Thailand must welcome back Chinese tourists now says leading tourism chief

[norfolkc]

4 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Have you ever been to China? - Men and women spitting everywhere, and men peeing wherever they want... - Even if the Chinese did not release the virus on purpose, it can still have been released due to lax safety procedures and negligence.

Quite agree worked there many times hygiene not very high on the priority list that i ever saw 

[metisdead]

Posts with conspiracy theories and a conspiracy video have been removed. 

 

Some other troll posts and replies have been removed. 

[ROGER DUNN]

It’s nice to see ( not ) that Thailand is Welcoming the Quality Tourists back !!!!

[dallen52]

"We have always had a special relationship with the Chinese". 

 

(Tourist dollars)..????????

[Expat Tom]

These people are complete idiots!!!!!! Two points:

1) I talk to people in China EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK!!!! I have found no one who is leaving China anytime soon. They are not even traveling within China

2) Where do these idiots in BBK think the CCP Wuhan, China, Coronavirus came from?????? DUH ?! CHINA

Please do a nationwide survey (not just in Bangkok) and ask the Thai people if they want to people who gave the world the Asian Flu (1957), the Hong kong flu (1958) SARS, the Avian Flu, the Swine Flu and now the CCP Wuhan Coronavirus to come back to Thailand. Their per capita spending is low. Their Bio-load on the infrastructure is high, The people advocating for the good old days of roads clogged with tour busses full of Chinese who paid for 95% of their trip in CHINA must be on the payroll of CHINA. All of ASEAN is lining up to confront Chinese aggression in the region and Thailand wants them back???? Exactly WHY?  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ in someone's pocket.

[laocowboy2]

5 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I posted this in another thread, but i think it is relevant to this discussion as well. BTW, a better statement from the tourism guy is to let long-term people in rather than a country-specific group.

 

I think it is time for Thailand to re-evaluate its Virus Response policy.

 

Thailand has been following a 'Zero-Tolerance' policy, but I think it is time to move to a 'Managed-Tolerance' policy. I make this suggestion based mainly on two factors; I think it is inevitable that the virus will return to Thailand and a calm, managed response is more effective than hysteria. Secondly, the economic damage being done to millions is more harmful than the virus itself and needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

 

We recently saw new cases in Vietnam, and I think that we are going to see new cases in Thailand soon; like most people I take the government's claim of zero cases with a grain of salt, although it seems like they have done a very good job overall. However, I don't think it can last. A better policy is to prepare, both medically and in terms of public opinion/education, for the return of the virus. Is this a radical idea? No, not really. Members will recall the phrase "flatten the curve", but perhaps a reminder is needed that the idea is to manage the virus so that the health system isn't overwhelmed; a policy of Zero Tolerance is incompatible with an open society and/or open economy. It is time to re-enforce the precautions needed, but also to allow for an economic re-start which includes outsiders/foreigners. A final point; humanity's best minds and a boat-load of resources are being thrown at the problem. This global effort, propelled by the power of competition, is expected to produce a vaccine either this year or early next year while treatments are being developed and refined daily; we as a species are going to beat this scourge, and relatively soon.

 

The economic damage being done to Thailand is immense. Yes, I know that we don't hear about it too much, but there is a reason for that. The people talking in the (not quite free) Media are almost all in a 'Virus-Proof' economic situation; they aren't directly affected so they don't feel the urgency of fixing the problem. Firm numbers are difficult to come by, but it seems around 6-9 million Thais are very badly hurt by the economic fall-out of the virus, and those people need to be both helped and heard. The damage done to these people is egregious and growing worse; some government support is being withdrawn, the option of 'Go Back to the Farm' isn't really possible anymore (and not a great idea regardless), and they will soon need more food and rent support to survive. Further, many aren't well-educated and don't have transferable skills, so their options are limited. Finally, even before Covid-19, their economic situation was in decline; it is in free-fall now and they can't be ignored. Simply put, plans for their economic regeneration must to be formulated now and implemented soon.

 

When people are hungry, all bets are off.

