News Forum - Tourists flood back to Thailand as travel restrictions ease before Songkran

[Thaiger]

Travellers are flooding back into Thailand after the country scrapped its pre-flight Covid PCR testing requirement. Arrivals to Suvarnabhumi International Airport have almost doubled to around 12,000 passengers per day, arriving on a flurry of new inbound flights. On Sunday afternoon, international travellers teems throughout the airport, reaching near pre-pandemic levels. They were greeted by officials and hotels reps who shepherded them to their PRC testing sites upon arrival. Starting April 1, international travelers entering via the Test & Go and Sandbox themes do not need to a negative PCR test certificate issued within 72 hours of departure of their […]

The story Tourists flood back to Thailand as travel restrictions ease before Songkran as seen on Thaiger News.

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[JJJ]

This story has so many holes in it. Prepandemic levels? AOT reported 53,000,000 arrivals to BKK in 2019. 12,000 a day on an annualized basis would be about 4million. 

Also 1-5 of April will also have a bump in traffic as people likely moved any end of March trips to April. Mid-April will probably see a return to the same trend  

It will be interesting to see come June when international arrivals may actually be down year over year.

Thailand did a lot of damage to itself with the utterly pointless Test & Go “pause” in December and it’s snails pace in lifting pointless mandates like outdoor masks.

Especially for westerners, Thailand trips require a lot of preplaning—people are arranging winter holiday trips now! Why plan a trip to Thailand where the slightest change is met with a major over reaction.  

At this point, arrival tests are not the only thing holding down Thailand’s tourist economy. It’s just so sad for all those whose lives depend on it. 

[Pompies]

A ludicrous claim that arrivals are close to pre Covid levels. If every one of the 12k was a bona fide tourist, which they are not, this would only generate 14% of the 2019 total. Hardly a flood! It is time the media stop their overclaims about the successful reopening because it simply is no more than a trickle. Likewise with Agoda and their breathless statement that Thailand is the most searched destination. It does not even get into the top 10 choices of Brits and Europeans when it comes to booking intention which is a lot more meaningful than simple searches. And the new phenomenon of trip stacking means that even bookings are inaccurate predictors of potential arrivals. Thailand is a very long way from a tourism recovery and for many tens of thousands of businesses that have collapsed the recovery will not happen. Covid is still in command and with the control freaks who rule this country exploiting every opportunity to keep whole sectors of the hospitality industry closed the recovery will be long, slow and painful. Except for the fat cats in charge of course!

[Fanta]

23 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

They were greeted by officials and hotels reps who shepherded them to their PRC testing sites upon arrival.

What do shepherds herd?  
I hope this is the start of the revival of the tourism sector and the beginning of the end for the onerous Covid testing regime.

[Malc-Thai]

Pretty cleaver government by scrapping the pcr test before flying.. that means people that wouldn't of been able to fly and have to had quarantined at home can now pay to be quarantined in Thailand after arrival.. 

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

41 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

flooding back into Thailand after the country scrapped its pre-flight Covid PCR testing requirement.

There's always a little peak just after they've eased the rules a bit, due to some travelers have plan their journey accordingly. But the arrival numbers will come down in a week or so, there won't be any real sustained flow of tourists until all of the ridiculous rules are scrapped.

[ThaiEyes]

Well they’ve lost the Russian tourists and China still has their people locked up, so with these numbers I would call this a “trickle”

[Guest1]

1 hour ago, Thaiger said:

On Sunday afternoon, international travellers teems throughout the airport, reaching near pre-pandemic levels

But not of BKK. Even HKT had twice as much, in average and pre-pandemic. Who is writing this stories?

[ReallyHuh]

Are arrivals still met by those friendly folk wearing full (Casper the Not So Friendly Ghost) PPE suits?

Or does that happen when you are whisked off to your (minimum) overnight prison while awaiting your 4 hour turnaround PCR result?

[Poolie]

38 minutes ago, ReallyHuh said:

Are arrivals still met by those friendly folk wearing full (Casper the Not So Friendly Ghost) PPE suits?

Or does that happen when you are whisked off to your (minimum) overnight prison while awaiting your 4 hour turnaround PCR result?

Sigh..it's not a prison. Prisons are horrible places. Sha+ hotels are luxurious by comparison. Do I really need to say this?

Incredible.

[Chaimai]

42 minutes ago, ReallyHuh said:

Are arrivals still met by those friendly folk wearing full (Casper the Not So Friendly Ghost) PPE suits?

Or does that happen when you are whisked off to your (minimum) overnight prison while awaiting your 4 hour turnaround PCR result?

YAWN!

 

You are not ready for Thailand.

