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New Special Tourist Visa: A drop in the ocean compared to 2019 as many retirees feel abandoned


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40 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

So...again for us old, retired folks...why can a student return to Thailand but a retiree can't? Please tell me the logic again. 

They will eventually.  You are not just front of the queue. Chill out.

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6 hours ago, Brunolem said:

 

 

And for the time being, Thailand is probably better off the way it is than, for example, emulating Australia's Victoria totalitarian nightmare...

The Australian situation was due to Am unplanned incident following poor judgement by an individual and arguably bad decisions surrounding the security at quarantine hotels.  it was not a consequence of any reopening plan so I don’t understand the relevance. It does show how easy one single error can result in a significant outbreak and widespread infection. I am sure even the experts in disease control are learning every day and rewriting the books and models. 

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I ask again , what is wrong with 800,00 baht a year ?

How many tourist drop 800,000 baht while they are here ?

How many Thais spend 800,000 a year ?

Forget all the ins and outs of who in Thailand gets the money, you will never control that  , just be satisfied 800k arrives and is spent , and next year  yet another 800,000 is SPENT !

Take the money !

Encourage the expats to stay on , and stop making they feel victimized ,  so they leave .

Once they leave , I doubt even a few  ever want to come back.

 

Its simple , the expats  are already here.

By all means , check their expenditures , you do that already.

So there's two 'alreadys'.

Take care of your existing 'customers' , and they will once again promote Thailand to their countrymen  as they once did , and all these ''schemes"  and expenditures  promoting them will not be necessary.

 

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I have a cunning plan. I don't even want credit for thinking it up, so any civil servant can pick it up and run with it.

 

Open the borders. Every person/family group entering is assigned a government assigned "minder" for ¿14? days to ensure/enforce compliance rules: minimum wage plus subsistence expenses and tips, chargeable to the "tourist". Substantial fines for delinquency, 80% to the minder. Draconian fines/jail to the minder for detected corruption.

 

Not too expensive, provides employment to the tourist industry, does not majorly impact on freedom of movement within the country. Much cheaper than ASQ, and allows use of any and all tourist infrastructure, within conditions.

 

This is not dissimilar to tourist arrangements in PRC, albeit for political reasons, when I visited some 40 years ago, day trip from HK. Only difference was, had to buy non-exchangeable currency. Bought $10 (US) spent $7, lost the rest, could hardly carry the goodies..........?

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5 hours ago, hansnl said:

On average bringing inti the country 50,000 Baht, per month that is.

If that would really be the average amount, retirees are spending per month: 

Then I would understand that Thai officials aren’t really keen to get these guys back.

 

... however, I assume, you are drastically underestimating the spending power of us retirees ...

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Just now, RetroGTAndrew said:

Yep, and the ~50% inflated flight prices plus circa ฿30K for 14 days full board at an ASQ Hotel......

 

Andrew

????????

Before you calculate only 30k THB for an ASQ Hotel, I would recommend to talk before to people, who where imprisoned in these cheap (and often not available) ASQ hotels ....

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1 minute ago, BernieOnTour said:

????????

Before you calculate only 30k THB for an ASQ Hotel, I would recommend to talk before to people, who where imprisoned in these cheap (and often not available) ASQ hotels ....

You're probably right!, That was however based on quick glance at a list of ASQ hotels reviewed.........

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6 hours ago, mlkik said:

As someone who has a non o retirement extention and visited my elderly Mother in the UK early March I have not been allowed to return.

...... 

Some people have said that this new tourist visa will be ideal for people like myself. I dissagree as I have an extention that is valid for another 4 months and a re entry permit. Why should I have to change this and apply for a tourist visa ?

...

 

I understand your anger at not wanting to pay for a new tourist visa.  But you speak of "change this ..." and I wonder if you think you'd have to somehow give up your retirement extension to get the new tourist visa?  I wouldn't have thought so.  I too have a retirement extension and I assumed that if I left Thailand I could return on the new tourist visa but still keep my extension in effect.  I didn't think they would revoke it.  Does anyone know?

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1 hour ago, davidmann said:

YES

Nonsense. If they want to get rid of retirees, all they would have to do is start refusing extensions. That's a bridge too far, even for this lot. The Thai wives and GF's of retirees would be raising hell on social media, they have enough problems as it is with young Thais.

