News Forum - Plans change for 30,000 tourists, European travel firm cancels flights to Phuket

[Thaiger]

Following the cancellation of Thailand’s “Test & Go” tourist scheme amidst fear of an Omicron outbreak, the Europe’s largest travel firm TUI Nordic announced it had cancelled scheduled chartered flights to Phuket from December to April next year. Around 30,000 people had plans to travel to the island province. The head of the Phuket Hotels Association (Kata and Karon), Angkhana Thaneswisetkul, said most visitors were hesitant to visit Thailand after Omicron cases piled up despite the New Year’s holidays, and that some EU nations are already instituting quarantine for returnees from countries with the new variant. “The announcement came on […]

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[Somchai]

Its strange they cancel flights to Phuket, because the island  remains open, the only difference is that in the sandbox scheme  you must stay here for a week before you  allowed to travel to other parts of Thailand.

 

Package tourists on these  charter flights would stay in Phuket anyway.

[Spooner]

Despite the fears I still hope to come and retire to Asia soonest yet it is not COVID causing me complications but the minefield of opening a bank account, getting insurance, completing paperwork and after that having to report every ninety days. It seems if I pay the government money for the 5,10 or twenty year scheme they will remove or assist with these problems. Philippines, Vietnam, Korea etc realise that attracting any expat and not just the rich is beneficial to the economy so a easier choice.

[Jason]

The sandbox program worked well enough and although I can understand the rationale behind stopping Test and Go, I can't understand why the sandbox program isn't extended to island tourist destinations in Thailand. It's caution, I know. but it dashes the hopes of tourists who want a holiday and Thais who need tourists to make a living. I hope the suspension of the test and Go program will be reviewed. No one will come if things can change this quickly.

[diegogg]

Amazing how news outlets still talk about the "Test & Go scheme" as a way to enter Thailand without having to quarantine, when the Thailand Pass website explicitly said you need to quarantine for one day.

[NCC1701A]

can you imagine going through all this crap just to go to Hua Hin? 

[Nipral]

De Profundis Thai tourism !!!

[Cabra]

If you travel you need to do it on the dips (the last window was November). There has been a lot of overreacting to omicron, and too many variables out of your control.

[Cathat]

Hardly surprising given the lack of stability in the system.

Package tour operators such as tui can not operate under such conditions.

[Rain]

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

can you imagine going through all this crap just to go to Hua Hin? 

Don't go to these places.

Problem resolved.

Screw the tourists. 

[kmc]

If 100% of tourists are vaccinated and 100% of tourists just tested negative for covid...

Who is more likely to have and spread covid:

A.  A Thai

B.  A Tourist

And knowing this, the people currently in charge of the world are:

A.  Idiots

B.  Imbeciles

C.  Morons

D.  A, B, and C

E.  All of the above

 

Edited December 27, 2021 by kmc

[Dialemco]

Desperation is sweeping through tourism industry but it must be realised that Thailand nor any other country will be unable to attract International Tourists until they are allowed entry without quarantine. Thailand wants tourists but wants them to take all the risks and expenses without realising that this is unacceptable. So keep the borders closed until visitors are allowed entry without conditions including tracking devices which are completely unacceptable and unnecessary 

[poohy]

41 minutes ago, Cathat said:

Hardly surprising given the lack of stability in the system.

Package tour operators such as tui can not operate under such conditions.

Used to contract to Tui

They are absolute  ***ts but they will only go where they can make money

Not suprised!

[RampantRabbit]

23 minutes ago, Rain said:

Screw the tourists. 

they usually do

[satpete]

it is not about sandbox for Phuket, it may be more about short time tourists
for about 2 or 3 weeks, but if Thailand will be again on red list at their return,
they may have to take quarantine in home country for 10 or 14 days,
may get no money because cannot go to work by personally reasons
like holidays
 

Edited December 27, 2021 by satpete

[ninja]

3 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

can you imagine going through all this crap just to go to Hua Hin? 

