiding crowded spaces, spending time outside, keeping windows open, social distancing - none of them has anything to do with if you are a foreigner or have a recent International travel history. 

 

[Benroon]

On 3/29/2022 at 5:13 AM, Janneman said:

They will drop all measures, on december 31 I guess. Just in time to miss the start of the high season. And since most tourists have to plan their holidays in advance another high season will be lost.

and if they drop them now ? (personally I believe the PCR on arrival is nuts but should keep the pre travel one to help weed out the anti vax loons) but if they are dropped now, where are the tourists coming from ? China ? the largest visitors ? nope as they go into full lockdown imminently, Russia ? second largest visitors hmmm probably not right, given they have less money than a Leo soaked expat ? So you're left with the Indians which no thai business wants due to their propensity to saving every single baht, thinking each bar girl should be buy 1 get 6 free, and spend next to zero time in any restaurant or bar (about as welcome as herpes in any bar I know). So where's the upside in dropping them now ? (btw I'm not saying they shouldn't be, but you seem to intimate it would herald a new dawn)

[Ben_Tallchief]

Ok, to be clear here, if i book a flight now (march 31) for May 8 I still have to pay for PCR test and SHA hotel ? Also Thailand pass still has the 20k insurance coverage on its application form and not 10k. Confused. Thanks.

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

4 minutes ago, Ben_Tallchief said:

Ok, to be clear here, if i book a flight now (march 31) for May 8 I still have to pay for PCR test and SHA hotel ? Also Thailand pass still has the 20k insurance coverage on its application form and not 10k. Confused. Thanks.

You can book a flight now for May 8, but I'd wait with SAH hotel and Pcr, it might be scrapped by then. Regarding insurance might also change.

[Ben_Tallchief]

Thanks @DoUKnowWhoIAm

[Ben_Tallchief]

Oh, btw, 1 way flights into Chiang Mai or BKK. Possible from Australia? Thailand pass form doesn't want to see a return ticket, just an estimate of when you will leave.

[Ben_Tallchief]

On 3/29/2022 at 3:38 PM, Tanuki said:

So tourism is struggling..?  It had the chance to recover somewhat back in Oct/Nov in time for the 'high season'...BUT oh no..The powers that be believed all incoming tourists will be infected and need to be subjected to heaps of paperwork, documents, No JPGs, & final  acceptance before even leaving their home-country... THEN be subjected to MORE checks, tests, queues, false positive test results, hospital/prison-like treatment..Before being allowed to enter the kingdom as a tourist..!

 Now social media has been broadcasting lots of negative aspects of the Thai entry proceedure since way back then in 21... But for them to back down would be loss of face, so they kept up this brick-wall for potential visitors...NOW..When what woulda been the last coupla weeks of the 'high season' they are contemplating scrapping the PCR on arrival..Well whoopy-doo...Err..bit late for this..?...

...A bit like going to the toilet AFTER you've wet the bed..TiT!

I think I shat the bed so it's over for me then lol