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2 hours ago, connda said:

Another sage newbie with a couple of hundred posts telling those with a decade or more living experience in the LOS that "if you don't like it then don't let the door hit ya in the behind."  Sadly,  that sort of overused, worn-out cliche increasingly emanates from TV members who are not generally active on the forum and who seem to have just shown up to give the wasp nest a good whack or two. 
For what purpose?  Yeah well, there ya go.....

He's not wrong though is he?

Edited by thaigrifter
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9 hours ago, Berti said:

There are many tourism workers but they are still a minority.

The majority is still in panic when it comes to Corona.

 

We have to acknowledge that they are building up a quarantine industry to let in foreigners, but somehow I get the feeling they want to get rid of retirees.

 

Yes I'm an retiree but I support also my Thai GF and her children, I bring also the money to this country.

Perhaps more on an annual basis than tourists.

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10 minutes ago, TerraplaneGuy said:

I understand your anger at not wanting to pay for a new tourist visa.  But you speak of "change this ..." and I wonder if you think you'd have to somehow give up your retirement extension to get the new tourist visa?  I wouldn't have thought so.  I too have a retirement extension and I assumed that if I left Thailand I could return on the new tourist visa but still keep my extension in effect.  I didn't think they would revoke it.  Does anyone know?

If the extension expires before you have a chance to get back into Thailand to apply for a further extension, the only option is the new tourist visa.

I'm assuming if the extension has not expired, you are then able to renew it once you are in Thailand.

I could be wrong. It's all looking like the usual confusion to me.

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Yes, the government should consider people with extension to let them in soon.

But as I see there are still many Thais outside which are not allowed to come back yet, because there are not enough repatriate flights available.

So you can complain about government, but on the other side some other countries also have restrictions. And the Thai government of course want to help first the Thais, which is understandable. Even when I would be stuck outside not would like it.

 

And about let in all Tourists, we already see now with the actual setup there are always popping up some new cases of COVID affected persons who came back to Thailand (Thais and foreigners). 

 

What would be the best, as always is easy to complain but not easy to give a really better option. Everybody who is stuck outside tells, that they should be considered first. And i "guess" the retirement parts is a bigger parts, so better to let them wait else the Thais outside will have even more competition!

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47 minutes ago, TerraplaneGuy said:

I understand your anger at not wanting to pay for a new tourist visa.  But you speak of "change this ..." and I wonder if you think you'd have to somehow give up your retirement extension to get the new tourist visa?  I wouldn't have thought so.  I too have a retirement extension and I assumed that if I left Thailand I could return on the new tourist visa but still keep my extension in effect.  I didn't think they would revoke it.  Does anyone know?

I thought you could only have one active/valid visa at a time, not overlapping ones. 

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3 hours ago, flyfrog said:

And what about the stranded tourists here? They all have to leave on the 26th? Why don't they get any extension 90 days?? Can make some extra money with that no?

Sure they could. Maybe they could offer them 20 year Elite visas at double the price?

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10 hours ago, Pottinger said:

At last, a very concise and cogent critique of exactly how little difference present plans will make.

One thing for sure, it will make a huge difference to the ability of the country to get the economy back.  At least 90%+ of all folks like me who want to go back to their home in Thailand, will not, as long as these ridiculous requirements are in place.  I feel sorry for the middle and low income people of Thailand, they are dying a sudden death.

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1 hour ago, TerraplaneGuy said:

I understand your anger at not wanting to pay for a new tourist visa.  But you speak of "change this ..." and I wonder if you think you'd have to somehow give up your retirement extension to get the new tourist visa?  I wouldn't have thought so.  I too have a retirement extension and I assumed that if I left Thailand I could return on the new tourist visa but still keep my extension in effect.  I didn't think they would revoke it.  Does anyone know?

I have a multiple-entry OM visa and I left Thailand a couple of times. No problem coming back to Thailand.  But that was in pre-covid times. 

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9 hours ago, Enzian said:

I'll probably be able to renew my retirement status this December, but if at some point next year I'm faced with the choice of staying in-country indefinitely or leaving and staying out indefinitely or forever, I'll crack and leave. 

It looks increasingly like I will face the same dilemma early next year too, and I have a 15 month old daughter to care for. I will have to go to settle my pension claim I think, but it looks like it will be very difficult to return.

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IMO It's even more wrong to kick out the "stranded" tourists now, as they are already Covid-19 safe, and many wish to stay and spend money in the country, and they might benefit local turnover more than wealthy snowbirds. There might even be 15,000 of them already here,,,:whistling:

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