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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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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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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Reviving Thai tourism may take years

 The government’s plan to end quarantine for vaccinated visitors is “a fight to win foreign tourists,” Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said.
But analysts and industry executives see it as a long road to recovery fraught with risks of periodic virus resurgence and unpredictable travel trends.

A return to the pre-pandemic levels of tourist arrivals and spending will likely take a few years, according to Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, the president of the Thai Hotels Association.

It’s unlikely that large groups of visitors will immediately head to Thailand given the volatile nature of global travel and the coronavirus situation, she said.

“The light at the end of the tunnel is here, but at the same time it will be a slow climb back to the levels seen before the pandemic,” Ms Marisa said.

“Travel is still so volatile so we have to manage our risks. Keeping costs low will still remain a key strategy for all the hotels in Thailand.”

Thailand will end quarantine for vaccinated visitors from low-risk nations from Nov 1, joining a growing list of nations reopening to cross-border travellers ahead of the year-end holiday season, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Monday.

The surprise announcement saw the nation’s currency surge the most in more than two weeks, and stocks of airport operators, hotels and airlines rally to lift the benchmark index to a one-month high.

Ekasit Kunadirekwong (analyst, Krungsri Securities):
With the “bold move,” tourism recovery is expected to accelerate in the fourth quarter along with rising vaccination rate and roll-out of booster shots.

Thailand’s low vaccination rate of 32% could lead to a spike in new cases upon reopening for inbound travellers and easing of restrictions for business activities.

Krungsri expects Thailand’s population to reach 70% vaccination rate by year-end with tourist arrivals forecast maintained at 300,000 this year, 14 million in 2022, 34 million in 2023 and a rebound to pre-pandemic levels of 40 million by 2024.

 Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn (Minister for Tourism and Sports):
Thailand’s reopening plan coincides with many other nations’ efforts to allow easier cross-border travel and is a fight to win foreign tourists in the next few months.

The ministry wants to attract travellers from China the most, and may seek travel bubbles with Asean nations if they are low-risk countries and travellers have been fully vaccinated.

Sunthorn Thongthip (analyst, Kasikorn Securities):
This will help remove the barriers preventing tourists from coming to Thailand and to stimulate economic activity during the New Year festive period.

He sees upside to the Bank of Thailand’s 2022 GDP forecast of 3.9% which is based on tourist arrivals estimate of 6 million next year.

Every 3 million tourist arrivals in Thailand will create 1% upside to GDP growth.

He expects the baht to rise to 32.75 v. the US dollar by end-2021.

Kasikorn Securities is positive toward the Thai equities market as the reopening should benefit domestic and tourism-related sectors. The brokerage sees upside to its 12-month forward SET Index target of 1,680.

Kampon Adireksombat (deputy managing director, SCB Securities’ Chief Investment Office):
The reopening may be positive for Thai stocks in the short term but upside is limited as the market has partially digested the news.

The economic recovery still faces many downside risks and we need to monitor how many tourists actually come in, especially from China, the biggest source of visitors pre-Covid.

Supant Mongkolsuthree (chairman, the Federation of Thai Industries):
The reopening is necessary to boost the Thai economy as tourism accounts for more than 10% of GDP.

Thailand needs to reopen to gain more income and benefit from global economic recovery. If not, the nation will only suffer from higher costs due to rising oil prices. – Bangkok Post

Source - BangkokJack

 

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Thailand’s Maya Bay set to reopen in January

Maya Bay. Remember that breathtakingly pretty beach on Koh Phi Phi Leh off Krabi?

Now, the beach that featured in “The Beach” is now poised to reopen. The iconic natural cove of limestone karsts, turquoise waters and THAT beach was one of Thailand’s most popular attractions for a decade with up to 6,000 visitors everyday. But in the end even the local marine national park officials realized that tourists were killing Maya Bay with love.

So they closed it.

“The Beach” was a 2000 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio (and a great book) is now scheduled to reopen to tourists on January 1, 2022. This from Thailand’s Department of National Parks. The postcard attraction is sure to lure back some of the more reticent tourists who would be keen to see one of the world’s most favorite beaches, but without the mass tourism that closed it down in June 2018.

Since then the park has been devoid of tourists and allowed to rejuvenate, with a bit of help from officials and marine biologists at the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park.

Replanting coral, re-vegetating the back of the beach and construction of some protective walkways, has taken most of the 3 year break.

Koh Phi Phi Ley is one of two islands that make up the Koh Phi Phi group. Even though it’s officially part of the Krabi province, most visitors travel by speedboat from Phuket for numerous day trips. The larger Koh Phi Phi Don is somewhat of a sun and snorkel backpacker haven and as famous for its parties as it is for stunning scenery.

But it’s Phi Phi Don’s smaller and more attractive sister that has attracted so many day trippers and Instagrammers.

After the release of “The Beach” Maya Bay (the scene only occupies a few minutes of the film) became a Mecca for visitors seeking out THAT beach and the crowds kept coming. At its peak hundreds of tourists and long tail boats would be anchoring off the shores each day, delivering 5-6,000 tourists, trampling over the vegetation. The boat’s anchors almost completely destroyed the coral in the Bay.

