The Thai tourism new normal, learning to live with the pandemic

[John Drake 1,378]

I doubt that very many Thais think of a guy named Julian Spindler as one of "us" or "we."

[Curmudgeonly59 222]

Coherent, balanced and timely article.  Let's see more like it on Thai Visa...

[Jack Mountain 1,779]

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

I doubt that very many Thais think of a guy named Julian Spindler as one of "us" or "we."

Julian Spindler is a strategic communications consultant and long-time resident of Thailand. Since arriving in Thailand in 1969, Julian has worked as a journalist, editor, publisher and strategic communications consultant. Today he specialises in sustainability issues, crisis communications and strategic planning.

Source: Thaiger.

 

 

[John Drake 1,378]

5 minutes ago, Jack Mountain said:

Julian Spindler is a strategic communications consultant and long-time resident of Thailand. Since arriving in Thailand in 1969, Julian has worked as a journalist, editor, publisher and strategic communications consultant. Today he specialises in sustainability issues, crisis communications and strategic planning.

Source: Thaiger.

 

 

 

I saw that. I just don't see how any of it makes him one of them. Unless he has Thai citizenship or PR (which he well might, although that isn't noted), he isn't an "us" or a "we." He's just another tourist on a visa extension like the rest of us.

Edited November 22, 2020 by John Drake

[Jack Mountain 1,779]

3 minutes ago, John Drake said:

 

So?

Resident since 1969, that's about 51 years (saves you the math). So longer in Thailand then most of the Thais ...

 

Edited November 22, 2020 by Jack Mountain

[John Drake 1,378]

Just now, Jack Mountain said:

Resident since 1969, that's about 51 years (saves you the math). So longer in Thailand then most of the Thais ...

 

 

See my edited reply. I simply doubt that if he were here for even 100 years he would still not be one of "them," as he seems to think he is.

[Natai Beach 1,990]

2 hours ago, natway09 said:

Beautifully written if not a bit delusional if not wishful thinking.

The writer needs to have a closer look at countries that are totally overwhelmed in all areas due to doing exactly what he proposes.

His argument on letting tourists just flood to Thailand as it is Covid free suggests that he should take more water with it.

Yes, the tourist industry & supporting businesses on the ropes ( I am one)

The staff & ex staff my heart bleeds for along with small owners.

The large Hotel conglomerates I do not have a lot of sympathy for as their greed (along with condo developers ) have well outpaced demand & they knew it

My short answer

To open up the country ad hoc without quarantine at this time is tantamount to risking the 

other many businesses alive, well, employing staff  (they still have over 2mil vacancies) exporting 

& contributing a figure about 88% of last years GDP,

Exports look like being better  than 85% of last year but before moaning about that, have a look at the actual figures in dollar terms, Huge for a country of this size. 

Swallow the bitter pill for another 4 months,,,, I think will allow for a much quicker, life saving,

recovery for everybody

 

Spot on.

 

The covid crisis is getting rapidly worse. Daily deaths hit 11,000 for the first time this week and new infections 600,000+. 
 

Letting tourists in now would open the infection floodgates and a month later it would all have to be closed down again with the added problem of covid killing locals. Pointless and reckless.
 

Thailand will bounce back quicker than most countries with their good reputation for handling the virus and because they haven’t plunged themselves into massive debts like other countries. Trade surplus kicking along nicely. 

[herfiehandbag 3,729]

It is a well argued article.

 

Unfortunately it does not address the key component in any plan which this government may be persuaded to consider.

 

What provision is there for such a restart of the tourist industry to generate a large and immediate cash income for the select few "of influence" who are close to the levers of power?

 

Without such provisions, there is no incentive for this government to act.  

[pokerface1 673]

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Responding to epidemiologists’ war cry that testing, testing and more testing is the key to living safely with the pandemic, large-scale testing would represent a major policy change for the MOPH. To date, Thailand has had a very low rate of testing, even lower than poorer countries like the Philippines and Indonesia. This must change if we are to open travel bubbles safely.

 

Mass testing should be done now before Thailand does anything else to easy the regulations and quarantine stay. We real don't know how wide spread the virus is within Thailand. But we do know that the authorities are avoiding any negatives that effect the countries image. Tourists are not stupid they don't want to end up catching Covid while in Thailand and that is also another significant reason to avoid the unknown risk of Thailand.

[GeorgeCross 6,619]

i remember march this year. everything except markets and supermarkets closed. no alcohol for sale, schools closed, 10pm curfew, checkpoints, 20K fines for masks but most importantly

 

NO ONE WORKING

 

tourism or otherwise.

 

personally i dont want that again.

 

why does this writer think this time will be any different? did the virus change?

 

 

 

[sammieuk1 20,026]

If our Prime Minister has the courage to order the CCSA to make this policy shift, from total containment to managed risk 

 

 Will require a backbone first .There are bound to be a 1001 caveats and unlimited fleecing when you have already received a vaccine and because it's not Thai administered one it will be rendered useless for the purpose of entry you can see this coming Guaranteed 

Edited November 22, 2020 by sammieuk1

[GinBoy2 8,161]

There is absolutely no clear answer to this, as the entire world grapples with this.

 

Open the country to external tourism and risk importing it. I would suggest that if that happened the Thai medical infrastructure would collapse with infection rates seen in Europe and the US.

 

But then you have the equally human tragedy of those businesses that fold and the untold numbers thrown out of work, and as a side note I believe little to nothing of Thai Government figures on unemployment even in the good times, if they don't open!

 

But then think of the supply side. Folks are hunkered down until this subsides.

 

Yes maybe there are the diehards, typically single older men, that would come regardless. But families? Regardless of any financial hardships they aren't gonna risk it.

 

I've said in other threads, I work for an airline, and even domestic 1-2 hour flights are seeing load factors of ~50%, way down from normal, although up from the horrors of earlier this year.

 

So you think that reluctance to get on a domestic flight translates into a surge of international travel?

 

Dream On 

[Jack Mountain 1,779]

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

 

See my edited reply. I simply doubt that if he were here for even 100 years he would still not be one of "them," as he seems to think he is.

Is it published somewhere in the Thai language anyway?

[ThailandRyan 16,442]

If mass testing is not completed on a from now until the cows come home basis here in Thailand, then should a spread of the virus appear and they have opened up for the limited tourism they are doing then they will be able to blame all of those others for bringing the virus in as spreaders even if they tested negative.  They have already set the groundwork with the last few that tested positive after they had cleared quarantine, or had been here , and then returned home where they then tested positive upon their return.  They are just waiting to blame the world when their universe called Thailand collapses in a cloud of virus spread.

[nong38 3,233]

I have yet to see any plan anywhere in how we get out this mess.

No Government anywhere has ever defeated a virus, at best they learn to live with it.

Lockdowns and quarantines dont work, they just push the problem down the line.

Governments have taken the people's common sense away and forced draconian rules upon them, in effect taken away their freedoms and they may not get them back in full now.

The majority of Governments have followed the science and followed it for 7 or 8 months and their predictions have not proved to be correct. If these scientific experts had been in the football industry they would have been sacked for poor results and yet the powers that be still follow them.

History has shown and will show that we have to learn to live with this virus, weigh up the risks we take and get on with the life we have, the one life we will have.