News Forum - Pattaya officials concerned high costs of Covid tests will deter foreign tourists

[Thaiger]

Tourism officials in Pattaya are concerned that the demands being made of foreign tourists, including multiple costly Covid tests, will put people off visiting. Pattaya hopes to re-open quarantine-free under a sealed route scheme, but Thanet Supornsahasrungsi from the Chon Buri Tourism Council has expressed concern about the costs involved for visitors. The Bangkok Post reports that Pattaya is eyeing Russia and India as potential tourism markets, as well as foreigners who own condos in Pattaya or have family or businesses there. However, Thanet says a discussion with Russian tour operator, Pegas Touristik, revealed that the current costs of arriving […]

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[Lawyers_Guns_and_Money]

36 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

Tourism officials in Pattaya are concerned that the demands being made of foreign tourists, including multiple costly Covid tests, will put people off visiting. Pattaya hopes to re-open quarantine-free under a sealed route scheme, but Thanet Supornsahasrungsi from the Chon Buri Tourism Council has expressed concern about the costs involved for visitors. The Bangkok Post reports that Pattaya is eyeing Russia and India as potential tourism markets, as well as foreigners who own condos in Pattaya or have family or businesses there. However, Thanet says a discussion with Russian tour operator, Pegas Touristik, revealed that the current costs of arriving […]

The post Pattaya officials concerned high costs of Covid tests will deter foreign tourists appeared first on Thaiger News.

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There is zero reason to be testing vaccinated individuals who are not showing any symptoms of illness. In addition to the cost of the test, as always the risk of a false positive resulting in being ushered off to quarantine should be enough to deter any visitor. 

[Gomez]

Testing should be a public health initiative paid for by the government. The value of the tourist spend far outweighs the costs of testing. I am pro testing but its hardly rolling out the 'welcome mat' if the tourists have to pay for it. Do you want our money or not?

[Griff1315]

Worrying about the cost of covid tests is the least of their problems. Tourists go to Pattaya for the famous night life including alcohol.

Since the fun police are happy to bust into private birthday parties arresting all involved what's the chance of the bars being allowed to open anytime soon.

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

1 minute ago, Griff1315 said:

Worrying about the cost of covid tests is the least of their problems. Tourists go to Pattaya for the famous night life including alcohol.

Including an STI, a test for all those type of infections, maybe those are the problems being talked about.

[9S_]

8 minutes ago, Gomez said:

Testing should be a public health initiative paid for by the government.

Then how can they get their beaks wet? That’s the real issue

[AussieBob]

3 minutes ago, 9S_ said:

Then how can they get their beaks wet? That’s the real issue

Talk to the 'beak wetters' that paid millions of Baht for those lamp posts - that is how 

[Graham]

Well gee whizz, no sh** Sherlock, do you know what the cost is in UAE per test (500 baht) so for 3 tests that's 1500 baht, stop ripping people off.

Yeah I know TIT.

[Osthos]

As someone going into the sandbox later this month, I really wanted to ask them why the three Covid tests I will need in Phuket cost 8,000 Baht? 

The test have booked for the flight over costs less than half of one test in Phuket. And I'm flying from a first world country where the overheads of testing would be higher than Thailand. 

[Malc-Thai]

26 minutes ago, Gomez said:

Testing should be a public health initiative paid for by the government. The value of the tourist spend far outweighs the costs of testing. I am pro testing but its hardly rolling out the 'welcome mat' if the tourists have to pay for it. Do you want our money or not?

Sadly Yes @Gomez they do want your money! They want your money for higher priced hotels, covid testing, insurance for when you get whisked off to quarantine they can overcharge... and I presume a no alcohol state same as phuket.. well only in your hotel is OK. Can you see the Russians wanting that type of holiday.

Edited September 2, 2021 by Malc-Thai

[Bert]

A test before flying should be more than enough. The average tourist will not visit Thailand with all these extra costs...

Just keep it simple ...

[Yinn]

51 minutes ago, Gomez said:

Testing should be a public health initiative paid for by the government

If it paid by the “government” it really paid by the Thai people. 
 

i not want pay for foreigner holiday have holiday. 555555555

 Pay yourself. Same I pay myself. (500 baht).

[AussieBob]

4 minutes ago, Yinn said:

If it paid by the “government” it really paid by the Thai people. 
 

i not want pay for foreigner holiday have holiday. 555555555

 Pay yourself. Same I pay myself. (500 baht).

Yes and No Yinn.  They dont have a test until they arrive - they arrive and they spend money. Thai Govt and People now have more money - they get no money if they do not come. TAT says every tourist spends 1,000,000,000,000 Baht when they come to Thailand - what's the problem??