VIDEO

 Covid, although it nothing to do with the closure of the Bay, just delayed the reopening, giving Maya Bay’s ecology an additional break before reopening.

But, as with much of Thailand post-Covid, there are new restrictions that will make the visitor experience to Maya Bay very different from the past.

Speedboats won’t even be able to enter into the actual bay anymore. A pier at the back of the island will now be the drop-off point where passengers will disembark and walk across protective boardwalks around the back of the beach.

Visits will be capped at one hour with only 8 boats allowed to tie up at the pier at any one time. The trips will all take place between 10am and 4pm daily.

At this stage the piers aren’t ready for boats and there’s now a mad dash to get everything completed before the reopening at the start of next year.

Whilst the best intentions to limit tourist traffic have been laid down – less than 2,000 tourists a day – the local tourist industry will be pushing hard for Maya Bay to accept more visitors if the demand is there. There are still lots of spare boats and crews out of work in Phuket and Krabi and they’ll be pressuring authorities to relax the restrictions. History shows, in the case of Thai tourism, market forces usually prevail.

Source - The Thaiger

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Tourists entering Thailand CONFUSED by travel rules

Just over a week after Thailand began a phased reopening to tourists, some international visitors are struggling to conquer the travel admin involved.
The country announced on 22 October that it would open to tourists from 46 countries on 1 November, starting initially with fully vaccinated travellers who apply for entry through the Thailand Pass.

In what sounded like a relatively simple system, arrivals must show a negative PCR test result before and after flying to the country, take one further test on arrival, self-isolate for one night in a hotel while the results are turned around, and – assuming the result is negative – may then freely continue their travels.

But online forums, Facebook groups and frustrated tweets tell a different story.

First, travellers to Thailand must store their proof of vaccination, passport info, health insurance document, hotel and flight bookings in the Thailand Pass, a one-stop digital system that the country brought in to replace its lengthy Certificate of Entry (CoE) process.

Once the criteria are met, the Pass generates a QR code that is scanned upon entry to the country.

However, in its first week, the Pass was so fraught with glitches and unresolved user questions that it made headlines across the country.

“Thai officials are working to fix and improve the Thailand Pass entry system for incoming passengers by air following a growing number of complaints during the week as users encountered bugs and difficulties in using the system and getting the appropriate approval in time to meet flights and bookings,” reported the Thai Examiner on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Bangkok Post reported on “complaints by some tourists that they had either experienced delays in receiving QR codes or in some cases had not received them at all, following the approval of their travel applications.”

Travellers on Facebook group Thailand Reopening reported issues ranging from never receiving a QR code despite multiple applications; the system requiring upload of a one-page insurance document when most policies are several pages long; and being rejected for including a middle name not displayed on their NHS Covid Pass.

Users of the system also reported challenges chasing up their applications once submitted, with no clear communications centre behind the digital system.

“Just sent our 10th request for the Thailand Pass, departure in 10 days (SF-Bangkok) – more than €1,200 already committed in this trip, starting to become crazy!,” tweeted Paris-based Lucie Hardy, tagging Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“My Dad finally received his QR code from Thailand Pass about 24 hours before his flight. We got there in the end but was a stressful experience,” tweeted James Goyder.

For UK-based travel writer Lucie Grace, however, who applied last Wednesday, the Thai Pass worked like a charm.

“Lots of people are getting in a flap about the Thailand pass, but mine did what it said on the tin,” she told The Independent ahead of a trip to Chiang Mai this week.

“I applied on 3 November, received it on 7 November and I’ll fly on 10 November. No complaints from me.”

She did identify one technical faff which could cause problems for less digitally confident travellers.

“It only accepts jpeg files of all your documents, which were emailed as pdfs, so I had to run everything through a converter. That could be challenging for some people.”

Meanwhile, some tourists have fallen foul of Thailand’s testing-on-arrival policy, with families forced into hotel quarantine when they tested positive.

Thailand-based journalist Richard Barrow published a newsletter earlier today about the consequences of testing positive while in the country, citing the case of a father separated from his family when he tested positive on arrival.

The man estimates that he will have to pay 350,000 Thai Baht (£7,882) towards hospital and quarantine fees if his insurance provider won’t cover it – and his wife and children may have to fly home without him as he will still be in isolation.

“I knew that I was taking a gamble when I chose to buy plane tickets as soon as the Thailand reopening was announced,” the father told Barrow.

“We lost that bet.”
Another man, James, interviewed by Barrow tested negative, but the friend he shared a car from the airport with tested positive, so he has found himself stuck in hotel quarantine regardless.

With this in mind, as her trip approaches, Lucie Grace remains anxious about the possibility of testing positive.

“My biggest concern is that I test positive on arrival. I’m doing the ‘test and go’ scheme – one night in a quarantine hotel and a PCR test. If I test positive but am asymptomatic, it’s a grey area as to whether the mandatory health insurance covers the expensive 14-day hospital stay,” she says.

“Some horror stories are coming out of £7k hospital bills, insurance companies saying ‘You’re not sick so it’s not covered’. That is my nightmare.”

