Plan for Travel bubbles in the fridge: "For the time being no foreign tourists to Thailand"

Travel bubbles are likely to be delayed after several countries eyed for the scheme have seen a resurgence of Covid-19 cases, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT).

CAAT director-general Chula Sukmanop said even though talks about travel bubble arrangements continue with a number of countries including China, Japan and South Korea, the scheme will be put on hold due to a resurgence in infections. He said Thailand will be closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation this month.

The government has come up with a plan to launch travel bubbles with several countries with low corona-virus risk, originally starting in August.

Mr Chula said that local tourism is vital to rebuilding the country's aviation industry and noted that demand for domestic travel is picking up after airlines resume operations and business operators launch promotional campaigns to boost travel.

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said on Tuesday that public safety is the top priority for the government as it considers reopening the country to international travelers.

Mr Saksayam called on airlines to wait for a clear policy from the government and the CAAT when asked about reports about airlines preparing to resume international flights in September.

Earlier an epidemiologist at Chulalongkorn University urged the government to use extreme caution when considering travel bubble arrangements because the Covid-19 pandemic is still ravaging many parts of the world.

Source - Bangkok Post

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

Get paid to travel in Thailand starting July 15

Travel again with taxpayer help when a program to boost domestic tourism begins July 15.

That’s the new date for the THB22.4-billion fund to begin subsidizing travel and accommodations for Thai nationals 20 and up through October, the cabinet announced today. It’s also when travelers can register with Krung Thai Bank, where they must hold an account to participate.

Though the ban on international travel will be lifted Wednesday, strict rules will limit who can enter the kingdom, and tourists will not be allowed in for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Pocket Money app (iOS and Android) will provide a promotional code that must be used to access the funds.

Registered users can get 40% of their accommodation expense – capped at THB3,000 per night – for up to five nights one time only during the program. They must book a place outside their home province at least three days in advance.

Those who reserve their stays that way will also get a THB600 e-voucher to use for food and services in the destination province while they travel until on their day of check-out.

Thirdly, is a travel subsidy for about 2 million people. Capped at THB1,000, it will cover domestic air travel, interprovincial buses and car rentals.

Medical workers and volunteers on the front lines of combating the COVID-19 outbreak will get a thank you in the form of THB2,000 per person for travel booked through an agent.

Source - Coconuts

Govt offers July 27 as first compensation for Songkran

This year’s Songkran holidays will be tied in with the king’s birthday, government spokesperson Narumon Pinyosinwat announced on Monday (June 29).

The holidays will run from July 25 to July 28 (the King’s birthday), with Monday, July 27 marked as the first compensatory holiday for Songkran, which had been cancelled earlier this year due to the pandemic.

Decision on compensation for the other two days of the three-day festival is still pending.

The Cabinet has been postponing making a decision on new dates for Songkran holidays in line with measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. 

Source - Pattaya One News

Once-Bustling with Foreign Tourists Bangkok Now a Ghost Town

Hotels are shuttered in the dark, bars are closed and empty food carts are seen around Bangkok’s once-bustling with foreign tourists. The silence shrouds the city’s party land despite the easing COVID-19 lockdown measures.

“Bangkok at night is deserted as never before. I can’t believe it is a tourist haven where I’ve been living all my life. It’s almost a ghost town,” said local resident Anan who lives near Sukhumvit 24. An area home to starred hotels, large shopping malls, high-end and popular restaurants in central Bangkok.

Thailand has recorded no local transmission of COVID-19 for 35 consecutive days with all of the recorded infections being Thais returning from abroad.

Although the curfew imposed since April to contain coronavirus has been lifted and most businesses are allowed to open, most of them kept their doors closed.

“I sat around here the whole day. You’re the second visitor to the shop. Foreigners are major visitors here, but now we could hardly see them,” Apple, a masseuse in downtown Bangkok, told Xinhua.