Well,   the dream of visiting Oy again can be a powerful magnet .     and after Oy..... a week-end with Vay .

I think TAT  is now promoting that new scheme .      Oy Vay by the Bay

[PapayaBokBok]

56 minutes ago, kmc said:

If 100% of tourists are vaccinated and 100% of tourists just tested negative for covid...

Who is more likely to have and spread covid:

A.  A Thai

B.  A Tourist

And knowing this, the people currently in charge of the world are:

A.  Idiots

B.  Imbeciles

C.  Morons

D.  A, B, and C

E.  All of the above

Why so serious!!??  You Tink too Mutt!!!  :)

[MrNovax]

1 hour ago, Rain said:

Screw the tourists. 

Its not the tourist people are worried about, its the staff living paycheck to paycheck being laid off or the street vendor who is out of any savings they managed to scrape together.  

[riclag]

4 hours ago, Spooner said:

Despite the fears I still hope to come and retire to Asia soonest yet it is not COVID causing me complications but the minefield of opening a bank account, getting insurance, completing paperwork and after that having to report every ninety days. It seems if I pay the government money for the 5,10 or twenty year scheme they will remove or assist with these problems. Philippines, Vietnam, Korea etc realise that attracting any expat and not just the rich is beneficial to the economy so a easier choice.

This represents the tasks one might encounter on their way to the LOS. 
You’ll be ok though, you won’t be lugging a briefcase along with you!

[TheDirtyDurian]

4 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

can you imagine going through all this crap just to go to Hua Hin? 

I just did. Having a ball actually...

[Marc26]

4 hours ago, Cabra said:

If you travel you need to do it on the dips (the last window was November). There has been a lot of overreacting to omicron, and too many variables out of your control.

That's exactly what I just said to my sister

We were in Boston and NYC for Xmas and it was raging

 

And were in Boston all summer as well

 

I told her I will likely just visit during the spring/summer going forward, for a while

[oldschooler]

5 hours ago, Spooner said:

Despite the fears I still hope to come and retire to Asia soonest yet it is not COVID causing me complications but the minefield of opening a bank account, getting insurance, completing paperwork and after that having to report every ninety days. It seems if I pay the government money for the 5,10 or twenty year scheme they will remove or assist with these problems. Philippines, Vietnam, Korea etc realise that attracting any expat and not just the rich is beneficial to the economy so a easier choice.

Agents here can organize everything. If you dont want to lift a finger, a single Lawyer here could manage all.

Just arrive Visa Exempt and get it all done here. No need to set foot in a single Govt. or Bank office.

[Freeduhdumb]

All of this confirms that governments are keen to ruin their population's livelihoods in countries that participate in the tourism sectors. Omicron is no more deadly than Delta or Beta or Alpha; ruining lives, ruining peoples ability to travel. This "pandemic" is a farce. Where are the actual counts of people actually sick and dying.

As it is constantly reported, all of this results from public policy derived from undefined/unsubstantiated "case" counts, "infection" counts and lots of non-expert, weekly doctors opining with little scientific evidence? I would argue, this has been a Casedemic from the start... Governments, and their puppet masters, need to start being held account. 

Edited December 27, 2021 by Freeduhdumb
Grammar correction additional content.

[kmc]

3 hours ago, PapayaBokBok said:

Why so serious!!??  You Tink too Mutt!!!  :)

Cause I want to visit Thailand and eat some papaya salad and live in a cheap condo for 2 months.  And I'm stuck living in dreary London...

[samiam123]

8 hours ago, Somchai said:

Its strange they cancel flights to Phuket, because the island  remains open, the only difference is that in the sandbox scheme  you must stay here for a week before you  allowed to travel to other parts of Thailand.

Package tourists on these  charter flights would stay in Phuket anyway.

Regardless of their spin on it, my guess is they were getting too many cancellations so it was no longer profitable for them.

Edited December 27, 2021 by samiam123