Source - BangkokJack

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Tourists looking to enter Thailand past November 1 still told to book quarantine accommodations

Foreign travellers looking to enter Thailand after November 1 are still being told by overseas Thai embassies to book quarantine accomodations, multiple sources told Thai Enquirer this week, despite statements by the government saying that the country was partially opening up.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said earlier this month in a nationally televised address that Thailand will open its doors to vaccinated travelers from a list of ten “safe” countries starting November 1.

The prime minister said that it was time for the country to gradually reopen in accordance with his government’s plans. Prayut said that the decision was made with the economy in mind even though Covid-related repercussions were likely.

The United States, the United Kingdom, China, Singapore, and Germany were among the countries mentioned by Prayut as being on the list. He said more countries would be announced within days but so far no more additions to the lists have been revealed.

According to multiple travelers looking to enter the kingdom, Thai embassies overseas have told visa applicants that they have received no instructions from the foreign ministry in Bangkok about the lifting of restrictions for vaccinated travellers.

“The embassy told us we will still need a certificate of entry and still need to book quarantine accomodations,” said one foreign traveller looking to enter Thailand from the United States.

Another tourist shared a email from the London embassy which reads:

“We have not been officially advised regarding November yet. If you are planning to travel to Thailand soon, you may prepare as if you are going into a quarantine hotel.”

The tourist said he was unable to obtain a visa without booking accomodations.

Queries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were not immediately answered. It is unclear why a key communication delivered by the prime minister to the nation was not forwarded to foreign mission overseas.

Source - Thai Enquirer

Our VISA AGENT

Cambodian Travel Partner

 

The tourism sector has not just been hit hard, but suffered a massive hammer blow from the Covid19 crisis. In Cambodia, the borders have been completely closed to international tourists since the end of March. 

It is still uncertain when we will be able to receive tourists again. Unfortunately, this crisis has led to guides and drivers are out of work. Hotels, restaurants and companies that depend on the tourists are struggling daily, and sadly many have folded. Everyone is still unsure about exactly how long this will last. In Cambodia just over 300 people have been infected by the virus, no one in the ICU and thankfully there have been no fatalities to date. These are the official government figures which some still question, but the fact is that there is no overcrowding of the hospitals, or mass infections like we can see in many parts or Europe. We sometimes wonder if the side effects of the COVID measures taken may be times greater than the results of controlling the virus itself.
Whatever the final outcome of the Corona Virus is, and how long it will continue remains to be seen as, sadly, many places are still in its grip. What we do know, however, is that many thousands, tens of thousands of Cambodians have been thrown back into poverty. It is so distressing to see that many hard-working people with a bright future are struggling again and are at the mercy of government assistance. Many have been left behind with huge debts, no income and with all the consequences that entails.

Also our travel agency has also been hit hard. We paid our staff 100% for the first few months even though there was no work. Well, no new work, just cancelling bookings. After that we continued to pay half of the salaries and the staff only worked 2 days a week, mostly helping us with jobs in the garden. In August, sadly, with no more work to do, we were left with no choice but to lay off our staff. Luckily everyone found other work, and 1 staff member stayed with us because we can now also rent jeeps to Cambodians.

Despite all the misery, we are still positive about the future and we have been working hard to give our websites a new look.  New inspirations and ideas to create a dream holiday for people when the situation allows. We would love you to have a look and let us know what you think.
Please take a few minutes and explore:
cambodia-travelpartner.com and cambodiajeep.com

We firmly believe that there will come a time when it will be possible to travel again. Maybe in a different way, and perhaps being more aware of how people travel. For us, not much will change; it has been our motto from the very beginning to offer special, responsible, small scale tours in Cambodia. Individual trips in boutique hotels and, whenever possible, off the beaten track.

What could be nicer to dream of your new holiday in the dark days in which we now live in? We would love to put together a nice program for you now, without any obligations, and when the travel is possible again, we will put everything into action to create your dream holiday.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Here’s to creating new, happier memories in 2021!

Andre and Lily Ruys
 
Recommended by ASIAN TRAVEL NETWORK

Up to 150,000 foreigners in Thailand face jail for overstaying visas as govt ends Covid-19 grace period

 

Tens of thousands of foreign nationals in Thailand risk fines and even prison for failing to renew their visas. Bangkok has been lenient about expired visas due to the corona-virus crisis but announced it will start cracking down.

Foreigners in the country will have until September 26 to make sure their visas are up-to-date, a spokesperson for Thailand’s Immigration Bureau said. Overstaying a tourist visa in the country could result in jail time and a fine. Offenders are also deported back to their home countries. There are currently more than 150,000 foreigners staying in Thailand on tourist visas, the bureau said.

Countless foreign travelers were stranded in Thailand when the corona-virus pandemic hit in March. As the health crisis halted international flights and sealed borders, Bangkok said it would not take action against individuals with expired visas. But with things opening back up, the government has decided to resume normal enforcement of immigration laws. Those with expired visas will incur a daily fine for not coming forward, as authorities use registration databases to track down unwanted guests in the country.

