Lufthansa reopens Bangkok Munich route

Lufthansa is offering customers daily flights between Bangkok and the Bavarian capitol Munich beginning with this year’s summer schedule on 27 March. These flights replace service to Frankfurt during the winter.

The initial Lufthansa flight schedule is as follows:

* Bangkok – Munich / Flight LH773 / departure: 11 p.m. local time, arrival: 5.20 a.m. local time
* Munich – Bangkok / Flight LH772 / departure: 10:45 p.m. local time, arrival: 2:10 p.m. Bangkok local time

The aircraft operating these services is the most modern in the world: the Airbus A350-900 that has set high standards in fuel-efficiency and passenger comfort. It offers 48 lie flat seats in Business Class, 21 in Premium Economy and 224 Economy Class seats.

Munich – Bangkok, however, is not the only service Lufthansa Group, Europe’s largest airline group, will offer Thai customers. The Group’s other premium carriers, SWISS and Austrian Airlines, will also connect Thailand with the heart of Europe. In the summer schedule, SWISS will fly six times weekly between Bangkok and Zurich while Austrian Airlines will fly daily between Bangkok and Vienna.

READ MORE - Bangkok-Jack

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Province in Western Thailand works to revive tourism in new scheme

 

Province in Western #Thailand works to revive tourism in new scheme

The governor of one Western Thai province whose tourism income plummeted this year announced yesterday the need for a “comprehensive strategy” to revive tourism. The province of Prachuap Khiri Khan made 1.85 billion baht in tourism in 2020, but that dropped to 36 million baht in 2021.
“We expect travel activities to pick up once Covid-19 is classified as an endemic disease”.

The governor says the new tourism strategy will mainly promote one-night and two-night stays in three target areas. The areas are Hua Hin-Pran Buri, Sam Roi Yot-Kui Buri-Muang, and Thap Sakae-Bang Saphan-Bang Saphan Noi. The governor says the campaign will try to appeal to a wide range of travel groups, including families, young people, and the elderly. He said the main target districts will submit their reopening plans to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration later this week, hopefully on time for Songkran.

Prachuap Khiri Khan is a coastal province, like many Thai provinces that have been gutted hard by Covid-19’s destruction of the tourism industry. Another province notably similar is Phuket. The number of tourists plummeted from 14,800 a day on average in 2019 to 500 a day on average in 2021. At one point, the average monthly income in Phuket fell to 1,961 baht per month.

Like Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phuket is also slowly making a comeback in tourism. Last week, the Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket announced the province is ready to welcome back sea tourists, after the Test & Go scheme extended to them.

Source - The Thaiger

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US government tells citizens to avoid travel to Hong Kong, New Zealand – and Thailand

Americans are being told to avoid travel to Thailand, Hong Kong, and New Zealand, due to the rise in Covid-19 infections in each country. According to a Reuters report, the travel advisory was issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has raised its travel alert for Thailand to “Level Four: Very High”.

In total, the US is recommending citizens avoid travel to around 135 countries. Another 33 countries are at “Level 3: High”. Meanwhile, Anguilla, Cape Verde, Fiji, Mexico, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates have all been lowered to Level 3. Just 29 countries are at “Level 2: Moderate” or “Level 1: Low”.

The CDC is advising Americans who are not vaccinated to avoid travel, adding that even if vaccinated, travellers to Thailand risk contracting Covid-19.

“If you must travel to Thailand, make sure you are vaccinated and up to date with your Covid-19 vaccines before travel. Even if you are up to date with your Covid-19 vaccines, you may still be at risk for getting and spreading Covid-19.”

The Bangkok Post reports that Thailand has recorded 18,943 new infections today, down from yesterday’s 21,162. There were 69 Covid-related deaths, up from 65 yesterday. Hong Kong reported 25,150 new cases yesterday, with 280 deaths. Authorities there are struggling to contain the outbreak, with many of the elderly unvaccinated population enduring the worst of the wave.

The city has now reported a total of 500,000 infections, with most of its 2,000+ deaths reported in the last 2 weeks. According to the Reuters report, in the week to March 6, Hong Kong reported the most deaths per million people worldwide. The US CDC raised its travel advisory for Hong Kong to Level 3 last week.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post | Reuters

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Russian flights keep arriving in Thailand, for now

Aeroflot, Ural Airlines and S7 Airline planes are still arriving on schedule in Thailand today as nothing has changed, thus far, as flights into Thai airports from Russia are concerned.