“I got only 30 percent of my normal earnings, which could barely afford meals, but better than nothing,” said the 45-year-old with two children under 10.

Absence of foreign tourists in Bangkok

Apple left her hometown in southern Thailand and went back to Bangkok on June 1 when the country allowed massage parlors to reopen. “I can’t wait any more,” she said.

“The absence of foreign tourists means business is still very slow. We recalled only five workers from 15 of them,” said Rada, owner of the massage parlor.

Inbound international tourists remains banned. Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority said commercial international flights will not resume in the months to come.

“We are operating at a loss, but we have to reopen to survive till foreign tourists return,” said Rada with a bitter smile who offered a free coupon for every visitor at her parlor.

Rada is not the only one who tries all her ways to woo the customers back. Grand sales are seen in every shopping mall in the city, offering the best deal of the year with discounts up to 90 percent.

With no foreign tourists, tourism hotspots like Pattaya and Phuket have been hit even harder than Bangkok.

Bangkok Businesses face collapse

Tourism contributes to 18 percent of the country’s GDP, of which 12 percent or 2 trillion baht (about 66 billion U.S. dollars) comes from international tourists.

Most tourist businesses are set up for foreign visitors. Without international tourists, most hotels, shops and restaurants have to shut their doors and many face business collapse.

In the first five months this year, Thailand takes in about 17 billion dollars, a 57-percent drop from last year. The state planning agency estimates the country’s economy will shrink 5 percent to 6 percent this year. Its worst performance since the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis.

“The tourism sector of Thailand is in the plight of oversupply due to the absence of foreign tourists. To make it survive and fill the void of the foreign market, the cabinet has approved stimulus packages worth about 740 million dollars,” Yuthasak Supaporn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), told Xinhua.

He said the government will offer coupons on accommodation, transport, food and tourist attractions to stimulate 2 million domestic trips from July to October.

“All the measures are aimed to reinvigorate tourism by encouraging domestic spending and converting Thailand’s 12 million local outbound travelers into domestic tourists,” said Yuthatsak.

To regain tourist confidence, the TAT has set up Safety and Health Administration (SHA) certification for tourism business on hygiene, health and cleanliness. The TAT expects 70 percent of the tourism supply chain will join the new safety standards in two years.

Thailand mulling reopening to foreign tourists
The government also floated an idea to help hard-hit hotels by encouraging them to offer “alternative quarantine” to a limited group of foreign travelers to the country.

Foreign business people who registered for a self-funded covid-19 isolation package at luxury hotels, known as “alternative state quarantine,” are permitted to fly into the country. Hotels can sell them with upgraded accommodation and private doctor consultations.

As foreign tourism remains a vital part of the Thai economy, the kingdom is mulling to reopen its door to foreign tourists.

The current phase of border reopening is strictly limited to business trips. Skilled workers, expats with Thai families, students, and teachers are expected to be covered in the next phase, which may take place on July 1.

Meanwhile, ways in which the country can safely allow the return of tourists are being reviewed. Among them is the idea of “travel bubbles.” The bubbles would involve reciprocal travel arrangements with other countries. Only countries that have shown they can effectively contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to spokesman for the government’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration Taweesin Wisanuyothin, short-term business travellers from China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore might be allowed back without having to spend 14 days in quarantine.

The relax of immigration rules

He said the Covid-19 “travel bubbles” idea has not been finalized but it was clear that it would not allow hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists to visit Thailand per year. Adding that the plan will not be rolled out before August.

“The plan needs more talks, the fear of further outbreak still haunts tourism demand. The relax of immigration rules will be step by step. Probably starting from limited destinations like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket,” said the TAT governor.

“Tourism sector will be reset in the pandemic. We are turning away from mass tourism. Targeting wealthy groups, balancing the domestic and international markets will be the trend,” he said.

“It will not return to the past when the influx of international travellers created euphoric sentiment for the country,” said Annan. He just ended his second trip with his family around the country within two weeks.