The crackdown comes as Thailand moves to re-open its tourist industry. Last week the country’s cabinet approved visas of up to 270 days for long-stay tourists. The government hopes to attract visitors starting in October, but only people from countries that have contained the corona-virus outbreak will be welcome. Travelers will also be encouraged to fly directly to Thailand and will be required to undergo a two-week quarantine upon arrival. 

Source - Pattaya News

All Travelers to Thailand Require Mandatory Health Insurance

  

 A consortium of 16 health insurance companies in Thailand are now offering all travellers to Thailand travellers the mandatory insurance cover valued at USD100,000.

Thailand’s Office of Insurance confirmed last week that it has set up a consortium of insurance companies offering Covid-19 insurance online. Above all as the country prepares to reopen its borders to travelers.

Once the country reopens all foreigners entering Thailand will need to buy Covid-19 insurance. But until the door reopens the scheme will make it easier for foreigners who are currently eligible to travel to Thailand to acquire the mandatory insurance cover online.

In addition to having insurance cover, travelers need to provide the nearest Thai embassy with a Fit to Fly Health Certificate and a negative  RT-PCR swab test valid within 72 hours of the flight departing for Thailand. They are issued with a certificate of entry when they have fulfilled all the conditions and have a confirmed flight date.
Covid-19 insurance policy covers both deaths due to the disease

They must also have an appropriate visa that fits the approved category of travel. Tourist visas for leisure travel are not being issued. The Covid-19 insurance policy covers both deaths due to the disease as well as medical expenses for those undergoing treatment.

In case of death caused by the Covid-19, the policy pays for funeral expenses and the repatriation of the corpse or ashes to the country of origin. The maximum payout is THB3.2 million.

For medical expenses linked to the treatment of Covid-19, including the period of hospitalization (inpatient or outpatient). The maximum payout is  THB3.2 million.

Foreigners who buy insurance cover as part of the requirements to fulfill conditions to travel to Thailand must pay the insurance premium according to the period of their stay from 30 days to a maximum of one year.

The premium is set against benchmarks that identify the Covid-19 risk in the country of origin; the lower the risk, the lower the premium.

Insurance premium cover starts at THB1,600  and can be as high as THB14,400 for low-risk countries. Foreigners from countries with moderate risk are likely to pay an insurance premium of between THB2,560  to THB23,040. If the traveller is from a high-risk country, the insurance premium could be as high as THB43,200.

Insurance companies participating in the scheme include:

Assets Insurance Co Ltd (Thailand); Chubb Insurance Company Limited ( Thailand ); Navakij Insurance Co Ltd;  Pacific Cross Health Insurance, Thailand );  Falcon Insurance Co Ltd (Thailand ); East Insurance, Asia Insurance 1950; Bangkok Life Assurance Ltd; Thailand Life Insurance; and also Thailand Life Insurance.

“Development of an insurance policy that provides protection for foreigners entering Thailand supports government policy and will help restore the economy of the country,” said the OIC secretary-general.

Source: TTR Weekly

Visa amnesty extension for foreigners “being considered”

Thailand’s Immigration Bureau is considering extending the current visa amnesty for foreigners stranded in Thailand. The Foreign Ministry’s deputy spokesperson made the announcement at this morning’s daily Covid-19 briefing by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.

The Cabinet’s last resolution was to grant an automatic visa extension for foreigners stranded here to stay until July 30. The deputy spokesperson asked for patience and said the bureau’s decision on the subject will announced soon.

In April, the Cabinet granted a second automatic visa extension for foreigners for 3 months. The extended amnesty was a bid to prevent long queues at immigration centres around the country. A spokeswoman for the Thai government said then that they wanted to stem the spread of the virus and avoid foreigners having to wait in lines, threatening their own health and that of immigration officials.

Only 1 new case of the virus was reported in Thailand today, a 24 year old woman who returned from Bahrain on June 28 and tested positive in state quarantine in Chon Buri province after showing symptoms.

As of today the total number of confirmed cases in the country since the outbreak stands at 3,180 (2,444 domestic cases and 243 in state quarantine). 3,066 have recovered and been discharged, making the recovery rate 96%. There have been 58 deaths.

Globally, the total number of confirmed cases reached 11 million, up by 179,000 in Thursday (up an additional million in less than a week). 5.9 million people have recovered while total deaths now stand at 524,580.

Source - The Thaiger / Bangkok Jack

Understanding Travel Restrictions in Thailand and Across Asia

Most tourist hotspots in Asia and Southeast Asia still remain out of bounds to international flights as travel restrictions remain due to the covid-19 pandemic. However some countries including Thailand are now making arrangements to lift the travel restrictions.

The Foreign Ministry has informed Thailand’s foreign chambers of commerce that foreigners who have work permits or permission from Thai government agencies will soon be allowed to enter Thailand.

Foreigners with work permits will be allowed to return once the aviation rules change. Unfortunately spouses and families are not included in the stipulation.

Travel Restrictions in place for Asian countries

THAILAND:

A ban on commercial international flights has been extended until end June. Nationals and foreigners with work permits can return on charter flights. But citizens need to provide certificates issued by Thai embassies, and foreigners are required to present a negative coronavirus test. There is a mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival.