But Thailand’s tourism tzars continue to monitor Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the world looks to ways of pressuring and sanctioning Russia, including access to its airlines across the world.

At this stage there has been no official comments coming from the Thai government about the invasion of Ukraine or any Thai reaction to the conflict, beyond assuring Thais in Ukraine that they will be evacuated.

Russian arrivals ranked Number One in Thailand during the first 22 days of the resumption of the Test & Go program, from February 1 – 22. 13,063 Russian tourists arrived in Thailand over that time, followed by 10,412 visitors from Germany and 8,900 from France.

Both Russia and China were two of Thailand’s top feeder markets before 2020, the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Chinese will remain notably absent until, probably, later in 2022. Now the Russian tourist tap may be switched off as well.

But with the developing conflict in Ukraine, the Russian Ruble has dropped around 18% against the Thai baht, since February 9, putting further pressure on Russian tourists travelling to Thailand at this time. Despite fluctuations, the Ruble is again on another downward trend versus most international currencies since the invasion on Thursday.

The other major threat to tourism arrivals, from just about anywhere in the world, is the huge surge in oil prices which will eventually hit plane ticket prices, including domestic flights within Thailand.

Oil prices briefly topped US$100 a barrel on Thursday reflecting panic in the first hours of the Russian invasion, the first time they’ve surpassed the US$100 mark since 2014, but they fallen back slightly since. In the 2020’s the average price was about US$39 a barrel.

So far there hasn’t been any immediate, or tangible, increase in flight prices inside Thailand, or internationally, but aviation experts believe that it’s just a matter of time.

They note that airlines with the youngest fleets, and the most fuel-efficient aircraft, will suffer the least as a direct result of the rising oil and, consequently, av-gas prices.

Thai Airways still has Thailand’s oldest fleet of aircraft.

Following this week’s alteration of Test & Go program requirements, removing the pre-paid PCR test and night of accommodation on Day 5 (and replacing it with a self-ATK test to be uploaded onto the Mor Phrom App), tourism operators expect an uptick of new bookings, but fresh applications for the Thailand Pass remain under original predictions.

Tourism operators also believe that nurturing the newer feeder markets, of India and Saudi Arabia, will play a crucial role, both during the ongoing tensions in Central Europe, and the onset of Thailand’s low season.

Then there’s the surge in cases of Omicron in Thailand and how the government will react to that over the coming month.

Source - The Thaiger

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Thailand Eases Entry Rules to Reboot Tourism

Thailand will further relax entry rules for foreign visitors starting next month, bowing to demand from the local tourism industry to lower costs as more countries ease border controls to lure holidaymakers.
Vaccinated visitors to the Southeast Asian nation won’t be required to undergo a mandatory polymerase chain reaction test on the fifth day of the arrival starting March 1.

Instead, they can do a self antigen test, scrapping the requirement to have a confirmed hotel reservation for the test.

The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, Thailand’s main virus task force chaired by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, also lowered the minimum medical insurance coverage for visitors to $20,000 from $50,000.

Thailand is making it easier for travelers to its famed beaches, Buddhist temples and national parks after nearly two years of tight border curbs decimated its tourism industry.

While the nation is battling a spike in omicron-led Covid cases, low mortality rate compared to the peak delta wave means healthcare facilities can cope up with the outbreak, Taweesilp Visanuyothin, a spokesman for the task force, said at a briefing Wednesday.

Thailand saw its Covid cases jump to 21,232 on Wednesday, a six-month high, but the deaths stood at 39, compared with more than 300 a day during the peak of the delta wave in August.

The baht rallied as much as 0.4% on expectation easier visa rules will boost the country’s current-account surplus. The currency traded at 32.329 to a U.S. dollar, extending gains this year to 3.3%.

Tourism-reliant Thailand has been experimenting with several plans in recent month to try to revive the travel sector that used to contribute to about one-fifth of its economy, with 40 million foreign tourists generating more than $60 billion in 2019.

The country has cleared about 302,000 visitors under its so-called “Test & Go” program since it was reopened for a second time on Feb. 1, according to Taweesilp.

