Finally a light at the end of a super long tunnel?

[macaroni21]

I won't underestimate the pushback from segments of the Thai elite who are embarrassed by the thought of Thailand as an entertainment destination. These folks may be living in cloud cuckoo land, but I have a met (and been alarmed by) a few who seriously want to shut down this side of the country's tourism sector. They genuinely think that the whole world values Thailand for its cultural attractions such as temples and elephant parks.

The government will have to navigate the demands from this group who (taking advantage of the Covid situation) want to use the opportunity to permanently re-orient the tourism sector - the same way we always have voices about making Pattaya a wholesome family destination. They may not succeed, but they're not giving up.

I would also anticipate the health ministry guys warning the prime minister that the country is not fully ready to open entertainment venues. They may not be speaking merely of tourism but of the Covid risk to the general population. After all, 99% of bar patrons across Thailand will be Thais. Bangkok Post recently had a story https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2199995/no-need-to-halt-boosters-for-sinovac pointing out that there is still a debate about whether to proceed with booster shots for those who have had two doses of Sinovac. There is recognition that the ten million who have received two SInovac jabs so far have "less capacity to fight against the dominated Delta variant, so it's now advised that a booster dose is required, largely from AstraZeneca, to increase immunity." Yet, they haven't quite rolled out the booster programme. So I can imagine the people in the ministry of health saying "Not so fast....."

[vinapu]

Both, elites and heath ministry people may be on something but then there's economic reality neither group may be much affected by. As with every gate which is becoming an obstruction if it won't be opened, there's risk of uncontrolled break - in.

Thailand is very attractive country  but deprived it' s world famous night life it may become one of one time, been there, done that destinations.

[daydreamer]

17 hours ago, vaughn said:

I guess that the reason the tourism minister is even raising the entertainment venues issue is because he has heard the message loud and clear, the two groups of tourists who are likely to jump on a plane this high season are couples without kids or single guys, both of which *usually* enjoy nightlife and drinking.

I'd give them a week or two, I'm sure they will announce something positive around nightlife reopening for December in provinces with high vaccination rates

I'm sure the news that @readerreported in another thread about international airlines returning 80% of their landing slots through March 2022 will make them realize not everyone is coming just to visit temples and spend their holiday money in high end shopping malls.  As you said "heard the message loud and clear".

[reader]

Richard Barrow has been invited by Tourism Ministry to test the reopening process at BKK.

https://www.getrevue.co/profile/richardbarrow/issues/reopening-of-thailand-dispatch-1-826907

 

[Patanawet]

8 hours ago, reader said:

Richard Barrow has been invited by Tourism Ministry to test the reopening process at BKK.

https://www.getrevue.co/profile/richardbarrow/issues/reopening-of-thailand-dispatch-1-826907

 

Please read Richard Barrow's newsletters!
He is the most knowledgeable writer on the situation here.
Only last week he spotted two errors on official CCSA infographics.

 

As to 'light at the end of the tunnel'  not till start of December for clubs and bars.😭

[Patanawet]

I have a premonition --- probably as wrong as all my previous ones --  that to save face the dictator at the end of this month, will declare restaurants will be able to serve alcohol from the 15th of November and then at the end of the month all will be open.

[daydreamer]

Photo from Richard Barrow's website showing passengers wearing raincoats and gloves as PPE at Suvarnabhumi Airport on October 26, 2021:

 

[spoon]

23 minutes ago, daydreamer said:

Photo from Richard Barrow's website showing passengers wearing raincoats and gloves as PPE at Suvarnabhumi Airport on October 26, 2021:

 

Omg, if i had to do this, if i were positive, i would probably be spreading more as i'll sweat profusely and those liquids will definitely pollute the surfaces there, helping the virus to spread. 

[Guest]

They have lost the plot.   The guy on the right of the picture appears to be wearing a surgical mask which doesn't fit properly.

He'd be much safer wearing an FFP3 mask and normal clothes. 

 

[reader]

From Bangkok Post

PM presses Asean to reopen

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged other Asean members to follow Thailand's footsteps and start reopening to revive economies in the region and ensure the tangible implementation of the bloc's response to Covid-19.

Gen Prayut addressed the issue via teleconference at the ongoing 38th and 39th Asean Summits, which are taking place online and opened under the chairmanship of Brunei on Tuesday.

