News Forum - Thai PM “pleased” with increase in tourist numbers since November 1 re-opening

[Thaiger]

A government spokesman says the Thai PM is pleased with the rise in tourist numbers since the country re-opened with minimal quarantine on November 1. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says that since then, Thailand has welcomed 44,774 foreign visitors to the kingdom. According to a Bangkok Post report, 31,666 of those arrived under the new Test and Go scheme, open to vaccinated tourists from 63 approved countries. 10,964 arrivals entered under one of the Sandbox schemes, currently running in 17 provinces, while 2,144 went through mandatory hotel quarantine. From those figures, only 52 people tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival. The government […]

The story Thai PM “pleased” with increase in tourist numbers since November 1 re-opening as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Prosaap]

Yes its a great succes like everything they do they are the smartest people in the world the rest of the world must be idiots hail to the great leader

[Poolie]

9 minutes ago, Prosaap said:

Yes its a great succes like everything they do they are the smartest people in the world the rest of the world must be idiots hail to the great leader

Something wrong with the figures?

[Malc-Thai]

44k in 15 days... at that rate 176k by January..  I thought rat a tat TAT downgraded predicted numbers from 1 million to 750k  by New year?

[gummy]

I would like to read about about not how many tourists have come, if that is what they really are, or how much the government's pals have gained financially from these tourists, no I want to hear about the poorer folk who have been able to increase their income, or even have an income again owing to all of these "tourists" suddenly arriving. They are the ones that matter the most to me.

[Prosaap]

We all know most are not tourist just returning to family or home get a little bored from this propoganda that what ever the cost they  must look good 

[Jason]

"You've all done very well!!"...... "Thank you, Mr Grace!!!!".... (Are you being served).

[Jason]

I notice the Thaiger used the same photo from the opening....Does it mean all these Government bods turn up every time a tourist arrives? 

[Soidog]

4 hours ago, Poolie said:

Something wrong with the figures?

Only that they forecast 300,000 a month, which by now means they should be at around 150,000. So apart from them being around 30% of what they should be, no nothing wrong.
 

I wish I could get away with meeting my business targets so easily.  

[Pompies]

No surprises here. The situation in CM is just as dire. My partner owns a restaurant and a bar in the city tourist graveyard & last night bumped into a young farang couple wandering the empty street. They said they could find nothing to do and felt they had been conned into coming to Thailand by the government saying the country was open. A week ago a lone American man said exactly the same thing. He had booked a month in CM and after 4 days was deeply regretting his decision. So very soon you will see people like these sharing their nightmare holiday experiences with all their friends back home. Amazing! Not.

[bb54]

Hardly surprising as there is nothing for real 'tourists' to do

[Does]

Why would you want to come and stay in Thailand?  They want to attract wealthy long term foreigners, but they can’t even keep the online 90 day reporting app or function working! You can’t do 90 day reporting for over 6 months!  Even the government employees at Muang Thong Thani knows the online 90 day reporting system is not working, but nothing is being done to correct this.  Once again, they say everything is great when nothing works. 
 

By the way, somebody was less than truthful, when they stated you cannot enter Switzerland with a combination of Sinovac & Astra Zenca.  
 

Which COVID-19 vaccines allow entry to Switzerland?

People who have received one of the following vaccines can enter Switzerland:

• Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2 / Comirnaty® / Tozinameran)
• Moderna (mRNA-1273 / Spikevax / COVID-19 vaccine Moderna)
• AstraZeneca (AZD1222 Vaxzevria®/ Covishield™)
• Janssen / Johnson & Johnson (Ad26.COV2.S)
• Sinopharm / BIBP (SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell))
• Sinovac (CoronaVac)
• COVAXIN®

People who have been vaccinated with two different vaccinesare considered to be fully vaccinated if:

• the vaccines used have been approved by the authorities in Switzerland (Swissmedic) and the EU (EMA) or are on the WHO emergency use list and
• they were administered in accordance with the regulations or recommendations of the state in which the vaccination took place.

https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/empfehlungen-fuer-reisende/quarantaene-einreisende.html#-440105700

Edited November 15, 2021 by Does

[Paco]

2 hours ago, Pompies said:

No surprises here. The situation in CM is just as dire. My partner owns a restaurant and a bar in the city tourist graveyard & last night bumped into a young farang couple wandering the empty street. They said they could find nothing to do and felt they had been conned into coming to Thailand by the government saying the country was open. A week ago a lone American man said exactly the same thing. He had booked a month in CM and after 4 days was deeply regretting his decision. So very soon you will see people like these sharing their nightmare holiday experiences with all their friends back home. Amazing! Not.

Yeah well people should do some research first, or follow on YouTube  easy to find info.. I not even understand someone wants to come.. there is NOTHING at all in tourist towns unless you looking for ghosts....and..... dust (bit wild west)

[Malc-Thai]

55 minutes ago, Does said:

By the way, somebody was less than truthful, when they stated you cannot enter Switzerland with a combination of Sinovac & Astra Zenca.  
 