Bangkok, the nation’s capital city, eastern province Chonburi and resort island Phuket received the most travelers under the plan, he said.

Source - BangkokJack

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Over 23,000 apply for Thailand Pass under ‘Test and Go’ on first day of its resumption

A total of 23,660 travellers applied for a Thailand Pass to enter the country through the “Test and Go” quarantine exemption scheme yesterday (Tuesday), the first day the scheme resumed after registration was suspended on December 22, following the emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

Government Spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said today (Wednesday) that he expects more travellers to apply to visit Thailand under the program in the future. About 5,500 others also registered for the pass yesterday for other entry options such as the sandbox, and alternative quarantines.

He said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed all relevant agencies to be prepared to deal with the arriving travellers and to make sure that all the necessary safety measures are in place and strictly enforced, to prevent possible spread of COVID-19.

Thanakorn also said that the government is determined to promote wellness and culture-related tourism to create jobs for Thai people, to enable them to make a living.

Under the “Test and Go” program, travellers are only required to stay in a government-approved hotel on the day of arrival and on the 5th day in Thailand for the two RT-PCR tests required.

Unless officially resident in Thailand, travellers are also required to have insurance coverage of no less than US$ 50,000, certification of vaccination, except for travellers under 18 travelling with a parent or a guardian, a negative RT-PCR test result issued no more than 72 hours prior arrival, except children under 6 with a parent or a guardian, written confirmation of pre-paid accommodation and the pre-paid bookings for two further COVID-19 tests in Thailand.

Source - ASIAN NOW

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Thailand Named #1 Destination in Asia for Global Retirees

BANGKOK (NNT) - Internationalliving.com has ranked Thailand the best destination in Asia and the 11th best in the world in its 2022 global retirement index.

According to the website, the rankings and indices are based on various factors including the cost of living, food, medical cost, visa convenience, weather, things to do, tradition, and culture.

The website said Thailand has always been popular among retirees from around the world because the country does not offer only beaches and other beautiful natural attractions but also convenient places as well as friendly locals.

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Hua Hin of Prachuap Khirikhan are the top 3 cities among retirees. Foreigners can choose to live for different costs of living starting from 1,000 US dollars or around 33,000 baht per month.

Thailand is also well-known for its affordable and high-quality healthcare which is one of the first things retirees seek for healthy and secure living after retirement, while applying for and obtaining a long-stay visa is also easy and fast.

Meanwhile, this year’s top 10 countries for retirement are Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Portugal, Ecuador, Colombia, France, Malta, Spain, and Uruguay.

Source - ASIAN NOW

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Tourism Ministry Launches ‘Thailand Trusted Destination’ Campaign

Krabi (NNT) - The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has launched the “Thailand Trusted Destination” campaign to raise the nation’s tourism standards. Visitors can now look for venues and attractions bearing the campaign’s dancing elephant logo. The logo certifies attractions that meet the standards promoted by the ministry.

The Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports took business operators on a field trip to Krabi province to observe venues and attractions certified under the Thailand Trusted Destination campaign.

The campaign was introduced as an incentive for business owners to improve their services and boost confidence among tourists. Participating venues will be granted the dancing elephant logo, which represents cleanliness, safety, fairness, good management, and green practices.

During the field trip, business operators visited Krabi International Airport, which has been certified for toilet cleanliness; Laemsak Community which was certified as a community-based tourism attraction with historical value; and Than Bok Khorani National Park, which has been certified for its success in environmental conservation and tourist safety.

Source - ASIAN NOW 

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Thailand – the 17th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami

A powerful underwater earthquake rumbled off the coast of northern coast of Sumatra island, Indonesia, at 7:59am local time, setting off a series of underwater shockwaves that would eventually be felt right around the rim of the Indian Ocean.

It was the Boxing Day Tsunami (or Indian Ocean Tsunami, or Asian Tsunami) and it started affecting the shorelines around the Indian Ocean, first in the Indonesian region of Aceh, and then Thailand’s southern Andaman Sea shores not long after on Sunday morning, December 26, 2004.

The magnitude 9.1 quake ruptured a 1,500-kilometre stretch of fault line where the Indian and Australian tectonic plates meet. The heavier ocean plate slipped under a lighter continental plate. The effect, and location, proved deadly for anyone living along the shorelines of the Indian Ocean.