Thailand hopes to lift travel restrictions and reopen to limited international tourism later this year for “low-risk” countries including China and South Korea.

AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND:

Borders are effectively closed except for returning citizens and residents, who are quarantined for 14 days. The two countries have talked about a possible “travel bubble” between them but New Zealand has said that is unlikely to happen while travel between Australian states remains restricted. A travel bubble may include Pacific Islands.

CHINA:

Citizens can return under their travel restrictions, but the entry of most foreigners is banned. Including those with valid visas and residence permits, remains suspended.

It has, however, signed a fast-track programme with South Korea and Singapore to allow essential business travel and is in talks with more countries to do so.

It has also allowed foreign executives and technical personnel from some other nations to enter on pre-approved charter flights, sometimes with reduced quarantine, to accelerate the resumption of business.

INDIA:

Borders are effectively closed as coronavirus cases have surged to over 267,000. India said this week it will take a call on resuming international flights as soon as countries ease restrictions on foreign nationals.

 INDONESIA:

Citizens and long-term pass holders may enter, but must bring documents showing they are free of the coronavirus or undergo tests at the airport. The country is opening up domestic travel from Wednesday with safety and quarantine measures.

JAPAN:

The country is considering an easing of travel curbs, although it is likely to require testing and the submission of a travel itinerary,Reuters reported. It is in talks with some countries to reopen borders, with business travellers and medical staff expected to be fast-tracked.

MALAYSIA:

Borders remain effectively closed, but interstate travel will be allowed starting June 10. Returning Malaysians who test negative can self-isolate at home for 14 days starting Wednesday, instead of at a quarantine centre.

SINGAPORE:

Singapore is allowing travellers to transit through its main airport, but borders remain effectively closed. It is in talks with some countries about reopening travel links, including Malaysia and New Zealand.

SOUTH KOREA:

A few international flights continue to operate. All citizens and foreigners who enter are quarantined for two weeks. Diplomats or foreigners with official business status are exempted from mandatory quarantine but are tested on arrival.

TAIWAN:

Borders remain closed other than for citizens, foreigners with residence permits and a few other exceptions. Everyone coming in has to undergo a 14-day quarantine. The government said it will be cautious when looking at whether to ease border restrictions given the serious situation still in many countries.

A limited number of international flights continue to operate.

VIETNAM:

Borders remain closed except for citizens as well as foreign experts with valid work permits and negative coronavirus test certificates who are returning on charter flights. A 14-day quarantine upon arrival is mandatory.

The government on Tuesday said it was seeking to end travel restrictions and reinstate international flights. Only to countries that had been free of the virus for 30 days. Flights would resume these with limited frequency and priority given to foreign experts and investors.

Source - The Chiang Rai Times

#Thailand may hold a July Songkran event if Covid-19 situation remains stable

Thai citizens are being dangled a carrot – the chance to celebrate Songkran in July. Usually the annual water festival, traditionally the end of the dry season and the start of the wet season, is held on April 13. The event has become a big tourist magnet over the past decade as it’s morphed from traditional Buddhist festival into organised water fights in the streets of Bangkok and tourist towns.

This year it was cancelled as the country was busy being not busy; locked down in their homes instead of outside splashing water everywhere. But the government says they may still hold a Songkran festival in July instead IF the third phase of the easing of lockdown restrictions goes smoothly this month.

'Phase 3’ started rolling out yesterday and opens up just about everything excepting bars and pubs, and some other entertainment venues. 16 business types and leisure activities resumed yesterday. The curfew has also been reduced to 11pm to 3am daily.

Phuket seems to be trailing behind the rest of the country with a ban on its beaches and airport still in place.

CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin says the Government might declare special public holidays in July to celebrate Songkran. The festival, apart from all the water splashing, is the biggest family get-together of the year when people head back ‘up country’ for large family celebrations. The festival is also the most dangerous time on Thailand’s roads each year.

Dr. Taweesin says the CCSA will assess the results of phase three relaxations this month, adding that…”if the Covid-19 situation improves satisfactorily and people strictly observe the basic guidelines of social distancing, regular hand washing and face mask wearing, it might ask the Government to declare special public holidays in July”.

We’re not sure what “improves satisfactorily” means given that there have no recorded local transmutations of Covid-19 for over a week. All the latest cases are from Thais repatriating on specially organised charter flights from overseas whereby all arrivals must spend 14 days in supervised quarantine.

There is still a state of emergency in effect until at least the end of the June which provides Thai PM Prayut and his appointed committee in the CCSA sweeping powers to address the Covid-19 situation in Thailand without consulting parliament.

Source - The Thaiger

Lockdown Collapsed #Thailand’s lucrative sex-industry

The black leather party masks that performers May and Som wear for their fetish shows in Bangkok are definitely not the sort to stop the corona-virus.

Behind closed doors, they practise for the day when health restrictions are lifted and tourists return, but they have no idea when and worry that the city’s infamous Patpong red-light district could be very different by then.

“This kind of place will be the last to reopen,” said May 31. Like Som, she goes only by her Thai nickname.

