STV: Worldwide interest is low - and few Elite Card holders keen to return

[webfact]

STV: Worldwide interest is low - and few Elite Card holders keen to return

 

File photo for reference only

 

Claims made by the Thai tourism authorities that foreigners are queuing up to enter Thailand appear to be very wide of the mark.

 

Only about 1,600 people worldwide have applied to the Special Tourist Visa (STV) and only a fraction of the 7,000 Elite Card holders still abroad are interested in entering Thailand, Thai media has reported. 

 

Thaivisa notes that this may be a mixture of not wanting to go through the onerous hoops placed in their way by the STV requirements, as well as a general reluctance to travel as the pandemic still grips the world.

 

RYT9 said in its headline that 2,000 want to visit Thailand and quoted DPM Suphattanapong Phanmeechao for the details.

 

He said that just 1,615 people worldwide had signalled their intention to use the STV to visit Thailand. 

 

Of these, 924 were from east Asia, 229 from ASEAN/South Asia/Pacific and 462 from Europe. 

 

In addition 500 from Europe/Africa/Middle East had asked for more details about the STV.

 

Only 69 people in the Americas had inquired, he said.

 

Of the 7,000 Elite Card holders abroad only 448 have expressed an interest in returning to Thailand under the ‘Thailand Elite Member Quarantine’ scheme.

 

Only 304 have been given the green light and even less - just 49 - have got the necessary paperwork together.

 

Thailand’s tourism minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn and TAT chief Yutthasak Suphasorn have been actively promoting the STV.

 

In recent weeks, Yutthasak had said the TAT office in London had been swamped with interest. 

 

But now figures appear to reveal that the expected widespread interest in the STV program has not been forthcoming. 

 

The news comes as the first tourists to Thailand using the STV were expected to arrive today (8 Oct). 

 

However, the whole program has been thrown in to chaos following the announcement that arrival of STV tourists would now be delayed until after 25 October, with the announcement being made just hours before the tourists were due to land in Thailand. 

 

Source: RYT9

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-10-08

 

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[DrTuner]

A blinding success then. Bonuses all around.

[Kadilo]

It’s good that there are actual numbers reported to offset all the spin that has been constantly churned out. 

 

The ridiculously low number of Elite members (448/7,000) showing an interest in returning tells its own story. People are not willing to be caged up as part of their holidays. 

 

The STV is a non starter. Literally, as they can’t even agree on a launch date.  Now even a Vegan festival has delayed it. Yeah righto........
 

Gonna be some monumental face saving exercise now to spin this one into a positive story. 
 

 

Edited October 8, 2020 by Kadilo

[Forza2002]

Somebody is going to have egg on their face, not naming anybody.... Thais and their pathetic loss of face, som nam naa...

[RotBenz8888]

11 minutes ago, webfact said:

But now figures appear to reveal that the expected widespread interest in the STV program has not been forthcoming. 

 

Poor TAT, still stuck in the fantasy world.... 

[Mavideol]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

STV: Worldwide interest is low - and few Elite Card holders keen to return

voohwww what a surprise, everybody here at TV has been saying that since they came up with such a "fantastic" idea. another TAT  fiasco/failure  555

[jollyhangmon]

 

... yup, exactly as expected by anyone halfway realistic ... just the usual suspects aka. folks locked out but with family or investments here, 'captive audience' in other words.

[finnsk]

And the few western people, who is interested in the STV, I think, is desperate people who are outside and have their family/loved inside Thailand.

 

I think there is cloce to zero western tourist interrest in the STV crazyness.

 

The snowbird is flying other ways, where there is no STV.

[Jack Mountain]

Uncertain times, not easy to go somewhere and if you can, can you go back?

[86Tiger]

That number of travelers will not save one hotel.

[mlkik]

Let people with valid Non - O extensions and re-entry permits paid for in good faith return !

No way would I contemplate this absurd STV.

[Pottinger]

Well, this catastrophic loss of face will simply have to be denied, obfuscated and swept under the world's largest carpet until forgotten.

Edited October 8, 2020 by Pottinger

[tomacht8]

A C19 test before departure, a C19 test after arrival and quarantine at home would make the whole thing easier. The sparked paperwork and the bureaucratic monster created, definitely do not bring any tourist numbers that would be necessary to revive the sector. 

In other words: a flop

[Kadilo]

2 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

A C19 test before departure, a C19 test after arrival and quarantine at home would make the whole thing easier. The sparked paperwork and the bureaucratic monster created, definitely do not bring any tourist numbers that would be necessary to revive the sector. 

In other words: a flop

That would work for those who are staying in Thailand and want to return home but does not address the tourist who may want to come for a holiday. 
 

They probably want to cage up the visitors in a hotel as they have no other system of checking them on a regular basis and they won’t trust anyone to quarantine at home such is their deep rooted paranoia. 