School closure continues. Hotels and meals are in exaggerate discount. It’s golden time to travel with your kids everywhere in Thailand without being disturbed by noisy tour crowds, he said.

“Gone is humanity, the crowds, the diners, the drunks. What a time of hard-won quietness! Yet I miss the roar of tuk-tuk cars at midnight, the noisy street full of bewildered foreign tourists. Also touting vendors-the messy charm of the city,” said Annan.

“We are expecting Bangkok to return to what it was before. However, the empty streets remind me that the fun and charm of Bangkok will depart for a long time,” said Annan. Enditem

Source - Chiang Rai Times

#Thailand’s Immigration Eases Reporting Rules for Foreigners

Thailand’s Immigration Bureau reports property owners will no longer be required to report foreign tenants at their properties as often as before. The Immigration Bureau has changed the reporting frequency to only when they arrive.

Section 38 of the Immigration Act requires that property or hotel owners who take in foreigners as guests notify officials within 24 hours.

They do not need to file the reports again if the guests leave the premises temporarily and then return. Or when they have multiple-entry visas or re-entry permits. The bureau called the amendment “a move to end duplication”.

Landlords are still required to report the arrivals of tenants within 24 hours or face a fine up to 10,000 baht.

Landlords include Thai and foreigners property owners

The change followed complaints from property owners about the need to repeatedly file TM30 reports on their foreign guests. Especially every time they arrive at their properties. Complaints were also lodged by foreigners who were unable to get services at immigration offices. Especially for not being able to prove that TM30s had been filed on their behalf.

Landlords include Thai and foreigners who own properties in Thailand. Also hotel managers and other accommodation operators the Immigration Bureau reports.

Property owners are required to file TM30 reports at www.immigration.go.th website; or submit them in person or by mail to the immigration offices in their provinces; or the Immigration Division 1 Office at Government Complex on Chaeng Watthana Road in the case of Bangkok, the Bangkok Post report.

Seven Groups of Foreigners to be Allowed Entry into Thailand

Meanwhile, A spokesman for the Immigration Bureau in Thailand has announced plans to allow seven groups of foreigners to enter the country. They have divided the foreigners into two main groups.

The first group may not include those under the so-called “travel bubble” international pact. Because they may be required to undertake state quarantine on entry:

1. Businessman and investors

2. Skilled labourers and exporters who need to inspect factories or for specific business purposes (around 22,000 have registered).

3. Foreigners married to Thais, or permanent residents of Thailand (around 2,000 have registered).

4. Medical and wellness tourists (around 30,000 have registered).

The other group comprises foreign travelers who won’t need quarantine on entry:

1. Businessman on short-duration stays, including those coming into the country for business discussions. This group might need a specific area and intense screening both before travel and at arrival at airports. Considered a “power group”, these are entrepreneurs who will visit the country to sign business contracts or inspect sites or factories, which is essential to the economy.

2. Government guests who are invited for ceremonies or specific seminars.

3. Tourists under the travel bubble. Dr Taweesin said that the target countries are China, Japan and South Korea, which are presently trying to contain the virus.

Furthermore the Immigration Bureau aims to discuss the issue in depth with the Cabinet after finalizing the details.

Source - Chiang Rai Times

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Bars and Nightlife Venues to Finally Reopen in #Thailand

There are some agencies that insist on reopening entertainment venues to liven up the Bangkok nightlife as long as they get subjected to very strict safety measures.

The recent pandemic has halted the very active bars and nightlife of Thailand. Since international travel is banned in most countries and there are numerous restrictions in terms of movements and socialization. It has also gravely affected the busiest districts including the capital city of Bangkok.

One of the industries hit hard is the bars and other nightlife establishments because they heavily rely on human interaction and contact. Since nonessential activities are heavily monitored and establishments made to shut down, they do not have any much choice but to comply and make the party stop indefinitely.

