Opening Thailand to tourism: STV arrivals delayed until 25 Oct - after Vegetarian Festival

[webfact]

Opening Thailand to tourism: STV arrivals delayed until 25 Oct - after  Vegetarian Festival

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Thailand's security chief has said that there will be a further delay to opening up the country under the STV or special tourist visa. 

 

Now it will be delayed because of the Vegetarian Festival to be held in Phuket from 16th to 25th October. 

 

STV is on hold at least until after that. 

 

This may come as a blow to the TAT chief and Thailand's tourism minister who have promoted the STV and would have known about the upcoming festival. 

 

Secretary of the National Security Council Natthaphol Natphanich said that lots of Thai tourists would be visiting the province for the annual festival and they would be put off by foreigners coming. 

 

There are fears among Thais that coronavirus will come with the foreigners. 

 

So not wishing to alienate Thais he has said that the STV plan will be off until after 25th October. 

 

A first flight was due to come today from Guangzhou, China with 150 tourists, notes Thaivisa. There was also a plan for seven millionaire businessmen to visit. These are now clearly on hold.  

 

Regarding other businessmen and the length of quarantine Natthaphol told the media that further discussions would be taking place in the cabinet. He suggested a US model might be adopted though made no promise about a reduction in quarantine. 

 

Other media sources are suggesting that the Thai Public Health Department are going to recommend to the CCSA for a reduction in quarantine for tourists to 10 days from 14. 

 

Regarding Thailand's porous borders and the need to stop the spread of Covid-19 he said incursions from Myanmar have been lessened but are still high. 

 

He expressed "confidence" that Thailand would not have a second wave and would only have a few isolated cases. 

 

The "Tessagan Gin Je" festival is held annually and draws big events especially in Bangkok and Phuket, notes Thaivisa. Though known as a vegetarian festival, vegan might be more accurate. Many Thais adjust their eating habits for two weeks and attend events.

 

The Thai authorities would have been aware for months of the dates of this festival and its likely implications on the arrival of foreign tourists. 

 

Tourism minister Pitak Ratchakitprakarn and TAT chief Suphasorn Yutthasak have been leading voices for the STV.

 

Tourists under STV must gather a mountain of paperwork and quarantine at expensive state facilities for 14 days before they have a chance for further tests before travelling more widely. 

 

Source: Daily News

 

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[aussiexpat]

For them to be worried proves that the 150 chinese businessmen were never going into 14 day mandatory quarantine.

 

Otherwise paranoia in the extreme as first negative test required 3 days before quarantine, so 17 days in total but still not allowed out to mingle with locals.

 

What a farce

Edited October 8, 2020 by aussiexpat

[RotBenz8888]

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

Now it will be delayed because of the Vegetarian Festival

These pea brained people are full off beans. 

[2 is 1]

50 minutes ago, webfact said:

Now it will be delayed because of the Vegetarian Festival to be held in Phuket from 16th to 25th October.

Good to get some reason!

 

[djayz]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

lots of Thai tourists would be visiting the province for the annual festival and they would be put off by foreigners coming. 

I have the sneaking suspicion that they'll enjoy visiting the entire Kingdom for quite some time to come free of those pesky, double paying foreigners. 

 

[finnsk]

 

They need more time to get the expected bookings.

[Rancid]

Hmm, assuming these Chinese tourists are actually locked up for 2 weeks what difference does it make what festival is going on outside.

[Grumpy John]

1200 a month was the target.  Was that a CBF?   If you don't know what a CBF is it's a Chrystal Ball Forecast. Most commonly used for TAT forecasts regarding tourist numbers.

[pantsonfire]

Just making up excuses.   It was never open. How can they not no about the festival?  Its not like a sudden event.  Its just an excuse to say they done work but actually never applied the stv to allow tourists in.  Pathetic lying government as usual.  Tired of reading pointless hope of borders opening. The fact is it wont and every little hope they are giving is just making me look like fools.  

 

 

[ukrules]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Now it will be delayed because of the Vegetarian Festival

If ever I heard a lie - that's it

[charmonman]

I don't suppose they'll offer refunds to all they people they've just screwed over. This is incompetence and stupidity beyond belief. Not to mention borderline fraud.

I should be happy that the Thai Long Stay Company never even acknowledged my email. Maybe I didn't sound gullible enough to be conned.

[paulbrow]

Wouldn't all the "Tourists" be in quarantine until the last day of the festival? So whats the problem?

[Cake Monster]

4 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

1200 a month was the target.  Was that a CBF?   If you don't know what a CBF is it's a Chrystal Ball Forecast. Most commonly used for TAT forecasts regarding tourist numbers.

I thought that CBF stood for

Constant Brain Fart

[ourmanflint]

22 minutes ago, charmonman said:

I don't suppose they'll offer refunds to all they people they've just screwed over. This is incompetence and stupidity beyond belief. Not to mention borderline fraud.

I should be happy that the Thai Long Stay Company never even acknowledged my email. Maybe I didn't sound gullible enough to be conned.

"The government will not offer them any refunds for flights, accommodation, insurance, and other fees they already paid for the Special Tourist Visas, or STV, since the delay is not officially considered as a cancellation of the policy. 