[Jasonmc]

Don’t forget about Americans who want to travel to pattaya. 

[Jasonmc]

43 minutes ago, Malc-Thai said:

Sadly Yes @Gomez they do want your money! They want your money for higher priced hotels, covid testing, insurance for when you get whisked off to quarantine they can overcharge... and I presume a no alcohol state same as phuket.. well only in your hotel is OK. Can you see the Russians wanting that type of holiday.

 

i am not sure about other countries but the US insurance companies reimburse for international medical test 

[EdwardV]

2 hours ago, Thaiger said:

eyeing Russia and India as potential tourism

So does that mean Pattaya is giving up on trying to get snowbirds out of Europe? It’s not just the cost of the tests, it’s the insurance, premium for a hotel, for many the extra cost to visit a Thai embassy, and all the additional risk in visiting Thailand over other countries. They are asking people to tie up a lot of money and spend a lot of effort and time to plan and book a trip to somewhere that’s not even open yet. Start the sale with the idea tourists are not going to be tested more often than locals. 

[Malc-Thai]

57 minutes ago, Jasonmc said:

1 hour ago, Malc-Thai said:

 

i am not sure about other countries but the US insurance companies reimburse for international medical test 

Maybe worth checking this. If your booking a holiday knowing 3 tests are part of the package I'm pretty sure no insurance will pay for that!  however if you fall sick on your holiday then they will pay or reimburse you for the test and treatment if you test positive..

Worth asking the insurance company when booking about the small print..

 

[riclag]

2 hours ago, 9S_ said:

Then how can they get their beaks wet? That’s the real issue

The beak wetters 

Insurance  agencies  ,hotels for quarantine ,  Govt agencies that administer the tests, test manufacturers, medical facilities,Embassy fees for a COE.

Who else’s hands are in the cookie jar?

[Woifal]

this whole "sealed route" idea and the feeling of being in prison makes Thailand uninteresting.  not the small additional costs for these PCR tests.  I want to go on vacation there and not have the feeling of being watched and tracked all the time.  And another problem with this whole system is that, as a fully vaccinated tourist, I have much stricter requirements for entering a certain zone than a Thai.

[AlexPTY]

Looking for a excuse for sandbox failure before it even started. I will look at eroded Beach, double pricing, flooding, luck of sanitation and not so well aged bargirls 

[Bob20]

Oh man, hilarious. Get me another tissue

The whole country is in the pan, everything fun is shut, Covid is running wild.

But the price of the test... Yeah that's why they don't come

Oh, more tissues please!!!

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

2 hours ago, AussieBob said:

Yes and No Yinn.  They dont have a test until they arrive - they arrive and they spend money. Thai Govt and People now have more money - they get no money if they do not come. TAT says every tourist spends 1,000,000,000,000 Baht when they come to Thailand - what's the problem??

And then who pays for the Thais requiring the test for interprovincial travel? Unless duel pricing schemes for the tests, then I can see this is an issue then for Thais. Though at Songkran will they make all the tests free just like the road tolls in and out of Bangkok?

[Gomez]

If my government pays for me to have a test 48hours before I fly to Thailand then the Thai people dont need to pay. But if I choose to spend my tourist dollars elsewhere then the Thai tax payer misses out on a lot more than the 500 Baht you quote for a test. The world is a big place and there are many places we can go. Bali, Fiji, Phillipines, Vietnam. No problem!

[Bob20]

21 minutes ago, Gomez said:

If my government pays for me to have a test 48hours before I fly to Thailand then the Thai people dont need to pay. But if I choose to spend my tourist dollars elsewhere then the Thai tax payer misses out on a lot more than the 500 Baht you quote for a test. The world is a big place and there are many places we can go. Bali, Fiji, Phillipines, Vietnam. No problem!

I think if someone really wants to visit a country, the test itself might be more prohibitive than the 500 baht costs.

That's not cutting into the budget too much.

[Guest1]

3 hours ago, Yinn said:

If it paid by the “government” it really paid by the Thai people. 
 

i not want pay for foreigner holiday have holiday. 555555555

 Pay yourself. Same I pay myself. (500 baht).

Yeah, but you probably have no ploblem, that foreigners paying with one of there tests for another 1 or 2, for locals, right?

 

Remembered is the price change, for people getting to Phuket, from 300 (when ALL would have had to be tested) to500 (after the thqais got it for free)

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/phuket-officials-stick-to-their-dual-pricing-covid-test-guns