"Asean should start reopening and allowing for safe travel to revive its economies," he said, adding that the Asean Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework should be put into practice, with mutual recognition of vaccines and vaccine certificates to facilitate business travel, and later tourism.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2204491/pm-presses-asean-to-reopen

 

 

[Lucky]

On 10/13/2021 at 5:10 AM, fedssocr said:

My guess is that airlines will be a bit cautious to see if Thailand really does open this time. The government keeps push the dates and even though the PM announced this, it hasn't been approved health officials yet. Fully vaccinated rates are still under 35%. Until more seats are added prices will be high. There's also a lot of pent up demand.

I've stayed at the Crowne Plaza several times. It's a nice hotel in a good location. The only drawback for me is the need to take 2 elevators whenever you come or go. One from the street to the lobby and then another from the lobby to your room and vice versa.

I stayed there when it opened as the Pan Pacific. The elevators were NOT air-conditioned!

[Lucky]

Reading these threads when Thailand might or might not open is dizzying! I only like to go to Thailand in the first two weeks of January, maybe late December. But it sounds as if even though the country might be open then, it could also be dead as tourism waits to ratchet up. Plus, if I go this season, @TotallyOz will not be there, having announced a holiday vacation some time ago.      

Does any one disagree? This could be a good time to go?         (Anywhere from December 20 to January12th.)       

[vaughn]

2 hours ago, Lucky said:

Reading these threads when Thailand might or might not open is dizzying! I only like to go to Thailand in the first two weeks of January, maybe late December. But it sounds as if even though the country might be open then, it could also be dead as tourism waits to ratchet up. Plus, if I go this season, @TotallyOz will not be there, having announced a holiday vacation some time ago.      

Does any one disagree? This could be a good time to go?         (Anywhere from December 20 to January12th.)       

It depends on so many unknowns at the moment, i'm planning for April because i can't risk getting stuck and living in Australia adds another level of unknown to the return.

If i could do Dec-Jan, i would wait until end of November to decide because right now they are trying to change the arrival process so the picture should be clearer by mid-late november.

[Boy69]

4 hours ago, Lucky said:

Reading these threads when Thailand might or might not open is dizzying! I only like to go to Thailand in the first two weeks of January, maybe late December. But it sounds as if even though the country might be open then, it could also be dead as tourism waits to ratchet up. Plus, if I go this season, @TotallyOz will not be there, having announced a holiday vacation some time ago.      

Does any one disagree? This could be a good time to go?         (Anywhere from December 20 to January12th.)       

Of course it's up to you to do whatever you want but I think it's too soon to know what to do .first ,the Thai Government policy is blurry and unpredictable. second ,even if the country will be full reopen many entertainment and tourism  venues went bankrupt and it will take long time to recover before Thailand will become what it was if at all . I personally prefer to hold on any decisions till further notice .

[Patanawet]

8 minutes ago, Boy69 said:

Thai Government policy is blurry and unpredictable. second ,even if the country will be full reopen many entertainment and tourism

Much more charitable than my description of  government policy.

Have a look a Richard Barrow's newsletters and posts on Facebook for the most reliable and up to date news (hours earlier than the Bangkok Post).

Last week he pointed out two errors on CCSA infographics!

[18past19]

I have a local friend just talk to Raya hotel regarding my booking. he was told that they have no clue about all of this and havent received any official notice from the government yet. 

😐

[Guest]

All the hotels which have been doing quarantine for over a year should be used to collecting passengers from the airport, booking covid test packages via partner hospitals and issuing the necessary confirmation of booking.

So in theory, it should not be difficult to delete a few steps from a known process.   As long as the new rules are clear. 

In practice, out of the 2 hotels I contacted, one knows nothing yet and the other hasn't replied.  

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, z909 said:

All the hotels which have been doing quarantine for over a year should be used to collecting passengers from the airport, booking covid test packages via partner hospitals and issuing the necessary confirmation of booking.

So in theory, it should not be difficult to delete a few steps from a known process.   As long as the new rules are clear. 

In practice, out of the 2 hotels I contacted, one knows nothing yet and the other hasn't replied.  

Why should they ? , opening is fron Nov 1 and we have only  Oct 26th, by mid Nov all should be bit clearer

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, vinapu said:

Why should they ? , opening is from Nov 1 and we have only  Oct 26th, by mid Nov all should be bit clearer

Well, I'm not blaming the hotels.     The late announcement of the scheme is more at fault.

The One Night Quarantine* option for people from the 46 countries is supposed to start on 1 November.  