“Even when it does reopen, customers will be worried about their safety,” she said at the BarBar club on Patpong’s Soi 2 street. BarBar and other clubs such as “Bada Bing” and “Fresh Boys” are shuttered and the nights are largely silent.

Thailand shut bars and clubs in mid-March as corona-virus cases surged. It halted international passenger flights, stopping the tourism that had made Bangkok the world’s most visited city for four years.

Patpong went dark.

But residents say the decline had already begun for a red-light district that flourished in the 1970s as a rest stop for U.S. forces in Indochina.

“This COVID-19 is an accelerant of change,” said Michael Ernst, an Austrian 25-year veteran of the district and former bar owner who opened the Patpong Museum weeks before the new corona-virus reached Thailand.

“The go-go bar and its very one-dimensional concept of a stage and ladies dancing on it with a number. I think that’s already over, they just don’t know that yet.”

SHIFT

The number of go-go bars in Patpong district has waned in recent years as business has moved to other parts of Bangkok or online and as sex tourism has become a smaller part of the overall tourism industry for Thailand.

For decades, tourism figures were skewed towards men. But the growing importance of Chinese visitors in particular changed that. In 2018, more than 53 percent of tourists were women.

Nonetheless, Patpong’s nightlife district employed thousands of people, mostly young women. Most are now among the 2 million Thais the state planning agency believes may be made unemployed this year because of the impact of the virus.

BarBar is still paying some workers. But the manager of at least one go-go bar on Soi 2 just abandoned the lease.

Patpong had never known it as bad, said 70-year-old Pratoomporn Somritsuk, who for 35 years has run the Old Other Office drinking den.

“A lot of ladies here working in nightlife are mostly from a poor family or upcountry,” she said. “They have no chance to go work in a company.”

The lockdown has meant the whole sex industry has collapsed. Online escort service Smooci said activity in Bangkok fell to 10 percent in April.

Thailand has now begun to lift some movement restrictions with infections at over 3,000 and deaths nearly 60, but neither rising rapidly. There is talk of tourism resuming.

But a health ministry spokesman said that nightlife venues would be among the last to reopen.

“In the new normal, Patpong will have to adapt a lot. It may end up looking different, but this change will be for the better,” Rungruang Kitpati said.

Social distancing and the sex industry are hard to make compatible, however.

“I can provide alcohol gel or temperature checks,” said 38-year-old Jittra Nawamawat, one of BarBar’s founders. “But staying one metre apart is impossible.” – Reuters

Source - Bangkok Jack

#Vietnam eyes tourism revival with select openings for foreign visitors

Vietnam’s tourism industry is preparing different plans to welcome foreign visitors from countries and territories that have contained the coronavirus pandemic.

Nguyen Trung Khanh, director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said the industry is preparing plans to welcome visitors from countries and territories that have responded effectively to the pandemic.

Tourism officials will submit to the government a schedule for gradually easing visa restrictions and resuming some international flight routes, Khanh told VnExpress.

Though Vietnam's Covid-19 situation remains under control as the country has gone 36 days without any coronavirus cases caused by community transmission, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc late last week ordered to continue with tough measures to prevent infections from abroad.

Phuc, however, asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and submit to the government a reopening plan for international tourists.

More than a month after the government relaxed social distancing restrictions, Vietnam remains closed to foreign arrivals, with rare exceptions.

Reopening scenarios

Khanh said in case the pandemic is contained by September in some key source markets, VNAT will propose relaxing restrictions and the re-launching of promotions to attract visitors from these markets. "If this happens, Southeast and Northeast Asia will be the first markets to be targeted by VNAT’s promotion programs in the fourth quarter."

He said this would require a mechanism for mutual validation of medical control standards with other countries.

If the pandemic lasts until the end of the year, VNAT will consider other options, he added, without elaborating.

The tourism administration stated that it was preparing plans to welcome foreign tourists in anticipation of recovery and disease control in key markets like South Korea, mainland China, Japan, Taiwan and several ASEAN members.

Ken Atkinson, vice chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board, said the first countries to target could be Australia and New Zealand, which are responding well to the Covid-19 crisis.

"However, as China and Korea are our two biggest inbound source markets it is important to have plans in place to reopen travel from those markets as soon as it is safe," he said.

Atkinson told at a tourism meeting Thursday that Vietnam can consult Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand on opening separate resorts for foreign tourists to ensure their safety.

William Haandrikman, general manager of Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, said Asian markets were likely to be the first to recover.

In the meantime, "we have had to re-invent ourselves to focus directly on the local domestic market as well as regional Asian markets," he noted.

Partial resumption of flights

At Thursday’s tourism meeting, local carriers Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways expressed their hopes of resuming international flights. The international tourist market accounts for around 50 percent of their revenues.

Earlier, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) had proposed a partial lifting of the suspension on international flights starting June 1, with limited frequency, giving priority to foreign experts and investors, while ensuring strict maintenance of anti-pandemic measures.

With an international flight ban in place, Vietnam saw a 38 percent year-on-year drop in the number of January-April foreign visitors to 3.7 million, accompanied by corresponding 45 percent drop in tourism revenues to VND7.9 trillion ($337 million).

