Sandbox: 50% of foreigners cancel plans to visit Phuket

[webfact]

Picture: Spring News

 

Over 50 percent of foreigners who had confirmed they would visit Phuket as part of the ‘Phuket Sandbox’ project have now cancelled their plans, Thailand’s tourism minister has said.

 

Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Tourism and Sports, told Spring News that after the Center for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) increased the minimum period of stay from 7 days to 14 days, 29,700 foreigners have now cancelled plans to visit Phuket.

 

Under the Phuket Sandbox scheme, vaccinated foreigners do not need to be quarantined in a hotel room, but they are required to remain in Phuket before travelling to other provinces in Thailand. 

 

Initially, the requirement was for vaccinated foreigners to remain in Phuket for seven days after arrival. However, this was recently increased to 14 days.

 

As a result, a large number of people who had confirmed plans to visit the island have now cancelled.

 

Mr Pipat said that among the first people to visit the island in July will be  sailors from the US and British navies. 

 

The island is pinning its hopes that the Sandbox project will resuricate the local economy, which is so heavily dependent on tourism and which has been left decimated due to the pandemic. 

 

The Phuket Sandbox project, the launch of which is best described as chaotic, suffered another blow last week after it was announced that bars and pubs in Phuket would remain closed when the first tourists start arriving from July 1.

 

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[Caldera]

Ouch, such a vote of non confidence by the target group. Well deserved though, with those ongoing flip flops and last-minute "improvements".

 

And the remaining 50% ain't tourists! They are expats who use Phuket as an alternative to regular hotel quarantine.

[dyertribe]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

Mr Pipat said that among the first people to visit the island in July will be  sailors from the US and British navies. 

They are planning to bring navy guys in with no bars or entertainment venues open?  Tell them they're dreaming ...

[KarenBravo]

Who's going to re-open their business with this news?

[Excel]

3 minutes ago, KarenBravo said:

Who's going to re-open their business with this news?

Well I suspect very few but realistically I would suspect that the vast majority of businesses run with anyone with a modicum of common sense were not planning to open anyway despite the governments rhetoric, as it was obvious to any sane person the whole sandbox thing would be nothing but a disastrous sham.

Edited June 14, 2021 by Excel

[sungod]

14 minutes ago, dyertribe said:

They are planning to bring navy guys in with no bars or entertainment venues open?  Tell them they're dreaming ...

 

Much better than a mess deck.

[finnsk]

I was planning to have a vacation on Phuket, before all the mass tourism is comming to the island.

 

But....... the vax, still we dont know when we get the vax, so all Phuket plans is canceled in my family.

 

It seems that domestic and international Phuket travellers get to many troubles to go to the island.

 

 

[ChipButty]

Still time for the other 50% to cancel, 

 

As of today, the Embassy has not received any official guidelines regarding the Phuket Sand Box due to an ongoing situation in Thailand. Thus, the regulation at this time would be quarantine for 14 days.
If you plan to travel to Phuket in July, please check back on the Embassy’s website regularly.

 

https://thaiembdc.org/visas/ 

[McGregor21]

Over 50%....not just 50%..wonder what the true figure is.

 

Not a shock, constant flip flopping on policy and the decision not to allow bars to open. 

 

They will still get the long term returning expats who see it as a better option than being stuck inside a BKK hotel for two weeks.

 

Tourists...you're dreaming.

[pattjock]

Definition of sandbox : a box or receptacle containing loose sand especially : a box that contains sand for children to play in

 

You would not expect alcohol to be served in a sandbox

[bojo]

1 hour ago, Caldera said:

 

 

And the remaining 50% ain't tourists! They are expats who use Phuket as an alternative to regular hotel quarantine.

Reckon you're right there and that would equate to zero short or long term tourists subsequently not going for it.......................if ever the 'powers that be' need proof that extended (14 days) and enforced hotel quarantine just won't attract the crowds, here it is or maybe it was just a feasability study in disguise......................

[ChipButty]

These guys should join Thaivisa then we could give them our expert opinions or not

[Phuketshrew]

1 hour ago, sungod said:

Much better than a mess deck.