Prior to that, the people on this scheme need to get a COE and to get the COE, among the documents needed will be a booking for the One Night Quarantine.  

So people who might be flying on Sunday ought to have already booked the SHA+ hotel for one night and applied for the COE.     

 

Obviously I'm planning to travel later, but it would be good if it was all up and running ready for the guinea pigs to prove it out next week.

 

(*   Officially this is described as "Quarantine Free", but as it appears we are confined to the hotel room, it is effectively "Quarantine Until Tested").

 

[Guest]

I've "booked" an "Alternative Local (No Quarantine) Quarantine" Hotel for my one (or two) night(s) Quarantine-Free Quarantine,  via Agoda.  

This has free cancellation, just in case.   Optionality is highly valued.

Useful resources:

Discussion:  https://aseannow.com/topic/1236530-1-night-aq-pricing-for-quarantine-free-entry/

Booking: https://asq.in.th/?durationSelectedItem=1+Day      [With reviews from inmates who have done time in quarantine]

Booking (Agoda): https://www.agoda.com/en-gb/search?guid=4256ee6f-d959-41bf-9937-7fded017a389&asq=null&city=9395&tick=637707903630&locale=en-us&ckuid=42127864-1b4b-47dc-b03b-0a581ccc581c&prid=0&currency=THB&correlationId=1ad1fc08-d50f-4b58-955e-7943a858fbaa&pageTypeId=103&realLanguageId=1&languageId=1&origin=TH&cid=1892419&userId=42127864-1b4b-47dc-b03b-0a581ccc581c&whitelabelid=1&loginLvl=0&storefrontId=3&currencyId=6&currencyCode=THB&htmlLanguage=en-us&cultureInfoName=en-us&memberId=53170623&machineName=sg-crweb-6020&trafficGroupId=1&sessionId=3ltpznrzp4c1iev5y4hb5s55&trafficSubGroupId=84&aid=130589&useFullPageLogin=true&cttp=4&isRealUser=true&mode=production&checkIn=2021-11-14&checkOut=2021-11-15&rooms=1&adults=1&children=0&priceCur=THB&los=1&textToSearch=Bangkok&travellerType=0&familyMode=off&productType=-1&sort=priceLowToHigh

 

Not that it's very relevant, since the entire planet is eligible for at least sandbox, but there are some much nicer 15 day quarantine suites available for (almost) similar money to that paid out for my quarantine room last year.

 

People writing in the "Aseannow" link say that Phuket and Ko Samui have decided not to participate in the "quarantine free" quarantine system, but stick with the sandbox.   I think these destinations might have to rethink, once customers vote with their feet.   

Admittedly there isn't a vast difference, but the sandbox has 2 chances to fail a covid test and get a "Go Directly to Hospital".  Who would do that whilst there is an alternative ?

 

 

[daydreamer]

From what I have read, both sandbox and quarantine free visitors must pass two tests in Thailand.  One test upon arrival, and another test after being in Thailand one week.  For the quarantine free visitors, the second test is an antigen test, while for the sandbox tourists, it is a second RT-PCR test.  This is from the Thai PBS article @readerposted a link to on another thread.  

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-main-airport-runs-tests-ahead-of-countrys-reopening-on-monday/

Quote

From Thai PBS World:

According to the Department of Consular Affairs, said arriving passengers are divided into those from 46 low-risk departure points, who need not be quarantined if they are fully inoculated with recognised vaccines, have produced a negative COVID-19 test result within the 72 hours before departure and have US$ 50,000 of health insurance coverage.

After passing RT-PCR tests upon arrival, they can travel anywhere in Thailand, but must download and install a tracking app and pass antigen tests at the end of their first week in Thailand.

The second group are passengers from other countries entering the 17 “sandbox” provinces for a minimum of 7 days without being quarantined at their hotels. They will be required to take an initial RT-PCR test at their hotel and a second on the 7th day of their stay.

 

[PeterRS]

On 10/25/2021 at 2:50 PM, macaroni21 said:

I won't underestimate the pushback from segments of the Thai elite who are embarrassed by the thought of Thailand as an entertainment destination. These folks may be living in cloud cuckoo land, but I have a met (and been alarmed by) a few who seriously want to shut down this side of the country's tourism sector. They genuinely think that the whole world values Thailand for its cultural attractions such as temples and elephant parks.