[Chaimai]

1 hour ago, ThaiEyes said:

Well they’ve lost the Russian tourists and China still has their people locked up, so with these numbers I would call this a “trickle”

 

 

It was more than a trickle in Treetown/soi Buakhao at the weekend.

 

Not all tourists, of course, but many more than a couple of months ago. Same when I was in Khao Lak last week.

[Marc26]

44 minutes ago, ReallyHuh said:

Are arrivals still met by those friendly folk wearing full (Casper the Not So Friendly Ghost) PPE suits?

Or does that happen when you are whisked off to your (minimum) overnight prison while awaiting your 4 hour turnaround PCR result?

My wife got picked up In a brand new Toyota Camry

 

She went to the hotel, ordered dinner and took a shower 

Then placed her breakfast order 

Went to bed and her covid test results were back in 6 hours 

 

Some "prison "

 

 

[ReallyHuh]

38 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

My wife got picked up In a brand new Toyota Camry

She went to the hotel, ordered dinner and took a shower 

Then placed her breakfast order 

Went to bed and her covid test results were back in 6 hours 

Some "prison "

Sorry, but it is a prison if I am not allowed to reside in my own house.

Luxury cars, rooms and breakfasts or whatever are all a part of the scam.

Yes. I have resided in Thailand near on 9 years.

 

[ReallyHuh]

47 minutes ago, Chaimai said:

YAWN!

You are not ready for Thailand.

Been here near on 9 years. This is simply a scam and you sound happy with scams. Each to their own.

[Chaimai]

1 minute ago, ReallyHuh said:

Been here near on 9 years. This is simply a scam and you sound happy with scams. Each to their own.

 

 

You seem to have learned little in 9 years.

[ReallyHuh]

3 minutes ago, Chaimai said:

You seem to have learned little in 9 years.

A scam is still a scam any day of the week.

[Samtrio]

They dropped the most important requirment for safety,i-e pre-travel check, in order to scam tourists into expensive unnecessary hospital quarantine. This claim of pre covid no.of tourists is just to lure unaware tourists to fall for this trap.... whoever lived in thailand knows very well about scams in there... i mean they should reward whoever risk his life to travel to a covid hot-spot...not scam them outta their money by imposing irrelavent rules....quarantine the healthy , and free the sick...

[RyanLih]

Looks like many comments have refuted the article which avid readers will know it's most likely true of what the commentators are writing. It's always been a face saving writing exercise to prop up the failing dot dot dot ministry. Look at Malaysia & Singapore's opening and it has shown a big influx of Singaporeans coming into Johor & other states of Malaysia. Yet that certain Ministry insists on certain regulations not helping to its economy.

[Cabra]

Nice propaganda piece. Need to keep up appearances so everyone feels good about the government handling of the situation. 

[Thommo]

5 hours ago, Thaiger said:

Travellers are flooding back into Thailand after the country scrapped its pre-flight Covid PCR testing requirement. Arrivals to Suvarnabhumi International Airport have almost doubled to around 12,000 passengers per day, arriving on a flurry of new inbound flights. On Sunday afternoon, international travellers teems throughout the airport, reaching near pre-pandemic levels. They were greeted by officials and hotels reps who shepherded them to their PRC testing sites upon arrival. Starting April 1, international travelers entering via the Test & Go and Sandbox themes do not need to a negative PCR test certificate issued within 72 hours of departure of their […]

The story Tourists flood back to Thailand as travel restrictions ease before Songkran as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

[Jasonjohn]

7 hours ago, Chaimai said:

It was more than a trickle in Treetown/soi Buakhao at the weekend.

Not all tourists, of course, but many more than a couple of months ago. Same when I was in Khao Lak last week.

What nonsense! These people are here already. They're not new arrivals!

[Marc26]

6 hours ago, ReallyHuh said:

Sorry, but it is a prison if I am not allowed to reside in my own house.

Luxury cars, rooms and breakfasts or whatever are all a part of the scam.

Yes. I have resided in Thailand near on 9 years.

You didn't need to tell me you lived in Thailand for 9 years

 

Your whining and general miserablness already told me that

[Marc26]

5 minutes ago, Jasonjohn said:

What nonsense! These people are here already. They're not new arrivals!

I could never imagine being that worked up over an article like this............

[Soidog]

9 hours ago, JJJ said:

This story has so many holes in it. Prepandemic levels? AOT reported 53,000,000 arrivals to BKK in 2019. 12,000 a day on an annualized basis would be about 4million. 

I agree and got to a similar number and posted on a duplicate news item (don’t know why Thaiger do that?).  Anyway, it’s utter BS and bollocks. Clearly another day when the office calculator needed it’s batteries replacing.