Which COVID-19 vaccines allow entry to Switzerland?

People who have received one of the following vaccines can enter Switzerland:

• Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2 / Comirnaty® / Tozinameran)
• Moderna (mRNA-1273 / Spikevax / COVID-19 vaccine Moderna)
• AstraZeneca (AZD1222 Vaxzevria®/ Covishield™)
• Janssen / Johnson & Johnson (Ad26.COV2.S)
• Sinopharm / BIBP (SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell))
• Sinovac (CoronaVac)
• COVAXIN®

People who have been vaccinated with two different vaccinesare considered to be fully vaccinated if:

• the vaccines used have been approved by the authorities in Switzerland (Swissmedic) and the EU (EMA) or are on the WHO emergency use list and
• they were administered in accordance with the regulations or recommendations of the state in which the vaccination took place.

https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/empfehlungen-fuer-reisende/quarantaene-einreisende.html#-440105700

One thing to take into account was he had both his jabs in February..  and should have had his booster in August? Did that happen?  Or was his 20% booster to late after his initial doses.. just a thought, but doubt we'll ever hear the truth

Edited November 15, 2021 by Malc-Thai

[TSS]

Oh for joy, for joy! Mr  General  Prime Minister Dictator  should be well pleased. an amazing job he and his crew have done to have paved an easy path of entry for over 44,000 foreign visitors (and more queing up daily-they can't wait to get here). This is only the beginning.  Wondering why Hua Hin only captured seven of them? All will be explained soon.

[palooka]

A couple of new locals came in last week on O-A visas.  Are they included as tourists? 

[Malc-Thai]

13 minutes ago, palooka said:

A couple of new locals came in last week on O-A visas.  Are they included as tourists? 

Everyone seems to be counted as a tourist. Presumably so the government can flag wave !

[Patnou]

8 hours ago, Prosaap said:

We all know most are not tourist just returning to family or home get a little bored from this propoganda that what ever the cost they  must look good 

AND BUSINESS PEOPLE GOING BACK AND FORTH

[Soidog]

Basically, the numbers that are arriving (even allowing for the fact they are counting anyone who doesn’t have a Thai passport as a “tourist”) is still only 2.7% of pre-pandemic levels. Yes it’s early days and yes some will say it’s a start. However, they have been trialing the opening since July when the sandbox in Phuket opened. If 2.7% is the best they can achieve, then I don’t know how low it needs to be in order to declare it a failure.
 

I’m sure more people will come as they start to see videos of walking street and Bangla road bars open and nightlife returning. Even if they were to hit the 300,000 a month target by January, that’s still only 30% of pre-pandemic levels. Hands up anyone who would like to see a reduction in business revenue of 70% or take a 70% salary cut and still see it as a success. 
 

If they really wish to open the country then they should do so. If they are holding back in order to gauge how Covid numbers perform then they should say so. Lay out a proper roadmap so tourists (or customers as proper businesses called them) are informed properly and not conned in to making a wrong decision that will only harm the industry more. It takes years for a business to gain a good reputation and days to destroy it! 

[Patnou]

How to make an official super positive statement about a total failure !!! Just a joke for a country which is relying on actually about 30% of real GDP including undeclared biz related to tourism and the usual domino economy depending on its stranded suppliements actors, which of course no one will get real dropped devastating revenues figures. Why dont they get experience from successful countries over tourism and Covid results around ? UAE, Maldives ie....

[Cathat]

I think these abysmal figures may well prompt something drastic to happen.

most large hotel chains are operated by hiso thai families on a franchise basis.

mothballing a few floors ain't going to solve this.

[Graham]

But Uncle Tu is happy so it must be ok, I like how they still post number of applications even though some people have made multiple TP applications so those numbers aren't true and everyone knows it, yes it's a start but until things open within the country it's not tourist's who are coming, open your eyes. 

[vlad]

7 hours ago, Pompies said:

No surprises here. The situation in CM is just as dire. My partner owns a restaurant and a bar in the city tourist graveyard & last night bumped into a young farang couple wandering the empty street. They said they could find nothing to do and felt they had been conned into coming to Thailand by the government saying the country was open. A week ago a lone American man said exactly the same thing. He had booked a month in CM and after 4 days was deeply regretting his decision. So very soon you will see people like these sharing their nightmare holiday experiences with all their friends back home. Amazing! Not.

Well Pompies according to Asean news today some hi-sos in CM were caught in a bar with bar girls too so at least your couple of Tourists should have gone to that bar if it was open.

[RPwings]

This will get better and better. Thailand had to start somewhere and it will build momemtum. I just am curious about what those few "contaminated" with the Covid 19 virus are subject to? Maybe I missed something in the different reports.

[Benroon]

How do they know it’s 8 ?