Pandemic success model

Vietnam has garnered international praise as a "successful model" in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic and some media sections have promoted the country as "a safe destination post Covid-19 pandemic."

The country has led the way in protecting its citizens from the coronavirus, and not a single death has been reported, Matt Young, secretary of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AusCham), noted in an interview with Australian news channel 7News.

Young called on Australians to visit Vietnam when it’s possible, calling the country a safe, hospitable country with several stunning landscapes. "Tourism is very important for the economy and (Vietnam is) a beautiful country. It will be great to see Australians back in Vietnam," he said.

New York-based travel magazine Travel + Leisure included only Vietnam and the Philippines from Southeast Asia in a recent listing of 17 must-to-go destinations in the world after the Covid-19 crisis ends.

Survey results released earlier this month by Thailand-headquartered hospitality consulting group C9 Hotelworks and communication firm Delivering Asia Communications showed that nearly half of surveyed Chinese travelers said they plan to travel overseas during the remainder of 2020 if the pandemic is contained, and 45 percent of these said Vietnam would feature on their list.

While Vietnam is expected to become one of the first Southeast Asian nations to kickoff its economic revival, the continued ban on foreign visitors has prompted the local industry to focus on promoting domestic tourism.

A tourism promotion campaign called "Vietnamese People Travel in Vietnam" debuted last week, aiming to "introduce quality tourism products and service packages at reasonable prices."

The move puts Vietnam ahead of its regional tourism competitors such as Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, where travel restrictions are only starting to lift.

Vietnam's popular tourist destinations have reopened. The government has recently allowed most non-essential services except karaoke parlors and discos to resume operation.

The country's count of active Covid-19 cases has been 58 as 266 have recovered after treatment.

Source VN Express

One of Thailand’s Richest Men Says Its Time to Welcome Back Tourists

One of Thailand’s richest men is urging the government to relax lockdown measures and welcome tourists back as soon as possible. Furthermore to turn the country into a “safe haven” for wealthy visitors.

Billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont who is the senior chairman of the kingdom’s largest food and agriculture conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, said the move would help revive the tourism sector.

“Thailand’s economic losses from the lockdown are estimated to be at 16 billion baht per day or almost 500 billion per month,” he told the Bangkok Post. “A longer lockdown will cost us more and more we need tourism.”

Thailand has been under lockdown since March 9th, 2020. After the government acted to stem an increase in confirmed Covid-19 coronavirus cases. The government said the coronavirus infection rate is now about 1%.

The economic impact of the lockdown is apparent as millions of workers applied for unemployment benefits. The tourism sector is also hit hard after the kingdom stopped taking in foreign visitors.

Thailand reports zero new covid-19 coronavirus cases

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) report zero new infections on Wednesday. The first time in 65 days since the lockdown began. The kingdom has recorded 3,017 cases.

“We can’t wait until a vaccine is developed and produced in sufficient quantity to roll out to the entire population,” Mr Dhanin said. “The economy won’t survive that long.” We need to tourists to come back to Thailand.

He said Thailand’s tourism sector accounts for 16-17% percent of the countries GDP. It should be revived due to improvements in the virus situation.

Mr Dhanin also proposed the government attract high-spending tourists from across the world. Above all by highlighting Thailand’s success in containing the Covid-19 Coronavirus.

“The number of infection and death cases in Thailand is very low compared with other countries. Even though our lockdown began later,” he said. “There were also a large number of Chinese tourists in the country.”

“This reflects the doctors and hospitals in Thailand are the best and we need to tell the world about it,” he said.

Mr Dhanin topped Forbes magazine’s “Thailand’s 50 Richest” this year. He is among 20 Billionaires in Thailand whom Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha asked to develop relief projects to help people affected by the outbreak.

Source - Chiang Rai Times

This Virtual Vacation to Australia Has an Itinerary Packed With Free Activities

I don't know about you, but I'd go for just about any vacation right now. Send me on a trip to middle-of-nowhere Indiana and I'd be jumping for joy (I can say that because I'm Midwestern, OK!?). But the whole travel thing is a no-go for the indefinite future, so we've gotta come up with creative ways to satisfy our wanderlust.

The solution? A virtual vacation to Australia. The country's tourism board is hosting a streamed travel activation, dubbed Live from Aus, for an entire weekend, kicking off Friday, May 15, at 5pm EST. Workout with Chris Hemsworth's trainers in Byron Bay, get up close and personal with crocs, and let your kids dance it out with The Wiggles, among other activities.

The itinerary also includes front row seats for the Penguin Parade -- which is exactly what it sounds like -- on Phillip Island and an underwater tour of the Great Barrier Reef. Because drinking and eating is unequivocally the best part about vacation (tell me I'm wrong), you'll learn how to throw an Aussie-style BBQ, hit up a dinner party with famed Chef Matt Moran, and experience a sommelier-led wine tasting.

The weekend-long event features free and live content every single hour on the hour and it's available to stream directly on the Tourism Australia's social media channels, including Facebook and YouTube. But if you've already got weekend plans (you shouldn't) the series will also be available on the Australia.com website afterwards.