[mlkik]

23 minutes ago, jollyhangmon said:

 

... yup, exactly as expected by anyone halfway realistic ... just the usual suspects aka. folks locked out but with family or investments here, 'captive audience' in other words.

I have a relationship,car and a home in Thailand and have a Non - O based retirement extension and can not return.

I am not part of the captive audience. I am not interested in this ridiculous visa !

[Xaos]

"as well as a general reluctance to travel as the pandemic still grips the world." 

 

Nope they travel to places in europe or latin america without visas or tracking and expensive quarantines 

[Misterwhisper]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

STV: Worldwide interest is low

How ironic... because this statement directly contradicts what tourism and sports minister Piphat and TAT head honcho Yutthasak had bleated oh so enthusiastically when they announced the scheme less than four weeks ago. Namely that gigantic hordes of foreign Thailand lovers were already eagerly waiting at the country's doorstep, impatiently revving their engines so they could immediately flood in as soon as the program kicked off.

 

Meanwhile, local tourism experts and hospitality industry reps had predicted the visa program's failure when they had first laid eyes on the convoluted and complex application procedure, including the unreasonable financial expenditure involved. And as this report now clearly demonstrates, they were spot on. Not even independently wealthy travelers appear to recognize any benefit in jumping through all these hoops.

Edited October 8, 2020 by Misterwhisper

[JusticeGB]

Hahaha what a surprise !

[Destiny1990]

Relax TAT will come up with another better more interesting visa option plan for us soon.????

Edited October 8, 2020 by Destiny1990

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

In recent weeks, Yutthasak had said the TAT office in London had been swamped with interest. 

"Swamped" like three people went there? One enquired about the STV, one asked for the way to the nearest tube station, and one asked to use the toilet...

[MRToMRT]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Of these, 924 were from east Asia, 229 from ASEAN/South Asia/Pacific and 462 from Europe. 

So they have 500 (2 plane loads) from Europe and yet its seems no one I talk to who has applied has even gotten a confirmation of receiving their email request.

 

I have no problems with the hoops, its the inability to deliver thats my main issue. 

 

 

[DrTuner]

STV ... sound like a sexually transmitted visa to the uninitiaited.

[Travelanimal]

It was bound to happen . Even for valid visa holders they have kept so many restrictions ,COE is the most stupid thing, they should just kept Covid test and insurance as mandatory . Going to embassy with documents and then waiting long for approval then submit the test again to embassy this is all messed up

[charmonman]

Well I'm one of the only 69 people in the Americas who have enquired and they can't even bother to give me a response. In my experience, and perhaps others have had a different experience, the Thai Long Stay Company that is supposed to be managing this whole thing are completely useless.

[86Tiger]

2 minutes ago, MRToMRT said:

So they have 500 (2 plane loads) from Europe and yet its seems no one I talk to who has applied has even gotten a confirmation of receiving their email request.

 

I have no problems with the hoops, its the inability to deliver thats my main issue. 

 

 

You touch on the exact problem with all this constantly changing scheme <deleted>.  "....500 (2 plane loads) from Europe..."  2 planes from where?  Which airline's 2 planes?  500 people scattered across Europe all going to agree to travel on the same day at the same time?  Then they will all agree to return to same location on the same day?

 

They can't pay the electric bill for Suvarnabhumi with these numbers.

 

Until it is easy to get there and relatively cheap there will be no tourism.  Broken record from me........

[charmonman]

13 minutes ago, MRToMRT said:

So they have 500 (2 plane loads) from Europe and yet its seems no one I talk to who has applied has even gotten a confirmation of receiving their email request.

 

I have no problems with the hoops, its the inability to deliver thats my main issue. 

 

 

Sort of glad to hear I'm not the only one they can't even bother to respond to.

[rupert the bear]

oh gov lying again what a surprise.its real simple we of any experience are very familiar with the thai govts continual racist rip offs,respect people and guess what they will respond in a favourable manner ,as it is thais dont need to test free of covid to sit by you on an incoming plane.insurance what a scam that is.thais dont need it and if we enter ,have quarantine,pass another 2 tests we are the same as everyone else so ins is moot.apply some logic to the process and quite your mindless racist greed

[Cake Monster]

2 hours ago, DrTuner said:

A blinding success then. Bonuses all around.

Thai full blown incompetence on steroids

[mosan]

15 minutes ago, charmonman said:

Sort of glad to hear I'm not the only one they can't even bother to respond to.

So which of the unwanted countries are you from (along with the other guy), USA, UK?  I hardly think they want to hear from people who live in places where wearing a mask and social distancing is a problem... 

[Mak25]

Meanwhile, these guys were already on their way to board the plane to Phuket today.

Edited October 8, 2020 by Mak25