 

How to proceed?

 

It is the beginning of August; continue/speed up the current repatriation policy 'as is', but ramp up the public education aspect of change. Announce that by October 1st (perhaps Nov. 1st?) that the airspace around Thailand will be open to commercial air travel, long-term tourists (Snow-Birds who 'winter' here), remaining residents and retirees will be allowed to return with a few restrictions (test before boarding or on arrival, reasonable insurance, self-isolation at home on arrival, etc. BUT no mandatory state quarantine), implement common sense visa issuance (sorry Floridians and Texans!) and most of all prepare the Thai people for the idea that although there will be cases of the virus, they will be managed, and the benefits of re-opening are a risk worth taking. Yes, the end of mandatory state quarantine is essential if this is going to work; I believe that the long-term visitors will respect the self-isolation policy and Thailand's million strong public health volunteers can monitor them, but they won't come if they are going to be locked up. Moreover, the selection of the residents/retirees and 'Snow-Birds' as an initial group isn't accidental; these people already know the Kingdom and understand life within it, are good 'testers' of a new system, have a lot of money to spend, and can be excellent examples of a working policy of re-opening. Finally, allowing these kinds of visitors would build confidence, test whether short-term tourists could actually visit (I think not yet, but...), and help protect the tourism infrastructure from further and/or irreparable damage.

 

There are those who will argue that it is better to keep the borders closed and wait this out, and I honestly have trouble arguing against that idea (I don't want to catch the <deleted> thing). However, those who make that point rarely take the next step; what do you do with the 6-9 million people damaged by the current policy? Will those that advocate for closed borders take in homeless people? If so, how many? One family? Two families? Three? Will those that advocate for closed borders give up a percentage of their salaries/pensions to help? If so, how much? 25%? 35%? 45%? Will those that advocate for closed borders pay school fees and related costs for all the children of unemployed/underemployed parents? How many kids? One? Five? Twenty? The question isn't merely an intellectual exercise, it has real-world implications and consequences. 

 

If you want those 6-9 million people to sacrifice for you, what are you going to sacrifice for them?

 

To sum up, I think that the question of whether or not to keep the border closed is incomplete. The question should be: if you keep the border closed, then what will you do for the 6-9 million people economically-eviscerated by the response to the virus? Opening the Kingdom to visitors in November for the high season would likely see a few cases of the virus, but the Thai medical system can handle that (it did before, right?) until a vaccine is widely available. It would begin the process of re-starting the tourism industry in Thailand (20% of GDP!!!), begin the process of building trust again, re-start the employment of huge numbers, give Thailand a 'leg up' on future tourism business in the region, and alleviate some of the damage done to the poorest in the Kingdom. The alternative is a policy of rot, idleness, atrophy and decline with an indefinite timeline. 

 

History is replete with examples of people hiding behind walls for protection, but it rarely ever works (especially against something the size of a virus); see the 'Maginot Line', the Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall, and more. History shows that a combination of pro-active tactics coupled with reasonable, layered defenses provides a better outcome to almost any problem.

 

Thank you for that - I hope you do not mind but I copied it to post elsewhere as it is the most sensible piece I have seen in a while - thoughtful and not a whinge in sight.

[gvrixtel]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand must welcome back Chinese tourists now says leading tourism chief

My mother used to say humans only "must" do 2 things; have a <deleted> (defecate in case the original verb I used gets deleted) and, one day, die.

Everything else is optional.

 

A typical case of betting on one horse, and in this case the horse is already cripple.

Edited August 3, 2020 by gvrixtel

[natway09]

This guy has stated the obvious.

Everything he has said we all know already.

Bringing it to fruition is just a little more complex at this time & with these comments made should be kept well away from the decision making process as not sure he has the ability to understand the reality of this very delicate balancing act.

Thailand is not special,,,,,, dozens of countries heavily dependent on tourism are in the same quandry

[brianbbb]

Don't know that's were the virus came from 

[Jack Cook]

Taking Thai time and common sense into account, it is senseless to think that much will happen before 2021. I know a lot of expats are desperate to get back, but certainly wouldn't put myself through the stress of trying to jump through never ending hoops and endless changes to rules that were vague enough in the first pace. As far as tourism is concerned forget it, it will never be even close to what it was again. Too little too late.