Within 20 minutes of the earthquake, the first of several 22 – 33 metre high waves hit the shoreline of Banda Aceh, killing 100,000+ people. Then, in succession, waves rolled over coastlines in Thailand, India and Sri Lanka, killing tens of thousands more. 8 hours later and 8,000 kilometres from its Asian epicentre, the tsunami claimed its final casualties on the coast of South Africa. In all, 230,000 – 250,000 people died, or were never found, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.

The tsunami reached Phuket and coastal provinces nearby around 10am, causing uncountable losses, devastating the low-lying coastal towns of Patong, Kamala and Koh Phi Phi. Some of the other island beaches had less damage with steep shoreline breaks that took a lot of the initial energy out of the waves.

Just north of Phuket, in Khao Lak, they had a very gentle sloping coastline, so the waves travelled swiftly and reached into areas up to kilometre inshore. Poom Jensen, the grandson of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and a nephew of the current Thai King, was killed whilst his family was holidaying at Khao Lak.

3 large waves that swept inland along parts of the Andaman Coast on that day.

Official Thai government statistics estimate 4,812 souls were lost to the waves on December 26, 2004, with another 8,457 injured and 4,499 missing, presumed dead.

While confirmed deaths in Phuket officially numbered only 259, another 700 remained listed as missing.

At the time the popular tourist communities were able to clean up and re-open some of their hotels within weeks. A year later much of the damage had been cleaned up and repaired. NGOs rushed to Thailand to assist in the clean up and identification process of the dead.

The tsunami and its aftermath were responsible for immense destruction and loss around the rim of the Indian Ocean. Some locations reported that the waves had reached a height of 20 metres, or more, when they hit the shoreline. In Aceh, up to 30 metres. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and Thailand sustaining massive damage.

17 years after the Indian Ocean tsunami swept ashore, a container at the Takua Pa police station in Phang Nga, southern Thailand, still contains personal items from the hundreds of victims whose remains are unlikely to ever be given a name.

Wallets, documents, keys, electronic items, all labeled and catalogued as evidence, await positive identification. Nearby a graveyard contains 340 bodies buried in unmarked graves but police hope that, if people came forward to identify some of the items, there is still hope that some of the bodies could rest in peace with a name attached.

Source - The Thaiger

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Travel from Europe to Bangkok by TRAIN

The construction of a new train line in Laos means that it is now possible to travel from Portugal to Bangkok and on to Singapore by train.
The route is thought to be the longest train journey in the world spanning some 18,755km and would take an estimated 21 days to complete the journey.

Travelling from Lagos in southern Portugal to Singapore, the journey requires a number of changes to hop on and hop off trains in cities such as Paris, Moscow, Beijing, Vientiane, Bangkok, Hua Hin, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Prior to the opening of the new train line in Laos, the route would have ended in Vietnam, before passengers would need to catch a connecting bus to Saigon and onto Cambodia and Vietnam.

However, as of 2nd December 2021, Laos’ new high speed rail network that connects Kunming in China to the capital Vientiane means that it is now possible to continue on to Bangkok and south to Hua Hin before continuing on to Padang Besar in Malaysia and finally, Singapore.

The whole trip would take in 13 different countries, according to rail expert Mark Smith from the train travel booking website Seat 61 who first publicised the epic trip.

There would of course be a few overnight stops required to allow for immigration and visa processing, as well as some short hops across cities to different train stations.

Currently two of the longest sections of the route – Paris to Moscow and Moscow to Beijing – are not operating due to the pandemic.

But if you are looking for a once in a life time experience, and particularly if you enjoy train travel, this could be the perfect trip and something worth trying as and when COVID-19 travel restrictions are eased. – Hua Hin Today

Source - BangkokJack

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The new longest possible train journey in the world.

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Thailand reinstates quarantine for foreign visitors

Thailand has reinstated its mandatory Covid-19 quarantine for foreign visitors and scrap a quarantine waiver from today (Tuesday 21st) due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The decision to halt Thailand’s ‘Test and Go’ waiver means visitors will have to undergo hotel quarantine, which ranges between 7 to 10 days.