Browse the full virtual itinerary and plan your days accordingly. 

Source - Thrillist

Over 30 percent of tourist sites reopened in #China

A total of 3,714 tourist sites in 28 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities on the Chinese mainland had reopened as of Monday, accounting for over 30 percent of the total, said an official Wednesday.

This came as part of the efforts to resume work and operation in the cultural and tourism sector as the situation concerning the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is improving in the country, according to Gao Zheng, head of the industrial development department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The reopened sites mainly include outdoor sites such as mountains, hills and parks, and no cases of COVID-19 had been reported in these spots, he said.

Moreover, over 180 museums had reopened as of Sunday, and construction of a number of museums also restarted, he said.

Epidemic prevention and control measures such as online real-name reservations to control the number of visitors were taken by the museums based on the instructions of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, according to Gao.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Visitors vanish from Asia's most visited sites

As dawn breaks the unmistakable tapered towers of Angkor Wat emerge from the gloom - but for once there are no tourists jostling on its steps to capture Cambodia's most famous sunrise.

Asia's most Instagrammable sites - temples, promenades, shopping streets,

museums and mausoleums - are empty, victims of a virus keeping visitors at home.

The usual crowds have evaporated from Sensoji temple in Tokyo to Shanghai's Bund; abandoning the viewpoint at The Peak in Hong Kong and alleviating the pedestrian crush along Sydney Harbour.

Many of the now vanished visitors are from China - a country whose travelers have completely reshaped the tourist economies of Asia over the last few years, yet where only around 10 percent of the population hold passports.

At the Angkor Wat complex, a 12th century marvel of Khmer architecture whose unique crenellations and reliefs lure millions each year, high season has brought the lowest number of tourists on record.

Chinese-speaking Cambodian guide Hor Sophea has not taken any tours since late January. Several weeks on, money is getting tight.

"I've never seen so few tourists," said the 36-year, gesturing at the large moat inside the Angkor Wat complex, whose gangways normally bustle with selfie-taking hordes but are now empty.

"I am very worried... I don't know how much longer we can carry on like this."

The Angkor complex in Siem Reap province attracts the bulk of the kingdom's foreign tourists -- which hit a record 6.6 million in 2019, nearly half of whom were from China.

But the outbreak of the coronavirus has withered Chinese tourist arrivals by 90 percent.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced tax breaks for hotels and guesthouses in Siem Reap for four months to offset the losses.

But the discovery on Saturday of the first Cambodian with the infection - in Siem Reap - is likely to cement the stay-at-home mentality among many travelers.

The economic impact is also cascading across Asia.

In Bali, piers once bristling with arrivals from China are now decorated with moored boats, while in Tokyo the slump in mainland visitors - as well as South Koreans - is hammering restaurants in tourist areas.

At the Tsukiji fish market some restaurants say their take is nearly 70 percent down.

"People stopped coming from China during the Lunar New Year... the streets and shops around here are near-empty," Hiroshi Oya, 61, a cook at a Japanese seafood restaurant told AFP.

"Then South Koreans stopped coming too. The tuna shop next to us decided to close temporarily to avoid running costs," he added.

But for those who are inured to the panic gripping the globe and choose to navigate travel restrictions and the morass of quarantine, a rare privilege of empty sites is their reward.

At the Angkor complex, even Ta Prohm -- the 'Tomb Raider Temple' famed for its embrace by giant tree roots and a Hollywood film franchise -- has only a smattering of visitors each day.

"We're very very lucky. Covid-19 has probably done us a favor," Australian tourist Andres Medenis, who came for sunrise at Angkor Wat, told AFP.

"But the economy is going to be really affected by that... so I feel sorry for the local people." 

The JakartPost

Travel giant Expedia says it will cut 3,000 jobs

Online travel giant Expedia will cut about 3,000 jobs after what the company described in a statement as "disappointing" performance last year.

The firm, which operates its flagship travel site as well as Hotels.com, Hotwire, Travelocity, Cheaptickets, Egencia and CarRentals.com, said on Monday the decision was made after determining it had been "pursuing growth in an unhealthy and undisciplined way."

"Great tech companies have walked this same path in order to come back stronger and more competitive than ever. We have restarted the journey and bringing the world within reach is in our hands," the company said.

Expedia's share price rose 1.4 percent after markets opened on Tuesday.

During a February 13 earnings call, Diller called the organization "bloated" and said many employees didn't know what "they were supposed to do during the day."

Diller also said he was aiming for savings of $300-500 million in 2020.

Over the course of 2019, sales increased by eight percent, net income by four percent and earnings per share by six percent.

By the end of December, the company had 25,400 employees around the globe. The job cuts will eliminate about 12 percent of the workforce.

But company leadership revealed that in the last quarter, net profit had gone down four percent and earnings per share had gone down one percent.

In early December, Expedia announced the immediate departures of chief executive Mark Okserstrom and chief financial officer Alan Pickerill after what the company termed "disappointing" third-quarter results.

Source - TheJakartaPost