 

[thairookie]

One sixth of China is now submerged in water, and more to come when the three gorges dam finally give way.  It's not just Yangtze, but Yellow River will overflow soon.  The locusts have crossed Tibet and are into mainland.  The crops will be eaten up by the billions of locusts and by end of the year China will be begging for food.  There are a few aircraft carriers patrolling the South China Sea and even the Japanese have been given permission to convert the helicopter carrier to aircraft carrier for F35 fleet.

 

Thailand needs to wake up to a new world order, and not be lazy to simply feed on the RMB.

[Keesters]

Let some other countries test out the Chinese first. Don't let Thailand be the Guinea pig. 

 

P. S. 

By the look of the fella he could easily be a CCP member. 

[dallen52]

They (collectively) still don't get it.!!

 

Chinese are seen as the world bad guys..

Rightly or wrongly. 

And for a good time to come.

But the Thai almighty want their tourism and dollars.

 

The world is also looking at the loss of compassion shown by "Thailand" to the 10s of thousands of people who they were happy to have taking care of the partners and families and 

Millions of baht paid annually in support and services. 

But they are currently not mentioned, or even allowed back in...

But sadly, the Chinese tourists and revenue take centre stage again...

[ukrules]

6 hours ago, anchadian said:

If and when the Chinese do come flooding back, will they be required to undergo a 14 day quarantine at their own expense?

 

No, I didn't think so.

They're also not getting back into China without an expensive quarantine based on what I've heard.

 

[Kaopad999]

A quick search shows that Surawat Akaraworamat is a managing director of two tour companies....

What a Surprise! 

[DefaultName]

He seems to be perfectly happy to trade Thai lives for Chinese money.

 

I want to see tourists back too - though I could do without the rude, dirty, Chinese - but not while the virus is still running rampant over the world.  Vaccine first, then tourists please.

Edited August 3, 2020 by DefaultName

[ifmu]

6 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

snip

 

I think it is time for Thailand to re-evaluate its Virus Response policy.

 

Thailand has been following a 'Zero-Tolerance' policy, but I think it is time to move to a 'Managed-Tolerance' policy. I make this suggestion based mainly on two factors; I think it is inevitable that the virus will return to Thailand and a calm, managed response is more effective than hysteria. Secondly, the economic damage being done to millions is more harmful than the virus itself and needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

 

How to proceed?

snip 

snip   plenty of answers

 

 

 

so your solution is to let them die  .. ?   ... in favor of economy ?  
pick one of your family to die and see if u agree then 
i hate this trump virus thinking .. 

[John CS]

5 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I posted this in another thread, but i think it is relevant to this discussion as well. BTW, a better statement from the tourism guy is to let long-term people in rather than a country-specific group.

 

I think it is time for Thailand to re-evaluate its Virus Response policy.

 

Thailand has been following a 'Zero-Tolerance' policy, but I think it is time to move to a 'Managed-Tolerance' policy. I make this suggestion based mainly on two factors; I think it is inevitable that the virus will return to Thailand and a calm, managed response is more effective than hysteria. Secondly, the economic damage being done to millions is more harmful than the virus itself and needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

 

We recently saw new cases in Vietnam, and I think that we are going to see new cases in Thailand soon; like most people I take the government's claim of zero cases with a grain of salt, although it seems like they have done a very good job overall. However, I don't think it can last. A better policy is to prepare, both medically and in terms of public opinion/education, for the return of the virus. Is this a radical idea? No, not really. Members will recall the phrase "flatten the curve", but perhaps a reminder is needed that the idea is to manage the virus so that the health system isn't overwhelmed; a policy of Zero Tolerance is incompatible with an open society and/or open economy. It is time to re-enforce the precautions needed, but also to allow for an economic re-start which includes outsiders/foreigners. A final point; humanity's best minds and a boat-load of resources are being thrown at the problem. This global effort, propelled by the power of competition, is expected to produce a vaccine either this year or early next year while treatments are being developed and refined daily; we as a species are going to beat this scourge, and relatively soon.