Meanwhile, a so-called “sandbox” programme, which requires visitors to remain in a specific location but allows them free movement outside of their accommodation, will also be suspended in all places except for the tourist resort island of Phuket.

“After December 21, there will be no new registrations for ‘Test and Go’, only quarantine or Phuket sandbox,” said deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhanadirek.

The announcement came a day after Thailand reported the first case of local transmission of the Omicron variant.

It also came weeks after Thailand reopened to foreign visitors in November, ending nearly 18 months of strict entry policies that contributed to a collapse in tourism, a key industry and economic driver that drew 40 million visitors in 2019.

About 200,000 visitors who had previously registered for the quarantine waiver and sandbox programme will still be eligible, said government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana.

“This is not to shut off tourists but to temporarily suspend arrivals,” he said.

The decision will be reviewed on January 4, he added.

Source - BangkokJack

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British Airways suspends all flights to Bangkok until Oct 2022

British Airways has suspended all direct flights from the UK to Bangkok until October 2022.

Reports of the cancellations first surfaced on social media earlier this week.

Travel site, The Points Guy, then received confirmation from BA that the flights have been canceled.

A spokesperson for BA said: “We apologise to customers whose travel plans are disrupted. Where a customer’s flight is cancelled, we always contact them to offer options including a full refund.  Customers who are unable to travel, or choose not to, can also continue to change their flights or request a voucher for future use as part of our Book with Confidence policy, which has been available since the beginning of the pandemic.”

Passengers have also posted on the FlyerTalk forum to say they had received confirmation from British Airways that their flights to Bangkok had been canceled.

As an alternative, passengers had been offered flights to Doha with Qatar with a connecting flight to Bangkok.

One passenger wrote: So I’m on the phone to BA now. We were booked on Avios outbound Mar 23 and return Apr 5, both cancelled of course. The slightly unhelpful Gold line agent lady says we can get you out on Qatar but the alternative carrier policy is only to Mar 31 so we can’t bring you back! I’m now talking with a supervisor who’s checking with the global team. Any advice appreciated…”

The news comes as British Airways announced earlier this month that it was scrapping more than 2,000 flights from its schedule between now and March next year.

The cancellation of flights was due to reduced demand for air travel during the ongoing pandemic.

Aviation website Simply Flying reported that data from Cirium revealed that BA had cut 2,144 flights from its winter schedule.

Flights have been canceled on domestic, short haul and long haul routes.

Passengers affected by the cancellations are advised to check the status of their bookings via the BA website. Passengers who were due to travel before 31 August 2022 can apply for a voucher that is valid until 30 September 2023.

Source - ASIAN NOW

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Heading to Maya Bay? You won’t be allowed in the water

 Tourists will not be allowed to play in the seawater in Maya Bay in Krabi’s Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park as it would affect blacktip reef sharks and coral reefs, Marine biologist Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
His post came after an official decision that the crescent-shaped Maya Bay – which became famous after it was featured in the 2000 Hollywood blockbuster “The Beach” – would be reopened from January 1. The beach has been closed to tourists since June 2018.

Thon said three proposals have been approved by provincial government agencies:

1. Boats carrying no more than 375 people will park at the pier located behind Maya Bay which is being constructed.

2. Tourists must make a reservation in advance to enter Maya Bay, while the number of boat trips depends on a decision by the national park.

3. Tourists will not be allowed to play in the Maya Bay seawater as the beach is considered a nursery for blacktip reef sharks, while coral reefs in the area are recovering.

“I would like to emphasise that the reopening of Maya Bay will not affect the coral reefs and creatures in the area,” Thon wrote.

He thanked the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and Natural Resources as well as Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa for “taking good care of the environment”, which is considered a national treasure. – The Nation

Source  - BangkokJack

 

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Maya Bay to re-open under strict conditions

 Picturesque Maya Bay in Thailand’s southern province of Krabi will reopen to visitors on New Year’s Day, 2022, but with strict conditions attached, including no swimming in the bay and the number of visitors at one time will be limited to no more than 375.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, vice dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University and a well-known marine scientists, said in his Facebook post this week that the national parks committee, have approved the reopening of the bay.

Maya has been closed for three and a half years, after coral reefs and environment in the area sustained heavy damage from excessive tourism activities.

The national park committee agreed that restrictions must be imposed to protect the bay and its marine resources if the bay is to be reopened, said Dr. Thon.

