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Thai tourism: Bank of Thailand report proposes opening up to mass tourism, with safeguards


webfact

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There will be no opening up until there's a plentiful supply of vaccines and working treatments like one of the monoclonal antibody treatments currently in testing.

 

That's the maximum they can do.

 

I will be very surprised if anything opens up at all before Summer 2021 and even that's pushing it.

 

 

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If the goal is to attract many tourists to come again, it doesn't matter very much if you make the quarantine 14 days, 10 days or even three days. Sure, you would attract more people with a shorter quarantine, but you'd still have the bottleneck of a limited number of ASQ hotel rooms and connected health services. There is no way to scale that up to allow for enough tourists to have an impact on the crippling economy. 

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53 minutes ago, ukrules said:

There will be no opening up until there's a plentiful supply of vaccines and working treatments like one of the monoclonal antibody treatments currently in testing.

 

That's the maximum they can do.

 

I will be very surprised if anything opens up at all before Summer 2021 and even that's pushing it.

 

 

So if that never happens (the plentiful supply of a vaccine that actually works and treatments that are both efficient and affordable) tourism will never return to any shores anywhere? I find the strategy of waiting for something that there are no guarantees will ever come to pass is like waiting for Godot, or like Cyrano waiting for Roxanne. 

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3 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

The newly quoted 20% of GDP for Thai Tourism, now has to be the " Standard " because it has come from the BOT.

I find it a bit disconcerting that BOT has stuck their Paddle into the Mix of trying to return Tourists back to the Country.

We have of course the TAT " Dream Boys ", and the Medical Minister and his Cronies also making all kinds of irrational statements, and now the BOT.

Are the BOT starting to Brick-It due to the outflows of Money from their coffers, whilst nothing is coming into them from the Tourists, Poor Export performance, and Agri prices, and a collapsing property Market.

I guess time will tell.

How is it disconcerting? I find it hopeful - even though the messaging is not entirely coherent ????

But it lays the groundwork for the government to do an about-face without losing said face.

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5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It was reportedly about 6% when I first came to LOS. I don't know when it became 20%, if it did.

The numbers have quadrupled from 10 mil to 40 mil since early 2000s...maybe that's why it's more than 6%....in fact the 20% quoted is suspect, take into account everything associated and all the cottage industries relying on tourism, a truer figure would be 30% or more....no hiding for the Thai apologists now

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5 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

well it could not include the boom boom industry as that is all off the books.

I thought you had all the inside knowledge of the boom boom trade, rumour has it trade in Asoke spiked this week?

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18 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Yet we've always been told tourism is only a small percentage of Thailands GDP... now tourists seem to be all important.

 

Indeed.

 

I would suggest that this will lead to tourists being welcomed a bit more in future with genuine smiles like the good old days, instead of being sneered at behind their backs. But given this is Thailand, I'd imagine the hubris will return about a week after the mass tourism does. 

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10 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Indeed.

 

I would suggest that this will lead to tourists being welcomed a bit more in future with genuine smiles like the good old days, instead of being sneered at behind their backs. But given this is Thailand, I'd imagine the hubris will return about a week after the mass tourism does. 

I fear when and if tourism returns the sharks will be back en-mass with an even greater hunger than ever imagined.

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Even if they open for "mass tourism" most people can't afford travelling on a 2 week holiday.   Too much uncertainty about their own future, jobs and economy. 

 

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The more I look at the current requirements for tourist entry, long or short stay, I see a panic reaction from ignorant, inflexible persons on government or TAT..  They do not understand Covid, but are frightened of it, so impose illogical restrictions.  Just download the 'Fit to Fly' certificate required, to see what I mean.  Nonsense, and nothing to do with Covid.  With this thinking, there is no much hope of any tourist, or retiree, entry to Thailand this year.

Mostly retirees and long-stay on this board.  Sensible approach could be:-

Covid test before departure,  fever checks at airport, and then allowed to spend 14 day 'quarantine' self isolating in our own homes, with local medical supervision.  Maybe compulsory medical insurance as now, to give someone in TAT/Gov. some kick-backs.

 

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8 hours ago, JomtienRay said:

One third of the 20% tourism figure is domestic tourism.. that leaves about 13% as international, so the normally reported 12% (approx) is close..

We keep hearing how this 12-13% is badly effecting the economy..

WELL.... 

what about the other 87%??

What is Thailand doing to protect and expand this major part of the economy?? Which is in their power to exert control..

the 13% international tourism business is largely out of their hands at the moment..!! ????

I don't think that anywhere near a third of the tourism market has returned? If a third of the tourism market is domestic they must be mostly staying home?

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4 hours ago, scammed said:

but a typical tourist stays here 2 weeks,

 

Are you sure about that, many spend up to 6 months a year here and would regard the quarantine as a minor inconvenience. 