 

The economic damage being done to Thailand is immense. Yes, I know that we don't hear about it too much, but there is a reason for that. The people talking in the (not quite free) Media are almost all in a 'Virus-Proof' economic situation; they aren't directly affected so they don't feel the urgency of fixing the problem. Firm numbers are difficult to come by, but it seems around 6-9 million Thais are very badly hurt by the economic fall-out of the virus, and those people need to be both helped and heard. The damage done to these people is egregious and growing worse; some government support is being withdrawn, the option of 'Go Back to the Farm' isn't really possible anymore (and not a great idea regardless), and they will soon need more food and rent support to survive. Further, many aren't well-educated and don't have transferable skills, so their options are limited. Finally, even before Covid-19, their economic situation was in decline; it is in free-fall now and they can't be ignored. Simply put, plans for their economic regeneration must to be formulated now and implemented soon.

 

When people are hungry, all bets are off.

 

How to proceed?

 

It is the beginning of August; continue/speed up the current repatriation policy 'as is', but ramp up the public education aspect of change. Announce that by October 1st (perhaps Nov. 1st?) that the airspace around Thailand will be open to commercial air travel, long-term tourists (Snow-Birds who 'winter' here), remaining residents and retirees will be allowed to return with a few restrictions (test before boarding or on arrival, reasonable insurance, self-isolation at home on arrival, etc. BUT no mandatory state quarantine), implement common sense visa issuance (sorry Floridians and Texans!) and most of all prepare the Thai people for the idea that although there will be cases of the virus, they will be managed, and the benefits of re-opening are a risk worth taking. Yes, the end of mandatory state quarantine is essential if this is going to work; I believe that the long-term visitors will respect the self-isolation policy and Thailand's million strong public health volunteers can monitor them, but they won't come if they are going to be locked up. Moreover, the selection of the residents/retirees and 'Snow-Birds' as an initial group isn't accidental; these people already know the Kingdom and understand life within it, are good 'testers' of a new system, have a lot of money to spend, and can be excellent examples of a working policy of re-opening. Finally, allowing these kinds of visitors would build confidence, test whether short-term tourists could actually visit (I think not yet, but...), and help protect the tourism infrastructure from further and/or irreparable damage.

 

There are those who will argue that it is better to keep the borders closed and wait this out, and I honestly have trouble arguing against that idea (I don't want to catch the <deleted> thing). However, those who make that point rarely take the next step; what do you do with the 6-9 million people damaged by the current policy? Will those that advocate for closed borders take in homeless people? If so, how many? One family? Two families? Three? Will those that advocate for closed borders give up a percentage of their salaries/pensions to help? If so, how much? 25%? 35%? 45%? Will those that advocate for closed borders pay school fees and related costs for all the children of unemployed/underemployed parents? How many kids? One? Five? Twenty? The question isn't merely an intellectual exercise, it has real-world implications and consequences. 

 

If you want those 6-9 million people to sacrifice for you, what are you going to sacrifice for them?

 

To sum up, I think that the question of whether or not to keep the border closed is incomplete. The question should be: if you keep the border closed, then what will you do for the 6-9 million people economically-eviscerated by the response to the virus? Opening the Kingdom to visitors in November for the high season would likely see a few cases of the virus, but the Thai medical system can handle that (it did before, right?) until a vaccine is widely available. It would begin the process of re-starting the tourism industry in Thailand (20% of GDP!!!), begin the process of building trust again, re-start the employment of huge numbers, give Thailand a 'leg up' on future tourism business in the region, and alleviate some of the damage done to the poorest in the Kingdom. The alternative is a policy of rot, idleness, atrophy and decline with an indefinite timeline. 