The restrictions are as follows:

 No boats may enter the bay area through the front access and must use the opposite side, where a landing pier for landing visitors is already in place.

The number of visitors at any one time will be limited to no more than 375. The number of rounds of visits each day and the duration of each stay are yet to be decided by chief of the national park and tourism operators in Krabi province.

No swimming is allowed in the bay area, because there are many black-tipped reef sharks in the water which may pose a danger to swimmers. Swimming may also disrupt the sharks and coral in the area.
 

Maya Beach was the prime location for the Hollywood film “The Beach” in 2000, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. – Thai PBS

Source - BangkokJack

 

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Thailand set to approve Special Tourist Visa for digital nomads

Thailand is preparing to accommodate an increasing number of “digital nomads” with eyes on Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai as work and vacation destinations.

Spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the three cities were ranked by Germany-based vacation search engine company Holidu on its list of the best ‘workation’ cities in 2021. One of the groups included in the survey comprised workers who travel to different locations, using mobile devices to perform their jobs remotely at coffee shops or public libraries.

A recent survey by the Adventure Travel Trade Association found Thailand to be among the most popular destinations for these digital nomads. Respondents cited blazing internet speeds, affordable living costs, and scenic tourist attractions are some of the factors that attracted them to the Kingdom, especially with so many others now working remotely due to the global pandemic.

The spokesperson said the government is working to accommodate the increasing numbers of digital nomads by approving a Special Tourist Visa (STV) that allows foreigners to stay for 90 days.

The visa can be extended twice, meaning tourists can stay up to 270 days at a time. The government hopes that STVs will help revitalize the tourism industry under effective COVID-19 control and prevention measures.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has commended relevant agencies and the Thai people for making Thailand one of the best destinations for travelers. He also assured that the government would be ready to listen to all constructive feedback in order to draft policies that benefit everyone.

Source - ASIAN NOW

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Thailand doesn’t want ALL the tourists back

 Thailand’s strict COVID measures meant international travel has ground to a halt during the pandemic.
But now, with tourism set to start up once again, the country is not sure it wants the same type of visitors to return to its shores.

Historically the country has attracted a huge number of tourists, from unruly gap year backpackers to large tour groups who show little care for the environment.

Now Thailand wants to move on from its ‘hedonistic’ history of mass tourism, with Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn stating the focus should be on “high-end travellers, rather than a large number of visitors.”

One location that would be glad to see change is the Phi Phi islands, world-renowned for their white beaches and clear blue waters. While lockdowns kept international travellers away, this region was quietly recovering from years of overtourism.

Before the pandemic, Phi Phi National Park saw more than 2 million visitors every year with 6,000 people a day making the trip to the world-famous Maya Bay. This uncontrolled mass tourism left the region’s delicate ecosystem in disarray.

“The coral cover has decreased by more than 60 per cent in just over 10 years,” Thon Thamrongnawasawat of Kasetsart University in Bangkok tells AFP.

The problem got so bad that in 2018, Thon pushed authorities to close part of Maya Bay. It has been closed ever since and, with strict travel restrictions meaning visitor numbers in the region dwindled to almost zero, nature has started to recover.

Endangered whale sharks have been seen off the coast, turtle species have returned and more than 40 per cent of the coral fragments replanted in Maya Bay have survived.

Thon calls it “a very satisfactory figure obtained thanks to the absence of visitors.”

To make a full recovery though, these coral reefs would need another two decades without visitors. (continues)

Source BangkokJack

 

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Travelers can enter Thailand by sea & land from Dec 24

The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) decided last week to allow travellers to enter Thailand by sea and land, in addition to current access by air.
The north-eastern province of Nong Khai, bordering the Lao PDR, will be the first overland entry point to reopen on December 24th, according to CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin.

To enter Thailand via a seaport, travellers are required to be fully inoculated, have passed an RT-PCR test within the 72 hours prior to departure or since their last port of call, to have no infections among passengers and crew on the same vessel and have “Thailand Pass” registration before arrival.

Travellers under the “Test and Go” program will be exempted from quarantine and from providing proof of hotel bookings. “Sandbox” program travellers will have to stay at a hotel in the “sandbox” area for five days and have proof of SHA+ booking payments.