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32 minutes ago, rott said:

Are you sure about that, many spend up to 6 months a year here and would regard the quarantine as a minor inconvenience. 

Everything I can find online states that the average tourist stays about 9 days.  If, as you say, tourists would regard the quarantine as a “minor inconvenience” then there would be an abundance of people applying for the STV and TAT would be quite vocal about it.
 

 

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10 hours ago, webfact said:

The Bank of Thailand report acknowledged that tourism is, or more accurately was, 20% of gross domestic product in Thailand. 

Finally! All you silly farang who believe all thr Thai nonsense see it now? An admission. 

 

And, as I've said for decades, if you add all the gray and black economy spending, like the sex trade, you could very well arrive at upwards of 30% of the Thai economy! 

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1 hour ago, Fex Bluse said:

Finally! All you silly farang who believe all thr Thai nonsense see it now? An admission. 

 

And, as I've said for decades, if you add all the gray and black economy spending, like the sex trade, you could very well arrive at upwards of 30% of the Thai economy! 

And then, take the income from that 30%, use the money multiplier effect (velocity of money) and then add the unknown number to the  30% where tourism income (including the gray and black) is re-spent on cars, houses, etc etc etc.  

 

I’d guess that your 30% estimate could be rather conservative.

Edited by Airalee
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BOT continues to increase international reserves. In January 2020 they had USD$265 billion, and in September 2020, they have USD$273 billion.

 

Thailand continues to export more than they import. Tourism is classified as an import.

 

If tourism increases, THB will continue to increase against western currencies making it even more expensive to live or vacation in Thailand.

 

EC_XT_030.xlsx

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12 hours ago, OumarhindaOunsingha said:

10 days' quarantine and covid tests before departure, on arrival and after 10 days in quarantine at a cost of max. 25,000 baht and no paperwork would make me buy a plane ticket. And probably many others too that are waiting to be let in. And it should be enough to control the virus - why not?

 

I don't see why 14 days quarantine is necessary, and I most certainly do not see why it has to be so expensive. Many cheap places are surely ready to be used for quarantine purposes. Of course the whole procedure could be done for less than a thousand US dollars. If they wanted. So, why are they not doing it? 

Money.

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On 5/16/2020 at 5:07 AM, Peter Denis said:

When applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa, which can only be done at the thai embassy in your home-country, you need to provide evidence that you have health-insurance that will cover you in Thailand and meets the minimum Immigration Office requirements (i.e. 400K in-patient / 40K out-patient coverage). 

A thai IO-approved health-insurance policy (issued by a TGIA insurer) will be accepted but might be difficult to get when you are in your home-country.

Therefore there is also the possibility of applying with a foreign health-insurance policy.

In the case you have an international health-insurance policy which meets the requirements, you need to convince your insurer to fill in the Foreign Insurance Certificate (FIC) stating that your policy meets the requirements.  But since that FIC refers to thai legislation which foreign insurers are not familiar with, it is difficult to persuade them to fill in that FIC.  The only reports of applicants that succeeded in having that FIC filled-in and accepted by the thai embassy where they applied, were when the applicant had a good personal relation with his insurer agent.

But that's not the end of the ordeal.

When the thai embassy issues your Non Imm O-A Visa it will also contain a note stating the expiry date of your health-insurance policy.  And thai border-immigration will only stamp you in for a permission to stay that does not exceed that policy expiry date.  Which means you cannot make use of the 2nd year your Non Imm O-A Visa previously could provide you (unless you were able to convince your insurer to put a 2-year date on the validity of your foreign health-insurance, and this being taken over on the embassy note in your passport).

Also, you need to be aware that your foreign insurance is ONLY valid when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa.  Once you are in Thailand and need to extend the permission to stay of your Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement, your foreign insurance will not be accepted.  The PoliceOrder clearly states that only thai IO-approved policies from TGIA insurers are accepted.

Non Imm O-A Visa holders that applied for a 1-year retirement extension reported that:

- IO requires an original certificate from your thai IO-approved insurer stating that your policy meets the IO requirements;

- IO will then look up the policy in the TGIA database, and will not accept your application unless your policy details are in that database (so a thai insurance policy from a non-TGIA insurer will not be accepted).

 

Considering all of the above it is no wonder that applications for the Non Imm O-A Visa have fallen drastically, and that those on 1-year extension for reason of retirement based on a Non Imm O-A Visa are taking alternative roads to long-stay in Thailand without this insurance scam.

And luckily it is fairly simple to do so.

>> I compiled a comprehensive guideline with all options/details to apply for or convert to a Non Imm O Visa, which does not require any thai IO-approved health-insurance.

Feel free to PM me if you like to receive a copy.

 

 

14 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

well it could not include the boom boom industry as that is all off the books. 

 

Boom boom, bar fines, entertainment of the ladies, support for the sick buffalo or their family, tea money from entertainment venues to police etc.  all not included. Maybe another 5-10% of the total economy

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