 

History is replete with examples of people hiding behind walls for protection, but it rarely ever works (especially against something the size of a virus); see the 'Maginot Line', the Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall, and more. History shows that a combination of pro-active tactics coupled with reasonable, layered defenses provides a better outcome to almost any problem.

 

Wow a lot of reasonably put points, but you may find that the ' virus ' perception will change at some time just before or after the US elections, and that the so called social measures never impacted the spread of said virus of which is in reality a relatively benign virus that can be successfully treated with well established medicine, &  the  institutions that have driven this Global response, hopefully will be defunded, deconstructed or reformed, crimes against humanity be brought against them and we all try and overcome this and learn from it.

[LeoCesar]

Better keep China out Period.

They are a very evil people, if we even can call them people...

[Mavideol]

6 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

We recently saw new cases in Vietnam,

so much so the government moved 800K people out of Da Nang area, they started with 80K in the city itself but later removed all the surrounding areas as well, do we want that in Thailand? sure, so let's bring the Chinese on and prepare the hospitals

[mrfill]

23 minutes ago, gvrixtel said:

My mother used to say humans only "must" do 2 things; have a <deleted> (defecate in case the original verb I used gets deleted) and, one day, die.

Everything else is optional.

 

A typical case of betting on one horse, and in this case the horse is already cripple.

It was explained to my by a very good Thai friend as  eat, sleep, sh*t, kcuf

Edited August 3, 2020 by mrfill

[dallen52]

5 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Perhaps they'll start with "quarantene islands" at some point, Samui, Phuket? Obviously not as safe as SQ/ASQ, but with strict social distancing, test before departure and on arrival etc, it could be the next step. 

They have a captive audience waiting in the thousands of people like myself who are in relationship with a Thai partner still waiting for the relaxing of restrictions so we can get back together. 

I retired to Thailand. 

But found myself in the wrong place and country when the borders were closed.

Just like thousands of other people. 

No risk at all to anyone. 

[Steven77110]

Are you serious letting the Chinese back in first when it was them who started this pandemic and kept quiet about it... seems the Thai Government is more interested in the money 

[Mavideol]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

The pandemic has left the Chinese largely friendless

before the pandemic they didn't have many friends either..... Chinese buy their friendship, like in South America, they just send in 300 million loans to some countries to cover/protect for the "Chinese Virus" they did similar to some African countries,  first they send the virus and later they offer loans to fight such virus, great strategy

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

"China is in trouble," he said. "No one wants Chinese tourists but we (in Thailand) should welcome them back. We have always had a special relationship with the Chinese". 

China is in trouble ha ha ha ha.... BS

Thailand is in trouble and is desperate for tourism to restart, because over decades they have molded certain areas into tourism only districts.

China just happens to be the nearest mass market, and Thailand is all about mass tourism instead of changing the landscape and attracting high end punters, that can be sustainable.

[ukdave51]

A nice way of thanking them for starting a global pandemic, there`s gratitude for you. 

[Havefunme]

Sounds like its about kick backs 

[randy723]

 

Yes China has no friends because they tried to speed the covid-19 across the world so they could be the number one country in the world and they did not care about killing millions of people,. Now you want to let them back in so they can wipe out Thailand. Stop thinking of your pocket and think about the Thai that Love and have lived here for 15 years, but as soon as they come back me and all my friend and Thai family are out of here for good. 

If you welcome China  say good bye the a healthy Thailand

[randy723]

if you let them in i hope that you are the first one they give the covid-19 to 

Yes China has no friends because they tried to speed the covid-19 across the world so they could be the number one country in the world and they did not care about killing millions of people,. Now you want to let them back in so they can wipe out Thailand. Stop thinking of your pocket and think about the Thai that Love and have lived here for 15 years, but as soon as they come back me and all my friend and Thai family are out of here for good. 

If you welcome China  say good bye the a healthy Thailand

[tifino]

well... to make them really welcome - is to make them feel at home...

 

so...

 - put them under Curfews, Room Lockdowns;

 - & make them have to do ongoing repetitive Applications for Permits to travel... even down to the beach ( because they might naturally want to defect to the ocean)