With the possibility of the entertainment venues to be allowed to open again, most of the business owners and night workers are bracing themselves in anticipation of the changes that the pandemic has brought. Still, many are excited to get back out there and experience the shine of Thailand and its glam night once again.

Bars and Nightlife Movement Restrictions

The government of Thailand is slowly lifting some movement restrictions it has initially imposed at the early onsets of Covid-19. This is after infections rose to over 3,000 and almost 60 deaths, the government was able to slow the transmission of the virus so it has never seen a spike in reported cases.

The economy is slowly opening again with some of the most essential industries and businesses allowed to open but still need to follow protocols and restrictions. Tourism is seen to resume as they open their doors for people who would like to visit the country again. Although this is good news, the health ministry deems the nightlife industry to be among the last ones to open given the nature of its operations.

And even if both regular customers and workers are looking forward to this, they cannot do much given the situation that the whole world is facing. Most are saying that they are doing their best to practice and better their performances in preparation for their much-awaited comeback. Some are even accepting bookings for the future because of the still-growing tourist demand to visit the country.

Hygiene and Health Practices

The reality of the virus far from over is still at the back of people’s minds. A lot of business establishments are preparing for reopening by creating a better-equipped environment that will not compromise the health of their customers. Most areas are guaranteed to be cleaned and disinfected and more people are seen to carry their own hygiene kits which include their sets of sanitizers, alcohol, wipes, face mask, and so many others.

Many workers and entertainers alike are tasked to make a way on how they can do their job safely as well as protect themselves from the virus itself. Health restrictions are going to be imposed and people who are working in the nightlife industry are supposed to work around these rules.

The concern of most people is their own safety that they are seen to become more conservative in their activities even when normal operations will resume. It might be a slow start for the different bars and establishments, but it will surely improve as the new cases drop and medicine and vaccines will be created.

Changes in the Bangkok Nightlife Scene

A lot of places, including Pattaya and Phuket, have aired their grievances on how much the recent events have shuttered their once-thriving nightlife. A lot of people became unemployed and laid off. There has been a growing protest in reopening the business establishments because the new cases have been low in the past weeks.

Most experts are saying that problems may arise when parties become underground, attracting people who are craving to go back to their normal social activities. There are some agencies that insist on reopening entertainment venues to liven up the Bangkok nightlife as long as they get subjected to very strict safety measures.

This can be done by a constant meeting of the different agencies in order to assess the situation and address concerns as they happen. One of these is the mandatory wearing of safety facial masks and the checking of body temperatures for each customer. Additionally, face shields and gloves are required for all staff and workers. There will also be an imposed limit on how many customers can be admitted to each venue.

Changes in the Tourism Industry

The bars and nightlife of Thailand thrive on the consistent arrival of tourists from all over the world. And though the government is seen to ease its restrictions and allow for the resumption of their operations soon, the former crowded areas might not be as it was. This is due to the restrictions of other countries that prohibit the travel of their citizens to other countries for pleasure or vacation. They are more likely to rely on local tourism for now until more palpable solutions can be made. Tourism is expected to boom again once the cure is found and people are not afraid to interact and party anymore.

The Fight for Survival

Most of the business in the busiest night scenes around Thailand has been protesting about when they can reopen for the sake of their displaced workers and threats of bankruptcy to their business. The three months lockdown has forced a lot of people to strive for their survival and a lot of them are eager to come back to work for a chance to earn an income to support themselves and their families.

The reopening is seen to help with the economy and not really because things have become better. The Thai government is still firm in its decision not to risk a second wave even when the call for reopening is loud and very much needed.

There is still a lot of clamor for the reopening of the busy streets of Thailand, especially the areas with the lively nightlife. And though it is seen to be one of the sectors to reopen last, this industry is still very promising given how much demand it has on normal days. For now, your parties can wait and this is for the safety of you and the people who are working in the industry.
Source - Chiang Rai Times