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

[Thaiger]

More than 80% of domestic tourists in Thailand have cancelled their trips for Songkran, the Thai New Year, due to the spread of Omicron or financial issues during the pandemic, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand. A tourism official says the government should launch more measures to promote domestic tourism. Songkran is celebrated from April 13 to 15 and many Thais will travel back to their hometowns to see their families. Many planned trips around the end of March to the end of April, but many cancelled their trips following the uptick in cases, according to the Deputy Director […]

The story 80% of domestic tourists cancel Songkran trip due to Covid fears, financial woes as seen on Thaiger News.

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[AdvocatusDiaboli]

51 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

More than 80% of domestic tourists in Thailand have cancelled their trips for Songkran

So they had already booked them, months ago? Must be how you gamble in Thailand.

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

53 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

80% of domestic tourists in Thailand have cancelled their trips

If suppose the death tool will be less, but due to less maniacs on the roads

[BillO]

If you had a company, would you hire anyone in the Thai government to run it? Of course not. Worst decision makers I’ve ever seen and have caused irreparable harm to the country. Government never solves any problems. They only create them. 

[palooka]

Think it more a financial decision, Songkran was (for some of the young adults) was beer, beer, more beer then whisky after a evening meal.  Collapse, sleep do same again.

With a water fight somewhere in there and a sober (hungover) moment to pay respects to the elders in there too.  

 

[Soidog]

2 hours ago, BillO said:

If you had a company, would you hire anyone in the Thai government to run it? Of course not. Worst decision makers I’ve ever seen and have caused irreparable harm to the country. Government never solves any problems. They only create them. 

I wouldn’t let them walk my dog, let alone run a business. 

[KaptainRob]

23 minutes ago, palooka said:

Songkran was (for some of the young adults) was beer, beer, more beer then whisky after a evening meal.  Collapse, sleep do same again.

With a water fight somewhere in there and a sober (hungover) moment to pay respects to the elders in there too.  

That's exactly what it is, a cross between Western NYE and Easter holidays.  With Omicron surging higher throughout rural areas it's good to hear many Thai's will not travel home for 'party-time'.  Mind you, from all personal reports we

we've received the so-called 'covid-surge' appears more of a bad cold or flu.

Naturally, the elderly and infirm are at risk.

[Fanta]

The coffin makers will be disappointed. 

[anarchofarmer]

Well at least this year the RTP should manage to meet their target  of reducing accidents and deaths on the road!

[Cathat]

Yet more bad news for the hospitality industry nation wide,best thing would be to postpone it a few weeks and see how things are looking then.

Edited March 29, 2022 by Cathat

[Thommo]

Looking forward to having less traffic on the roads :)

 

[Thaidup]

Me thinks that half of that 80% have lost their jobs a year ago and are living back with family up north anyway.

[HiuMak]

20 hours ago, Thaiger said:

More than 80% of domestic tourists in Thailand have cancelled their trips for Songkran, the Thai New Year, due to the spread of Omicron or financial issues during the pandemic, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand. A tourism official says the government should launch more measures to promote domestic tourism. Songkran is celebrated from April 13 to 15 and many Thais will travel back to their hometowns to see their families. Many planned trips around the end of March to the end of April, but many cancelled their trips following the uptick in cases, according to the Deputy Director […]

The story 80% of domestic tourists cancel Songkran trip due to Covid fears, financial woes as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

i don't trust TAT

[Manu]

13 hours ago, KaptainRob said:

With Omicron surging higher throughout rural areas it's good to hear many Thai's will not travel home for 'party-time'.  Mind you, from all personal reports we've received the so-called 'covid-surge' appears more of a bad cold or flu.

 

I srongly believe that it has been "surging" for weeks already.

Firstly because of my own experience where I am in Thailand, it is an island so rural. Apart from a few domestic tourists from BKK the weekend (not so long ago, last year especially, there were hours of queues to the ferry, not anymore) and a handful of foreign tourists, the island is desperately empty. Well like I said before on this forum, it is pretty much easier to count people who have not had covidthe past 2 months. I had it end of February and I believe it was the time of the peak here although I know a few who have it right now. And indeed KaptainBob, at the worst "a bad cold" (like me for example for 2 or 3 days), some have tested (positive) themselves cause they had been in close contact and had 0 symptom, and of course many others who probably got infected but did not do any test  (as usual, very likely the highest number, especially tamongst the many kids). I do not know a single person who ended up in hospital. I very doubt that, what is happening around me in my little world in Thailand is not happening everywhere else in the country (according to what I hear from friends, it is indeed at least in a few other parts).

Secondly, first case of Omicron was confirmed on December 20 in Thailand. Knowing how it happened everywhere around the world, meaning shortly after entering, millions got infected, why would it be different in Thailand? Restrictions, masks, etc... did not stop anything in Europe for example, why would it be different in Thailand? The 20 000+ reported daily in Thailand, really? For example, Omicron arrived in France end of November (a month before Thailand), in January alone, over 7 millions (yes millions) got tested positive. And there were many more restrictions in France then than in Thailand now. And when I look at what is happening and been happenig the past 2 months where I am, I am more than convinced that this is also the current situation in Thailand. Songran and banning water fights and other blablabla will not change a thing to the current reality.