Dr. Taweesin said children under 6, who are accompanied by their parents, will not be subject to RT-PCR tests, but their parents must have negative results from RT-PCR tests taken within the 72 hours prior to travel and will be required to take rapid antigen tests upon arrival.

For Thais who want to travel abroad and need a vaccine passport, he said the CCSA has approved the use of the “Mor Prom” application to apply for the document online.

According to the CCSA, 104,065 foreign and Thai travellers entered Thailand between November 1st and 25th under the “Test and Go”, “sandbox” and quarantine programs. Of these, 135 or 0.13% were found to be infected with COVID-19. – ThaiPBS

Source - BangkokJack

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Thai immigration launches new online 90 day reporting system

Thailand’s Immigration Bureau has announced the launch of a new online 90 day reporting system.

The new system, which went live on Dec 2, is available under the Online Services section of the Immigration Bureau’s website, and by selecting TM47, which is the official name of the form used for 90 day reporting.

To use the new online 90 day reporting system, foreigners must register here: https://tm47.immigration.go.th/tm47/#/register/add

Registration information must be submitted in English.

Once verified, a password will be sent to the registered email address (it took around 2 hours for us to receive the password - check your spam folder!)

Online 90 day reports can be used up to 15 days in advance of the date the 90 day report is due.

Immigration says confirmation of the 90 day report should be returned within 3 days of it being submitted.

Foreigners can also use the same system to login and check the status of their application.

It should also be noted that the online 90 day reporting system can not be used if a foreigner is completing their first 90 day report, nor can it be used to complete the first 90 day report after receiving a new passport.

In both instances, the foreigner needs to submit the 90 day report in person at their local immigration office. After that, they will be able to use the 90 day online system.

To coincide with the launch of the new online 90 day reporting system, the Immigration Bureau has also launched a new online appointment booking system, which allows foreigners to book an appointment at their local immigration office.

Once selected, the appointment button gives users an option to select the region of the country where their nearest immigration office is located.

At the time of writing, Bangkok Immigration (Division 1) was not listed in the online appointment system. It should also be noted the appointment system may not work if using a VPN.

 Source - ASIAN NOW

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Entertainment SHUTDOWN is ‘likely’ to be extended

The government will not impose a national lockdown despite overseas concerns about the Omicron variant of Covid-19, but the closure of entertainment venues will likely be extended, the prime minister said on Thursday.
Prayut Chan-o-cha said a nationwide closure was unnecessary. The government would cope by continuing to test arriving travellers for the new variant.

“Harsh measures are not necessary. There are RT-PCR tests and quarantine is required pending test results,” he said.

The government needed to prioritise both public safety and the national economy. It was not easy to keep the balance. Under the circumstances, the government would delay its plan for antigen testing of arrivals instead of the RT-PCR tests, the prime minister said.

In the interests of public health, the government might also have to further delay the reopening of pubs, bars and karaoke shops, he said.

“We would like to wait and see for a month. In this matter, we must listen to doctors and health authorities,” Gen Prayut said.

“Enclosed venues where crowds gather and drink pose high risks. That will be put on hold. Assistance measures will be proposed to the cabinet soon,” the prime minister said.

When there is a new disease, there must be measures to cope with it, he added.

Gen Prayut confirmed that the government was tracing arrivals from southern Africa for Covid-19 tests, because Omicron infections were detected from that region.

He asked the public to inform the government if they know of the whereabouts of such people.

He said no Omicron case had been detected in Thailand to date. – Bangkok Post

Source - BangkokJack

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Khao San "busy" on first night of alcohol rule easing - patrons need to be double vaxxed or take 100 baht ATK test to enter

INN reporters went to Bangkok's famed tourism street of Khao San Road last night - the first night when approved restaurants were allowed to serve alcohol until 11 pm.

They found the area busy with operators thankful that their trade is increasing at last.

Both foreigners and Thais were enjoying the night out - albeit not a very late one when it comes to enjoying a beer.

Strict protocols are in place. To enter you need to be double vaccinated.

If not then you have to take a 100 baht ATK swab test and be negative to proceed inside.

INN didn't report on any positive cases though they did say that the local police were patrolling occasionally to make sure everyone was behaving themselves.

Source - ASIAN NOW

 

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