The government will have to navigate the demands from this group who (taking advantage of the Covid situation) want to use the opportunity to permanently re-orient the tourism sector - the same way we always have voices about making Pattaya a wholesome family destination. They may not succeed, but they're not giving up.

I had coffee with a former business colleague yesterday. She is on the fringe of the group @macaroni21 mentions and I'd call her medium-so rather than high-so. She is a well-travelled lady whose husband spent much of his working life in New York (her first husband died many years ago). I'd call her very open minded, but she detests the reputation Thailand has as the sex capital of Asia. She certainly does not believe for a minute that "temples and elephant parks" are what drives tourism. She does believe that Thailand competes with countries like Malaysia and the Philippines for family beach holidays. Since this is a gay chat room, I think we tend to forget that many millions of families do visit Thailand for that very reason.

I remember a week I spent at a 5-star hotel in Khao Lak about 7 years ago. I only went because a travel site had a 70% discount. I had forgotten that my week was the week after Easter. All the other guests bar a few Japanese were European families. An afternoon having a look at other up-market beach hotels showed a similar clientele. Tours to Phang-na, the Andaman Islands and others were fully booked. Khao Lak had no sex scene at that time (or I believe has at any time).

My Thai friend has known for years that I am gay. She fully understands that many capital cities in Asia have a thriving sex scene. What angers her is that in Thailand it is so "in your face" internationally, as it were. As a regular visitor to Tokyo she had no idea there is a thriving gay scene in Shinjuku, Ueno and elsewhere until I told her. Same with Taipei. But then few visitors to those cities know about their gay scenes because they are no understated.

[Boy69]

3 hours ago, PeterRS said:

I had coffee with a former business colleague yesterday. She is on the fringe of the group @macaroni21 mentions and I'd call her medium-so rather than high-so. She is a well-travelled lady whose husband spent much of his working life in New York (her first husband died many years ago). I'd call her very open minded, but she detests the reputation Thailand has as the sex capital of Asia. She certainly does not believe for a minute that "temples and elephant parks" are what drives tourism. She does believe that Thailand competes with countries like Malaysia and the Philippines for family beach holidays. Since this is a gay chat room, I think we tend to forget that many millions of families do visit Thailand for that very reason.

I remember a week I spent at a 5-star hotel in Khao Lak about 7 years ago. I only went because a travel site had a 70% discount. I had forgotten that my week was the week after Easter. All the other guests bar a few Japanese were European families. An afternoon having a look at other up-market beach hotels showed a similar clientele. Tours to Phang-na, the Andaman Islands and others were fully booked. Khao Lak had no sex scene at that time (or I believe has at any time).

My Thai friend has known for years that I am gay. She fully understands that many capital cities in Asia have a thriving sex scene. What angers her is that in Thailand it is so "in your face" internationally, as it were. As a regular visitor to Tokyo she had no idea there is a thriving gay scene in Shinjuku, Ueno and elsewhere until I told her. Same with Taipei. But then few visitors to those cities know about their gay scenes because they are no understated.

As you said Thailand is so "in your face" with the go go bars full of naked boys/girls , explicit fuck shows and foreign "daddies" and their much younger local guys/ girls escorts much more than other countries this is why Thailand earned its reputation as sex destination. many might see it in a bad light but not me this is what I liked about Thailand the liberal attitude about sex and the tolerance and acceptance of gays , Unfortunately @macaroni21 is right Thailand is changing more and more to Family friendly destination because  the conservative Thai elite feeling uncomfortable with the sex destination image of their country and are determined to change it especially with the  long closure of the entertainment venues many will go bankrupt and Thai elite won't shed a tear about it , I am afraid the post COVID-19 era Thailand won't be the same anymore and we will left with good memories of the old Thailand which gone forever .Sad.

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, Boy69 said:

I am afraid the post COVID-19 era Thailand won't be the same anymore and we will left with good memories of the old Thailand which gone forever .Sad.

It's why instead succumbing to  doom and gloom we should start plotting next trip to catch what is left. 

Bright sight is, with aging we may lose interest in debaucheries changing interest  to herbal remedies and new formulas of Preparation H so our Thai  problem may solve itself. 

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, vinapu said:

It's why instead succumbing to  doom and gloom we should start plotting next trip to catch what is left.

Agreed.  

Choose the best holiday option available in 2021 & enjoy it, as 2005 isn't coming back.  Compared with thousands of years of history, the choices in 2021 still look pretty good to me.