“It’s part of the conditions of the STV that they had to pay first,” Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn said by phone. “So, there’s no need for those refunds, because their trip is not cancelled, it’s just delayed.” " Khaosod

[Burma Bill]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Now it will be delayed because of the Vegetarian Festival

Ah! Now I may know why - "eat as much as you can" prawn buffets banned?????

[stouricks]

5 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

1200 a month was the target.  Was that a CBF?   If you don't know what a CBF is it's a Chrystal Ball Forecast. Most commonly used for TAT forecasts regarding tourist numbers.

Two TLA s in this post!

[thaibestlover]

Because there are not many who want STV. All friends telling me they wouldn't go in quarantine. Me neither.

 

So, stop the quarantine and I am back and many more also.

 

Also, covid19 is mainly a deadly desease for the older ones.

 

Thai officials are really feared to much of such covid19, but up them.

 

More than 99 percent recover from covid, they couldnt smell or taste for a while and some cough. Bam, that was all after around 10 days. 

Edited October 8, 2020 by thaibestlover

[samsensam]

6 hours ago, Rancid said:

Hmm, assuming these Chinese tourists are actually locked up for 2 weeks what difference does it make what festival is going on outside.

 

now, now, you're applying logic, common sense and reality to the situation, that's simply not acceptable.

[SpanishExpat]

Funny to see again how Thai officials look for crazy excuses in order to save their faces. Lucky them that there's that festival at the right time:)

This is all about something deeper, political. Chinese can de facto NOT travel outside of China now, so I guess the Chinese government intervened in some way. If that happened to those few very privileged business people, one just can guess how super far China is from allowing "Normal" people to travel abroad. My guess is that the status quo for the Chinese won`t be lifted before the Chinese NY 2021.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

2 hours ago, charmonman said:

I don't suppose they'll offer refunds to all they people they've just screwed over. This is incompetence and stupidity beyond belief. Not to mention borderline fraud.

I should be happy that the Thai Long Stay Company never even acknowledged my email. Maybe I didn't sound gullible enough to be conned.

"The first group of 300 (or only 150?) Chinese tourists and businessmen from Guangzhou, scheduled to arrive on the southern island today, will not permitted to travel. It’s been reported in Khaosod English that the Thai government won’t offer them refunds for accommodation, insurance, flights, along with any other costs they had incurred so far to obtain their STVs"

[mickymouse1]

So the 150 so called (GENUINE) CHINESE TOURISTS will have to change their plans  and maybe go back to work till Thailand tell them to get ready to fly? 5555????????

Or is it really a scam? 

What about the Flowers and Fruit festivals? They are coming soon 5555.

How such festival affects the 150 individuals who were going to stay indoors for 2 weeks?????????????????

[Enoon]

2 hours ago, charmonman said:

I don't suppose they'll offer refunds to all they people they've just screwed over. This is incompetence and stupidity beyond belief. Not to mention borderline fraud.

I should be happy that the Thai Long Stay Company never even acknowledged my email. Maybe I didn't sound gullible enough to be conned.

 

I doubt that anyone was screwed over.

 

I suspect the flight and luxury detention cells were made available, and they expected to have them fully booked by the great day of the arrival.

 

But nobody booked.

 

 

Edited October 8, 2020 by Enoon

[Ketyo]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Opening Thailand to tourism: STV arrivals delayed until 25 Oct - after  Vegetarian Festival

Wow! Putting tourism on hold because of the Vegetarian festival. But the Chinese tourists are going to be locked in a room for two weeks. Tested multiple times. And will be cleared by the time they are released from quarantine. What are they scared of?

[pantsonfire]

All of this was a scam.  Too little shown interest and typical Thai finding excuses. 

They are too arrogant to reduce the rules and so they rather just wait until a vaccine is available.  They feel they are in a good position and they dont care about the poor.  

 

 

[sammieuk1]

9 hours ago, Rancid said:

Hmm, assuming these Chinese tourists are actually locked up for 2 weeks what difference does it make what festival is going on outside.

They are all cannibals ???? 

[sammieuk1]

Dirty foreigners money is expendable and we like seeing them dancing to our bizarre tune by the look of this ????

[charmonman]

11 hours ago, charmonman said:

I don't suppose they'll offer refunds to all they people they've just screwed over. This is incompetence and stupidity beyond belief. Not to mention borderline fraud.

I should be happy that the Thai Long Stay Company never even acknowledged my email. Maybe I didn't sound gullible enough to be conned.

Well it looks like they did reply to me but Yahoo Mail is such a great service that they actually classify direct replies to your own emails as spam! My apologies to the Thai Long Stay Company but I still think this whole STV thing is a scam.

[junker32]

is one more fortune teller , too difficult to understand no one come in thailand till this policies no will be cancel? covid its no a business nobody bring the family here for stay 14 days in quarantine in gestapo mode, or 100.000 usd for insurance   

[Ganesh108]

As there will be no refund in case of cancellation, embassies should caution their citizens not to buy into the STV scheme.

 

The behavior of the scheme's organizers is shameless beyond belief.

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by Ganesh108

[MRToMRT]

Seems the real reason for the dely is that MFA has failed to issue clearances to any STV applicants and only 48 Elite applicants as of yesterday.

 

Thats being reported in this morning's media.