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Naturally, the elderly and infirm are at risk.

Indeed but as always, ederlies, people with commorbidities and patholigies, obese people, people with diabetes, etc... are always at more risk to die than the others. For covid, this (logical) fact is known for a while now, but we continue with useless restrictions instead of putting all the efforts on these groups and let life get back to normal for the others. Does anyone by now will visit their 80 year old grand-ma with diabete without taking precautions, or not doing it at all with a cough or running nose so symptoms of something wether it is covid, a cold, a flu, whatever? Wouldn't you all before covid have avoided close contact to a person at risk with a cough? Do we need a state or governement to impose restictions on populations that are doing nothing to stop the variant Omicron (far from being now a decimating one) but huge collateral damages? Isn't it time NOW in Thailand too to change this complete obsolete strategy? And taking now also into account natural immunity? Again in my own Thai little world, knowing how the virus has been going around at high speed the past 2 months, I would not be suprised if natural immunity is very high here...

[Soidog]

8 minutes ago, Manu said:

Isn't it time NOW in Thailand too to change this complete obsolete strategy?

Absolutely it is and has been for a couple of months. Problem is, if they drop restrictions, they also need to drop the Emergency decree. If they do that, it means thousands of students can get back out on the streets and protest. If they do that now, the popularity of the government will fall even lower (for some reason citizens don’t like watching their kids beaten up, gassed and killed by a group of police who are supposed to serve the public). As the next election is at least 9 months away, they need to keep the lid on this pressure cooker for a few months longer. What better way than blame Covid. 

[Manu]

23 minutes ago, Soidog said:

Absolutely it is and has been for a couple of months. Problem is, if they drop restrictions, they also need to drop the Emergency decree. If they do that, it means thousands of students can get back out on the streets and protest. If they do that now, the popularity of the government will fall even lower (for some reason citizens don’t like watching their kids beaten up, gassed and killed by a group of police who are supposed to serve the public). As the next election is at least 9 months away, they need to keep the lid on this pressure cooker for a few months longer. What better way than blame Covid. 

Well I would be lying if I was saying that this thought has not gone regularly through my head. Indeed it has been an opportunity for many countries to use this "tool" in order to "resolve" some issues with their population or some groups of their population. China is the perfect example: while an hypothetical revolution against the regime was finer than a butt hair before covid, I believe covid has offered this regime the opportunity to take further complete and irreversible control of the entire population. Let's hope it will not happen in Thailand. And also, some signs of authoritarianism in some so-called democraties (France and Canada for example) have been very worrying and show that nothing should be taken for granted, not even freedom.

[longwood50]

23 hours ago, Thaiger said:

More than 80% of domestic tourists in Thailand have cancelled their trips for Songkran, the Thai New Year

Now why should this be a shock.  So long as the government keeps imposing restrictions and shouting that the Covid sky is falling each day do they really expect people to just behave as they normally would? 

[Soidog]

2 hours ago, Manu said:

Well I would be lying if I was saying that this thought has not gone regularly through my head. Indeed it has been an opportunity for many countries to use this "tool" in order to "resolve" some issues with their population or some groups of their population. China is the perfect example: while an hypothetical revolution against the regime was finer than a butt hair before covid, I believe covid has offered this regime the opportunity to take further complete and irreversible control of the entire population. Let's hope it will not happen in Thailand. And also, some signs of authoritarianism in some so-called democraties (France and Canada for example) have been very worrying and show that nothing should be taken for granted, not even freedom.

I agree with your assessment. To be clear though, I’m not suggesting Covid is some big conspiracy and world order reset project.  I simply think a handful of countries have found it to be a useful way of sorting out a few problematic issues. Driving home some changes that would perhaps otherwise have taken many years to complete and drowning out any voices of opposition. Thailand I think has certainly taken the opportunity. 

[Manu]

1 hour ago, Soidog said:

 To be clear though, I’m not suggesting Covid is some big conspiracy and world order reset project. 

Anyone "suggesting" that to both our comments has obviously not understood a word of what we are talking about! I find it sad to have to emphasise this, I definitely do not want to explain myselft anymore. Either one does understand what I am saying or not, I could not care less.

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I simply think a handful of countries have found it to be a useful way of sorting out a few problematic issues. Driving home some changes that would perhaps otherwise have taken many years to complete and drowning out any voices of opposition. Thailand I think has certainly taken the opportunity. 

Yes, I agree. Like they say, an efficient politician is before all a good opportunist. But they were of course not the only ones to use covid, when there is an opportunity there are opportunists. Big corporations and of course pharmaceutical companies at the top covid was a SUPER GREAT opportunity to do what they do best: selling extremely expensive products regardless in order to make huge amounts of money.

[TheDirtyDurian]

More worried about finances than the big C methinks.