It's going to be a very messy deck if it's covered in Sea men ....

[MadMac]

1 hour ago, dyertribe said:

They are planning to bring navy guys in with no bars or entertainment venues open?  Tell them they're dreaming ...

 

Wait wait, there are still the thousands of ladyboys that will invade the island.....

[ChipButty]

58 minutes ago, Phuketshrew said:

It's going to be a very messy deck if it's covered in Sea men ....

All hands on deck I think not

[khunPer]

2 hours ago, McGregor21 said:

Over 50%....not just 50%..wonder what the true figure is.

The article says "...29,700 foreigners have now cancelled plans to visit Phuket."

[khunPer]

"And so castles made of sand
Fall in the sea eventually"

(Jimi Hendrix)

[MasterBaker]

i wonder where did they get those numbers from? let me guess...

[Destiny1990]

Sand-flop.

[brucegoniners]

LOL. Gee, I wonder why. They didn't confirm everything until 18 days before this thing got started. I read in a press release that it is indeed 7 days. So much confusion and major <deleted>*k ups is it any wonder that people said to heck with it?

 

And don't worry. They'll change their mind again tomorrow.

 

As Yakav Smirnoff said many times "what a country"...

[BritManToo]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

As a result, a large number of people who had confirmed plans to visit the island have now cancelled.

Only 10 bookings left then?

[BestB]

And they surprised?

 

What did they expect? tourists lining up to spend 14 days in the quarantine even though fully vaccinated paying premium prices and having to jump through hundreds of hoops which change daily.

 

Once again, poor planning, poor execution and  no clear future

[RichardColeman]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

29,700 foreigners have now cancelled plans to visit Phuket.

I seriously doubt that number and that near 60,000 people had booked to come in July

[skorp13]

50% cancellations....i'm shocked ????

[ajarnmarc]

I'm still enjoy the read about how they think tourist who arrive in Phuket, that are fully vaccinated, tested 72 hrs prior to flight, tested again upon arrival, they will be allowed to test yet again on the 6th day, and then they can transfer over to Samui for their remaining 8 days, and just for good measure get tested again on the 13th day, and if this fully vaccinated individual passes that last test, then they can then travel anywhere within Thailand freely, yes? I hope I got this all correct, as there are so many loops to jump through just to get through the process. Of course even though the individual is fully vaccinated he or she will also have to enjoy the new dress code or pay 1,000 bht upon first violation, and the price of the new dress code i.e. face mask, will increase quickly afterwards. 

Side note, person was recently tested on their 13th day stay here, after being tested before arrival and completing all the other noted tests, while staying at an approved facility on Phuket, only to find the test results on the 13th day, came back positive. I'm almost sure this is yet another trap to keep those happy tourist, who before arriving were informed the warm Phuket stay would only be required for 7 days, yet was extended to 14 days after arrival. Now it can be extended for another 14 days to cure the covid infection which they received during their holiday in the ultra safe environment created just for these lucky tourist. 

Not sure how at this point it's still considered a tourist holiday, or simply a warm fleecing of foreigners bring their hard earned saving into the friendly country for other to decide how to enjoy after the foreigners have departed to their home country. 

[ChrisKC]

Go tell that to the Marines!

[BarraMarra]

Wonder who will be made the Scapegoat for this latest Fiasco. Someone will get the blame for no tourists, and it won't be a governor or someone in office.

[Karma80]

"Cancelled plans" ???? - Number of people that clicked on our website according the tracker that didn't book anything.

[FNQ]

3 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Still time for the other 50% to cancel, 

 

As of today, the Embassy has not received any official guidelines regarding the Phuket Sand Box due to an ongoing situation in Thailand. Thus, the regulation at this time would be quarantine for 14 days.
If you plan to travel to Phuket in July, please check back on the Embassy’s website regularly.

 

https://thaiembdc.org/visas/ 

Also another small detail not clear is ,

if you do the sandbox thing you can travel to other provinces. But if you go to Bkk for a look around then travel on to other provinces you must quarantine 14 days coming from a Red Zone?

[WineOh]

Who saw that coming????

 

lol