Pattaya’s stupid rules are ruining tourism efforts

Ridiculous disease-control measures are undermining Pattaya’s efforts to rebuild tourism, the city’s top business representative said.
Boonanan Pattanasin, president of the Pattaya Business & Tourism Association, said there is virtually no point in organizing festivals and events like the Pattaya Music Festival if alcohol cannot be sold in the city and crowd sizes are unnecessarily limited.

Attendance at the weekend’s music festival and hotel bookings in Pattaya both disappointed and can be blamed directly on overly strict disease-control measures, he said.

Only 150 people were allowed into the gated stage area at each of the three music festival venues. City officials claimed this was to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 by limiting crowd size, spacing attendees a meter apart and prohibiting standing or dancing.

But Boonanan pointed out what everyone else saw and scoffed at: Right outside the fences, people packed in with no attempt at social distancing or crowd control.

The truly laughable thing, Boonanan said, was that current health regulations allow for crowds of up to 1,000 people.

While alcohol normally is prohibited at music festivals held on public land, Boonanan said the fact that restaurants and vendors near the festival sites are banned from selling alcohol also depressed interest in the concerts.

Even though Chonburi Province has once denied a PBTA appeal of the alcohol ban, Boonanan said the organization would try again, making its case in stronger terms.

If the association’s pleas are ignored, he said, Pattaya should save the money and not bother with staging festivals because few people will come.

The PBTA said it has met with Pattaya Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome about the music festival crowd size and he admitted that it was held under outdated rules, Boonanan said.

The PBTA said it wants next weekend’s festival to allow 1,000 people into the seating area and better organize the crowd outside. – Pattaya  Mail

Source - BangkokJack 

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Global food prices heading to record high

Global food costs jumped last month, extending a march toward a record and piling more inflationary pressure on consumers and governments.
A United Nations index tracking staples from wheat to vegetable oils climbed 3% to a fresh decade high in October, threatening even higher grocery bills for households that have already been strained by the pandemic.

That could also add to central banks’ inflation worries and risks worsening global hunger that’s at a multiyear high.

Bad weather hit harvests around the world this year, freight costs soared and labor shortages have roiled the food supply chain from farms to supermarkets.

An energy crisis has also proved a headache, forcing vegetable greenhouses to go dark and causing a knock-on risk of bigger fertilizer bills for farmers.

“The issue with the inputs and fertilizers and its implications for next year’s crop is a concern,” said Abdolreza Abbassian, a senior economist at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. “By now, the market has factored in most of the supply and demand issues. But the market has by no means factored in next year’s prospects in production.”

Some regions will likely continue to face food-security challenges. The UN on Thursday raised its outlook for global wheat trade to a record as purchases climb in Middle Eastern nations from Iran to Afghanistan. Droughts there slashed crops, boosting dependency on imported grain at a time when prices are soaring.

“This came at the worst time for those countries because world prices are just so high,” Abbassian said. “We cannot afford a bad year in 2022 for important crops.”

The price gains are stirring memories of spikes in 2008 and 2011 that contributed to global food crises. While it takes time for commodity costs to trickle to grocery shelves, officials in areas like North Africa and Turkey are already facing difficulties shielding shoppers from the blow.

Bigger expenses for farmers could also curb Northern Hemisphere plantings now underway, according to the FAO.

October’s food-price gains were mostly driven by higher costs for grains and vegetable oils, the FAO said in a report.

Still, there are signs of stabilizing prices for some foods, with with meat and sugar falling last month, Abbassian said. Global grain and oilseed supplies are proving sufficient to meet demand, and prices for rice — one of the world’s vital staples — remain subdued, he said.

“On the demand side, we’re beginning to get a better hold of what we actually need, so that uncertainty is perhaps diminishing,” he said. – Bloomberg

Source - BangkokJack

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Thailand - Elderly expats dazed and confused over insurance, ‘retirement visas’ and COVID

A new policy concerning insurance for so called ‘retirement visas’, as well as the requirements needed for anyone entering Thailand have sparked concern, confusion and even panic amongst elderly expats.

A recent article by the Pattaya Mail revealed how some older expats now felt “trapped” in Thailand due to new rules recently rolled out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The new rules which are in accordance with the Thailand Pass system, launched on November 1, state that foreigners who enter Thailand need to provide health insurance with a minimum treatment coverage of 50,000 USD or equivalent in any other currencies.

The concerns raised by the expats who spoke to the Pattaya Mail are that if they were to leave Thailand and visit their home country, they would have difficulty meeting the insurance requirements needed for them to re-enter the country.

The concern mainly comes from elderly expats who due to their age or having pre-existing health conditions means that obtaining insurance is at best expensive or at worst impossible.

For others, they simply can not afford to purchase the insurance one currently needs to visit Thailand.

Pattaya Mail’s article raises some valid points, particularly for elderly expats who wish to return home to visit friends and relatives, which for many has not been possible for almost two years.

However, a short time after the article was published online, a thread started on ASEAN NOW, the comments of which highlighted the confusion among some expats regarding a number of issues related to insurance for so-called ‘retirement visas’ and the current requirements for people wishing to enter Thailand.

Non-Immigrant “O-A” visa vs Non Immigrant O extension

The confusion is predominantly caused by a separate change to the policy for anyone wishing to apply for a Non-Immigrant “O-A” visa.

Non-Immigrant “O-A” visas are available to people aged over 50 who wish to stay in Thailand for 1 year.

Since October 1, applicants are required to have health insurance which offers minimum coverage up to 3 million baht for inpatient care.

However, it is important to note that this requirement only applies to O-A visas.

Most expats in Thailand will have a Non Immigrant O extension, which is normally based on ‘retirement’, which is granted to those aged over 50.

One of the main differences between an O-A visa and Non-Imm O extension is that Non Immigrant O extensions are obtained from an immigration office within Thailand.

A Non-Immigrant “O-A” Visa is obtained by applying at a Thai embassy or consulate overseas.

However, confusion occurs as both the Non Immigrant O and Non-Immigrant “O-A” are often and incorrectly referred to as ‘retirement visas’ – which is used as a kind of catch-all term for both, by everyone from expats to immigration officials themselves.

But when a change in policy specifically applies to one and not the other it is important that people understand the differences between the two.

There is currently no requirement for anyone on a Non Immigrant O extension to have health insurance - apart from if they wish to re-enter Thailand, which is a requirement for all foreigners, regardless of their visa status.

However, those with a work permit can show a valid social security card or certified letter from their employer.

Whether the requirement will be introduced at some point in the future is impossible to say and any mention of such is pure speculation at this stage.

Thailand Pass and insurance

What is also not known is how long the Thailand Pass system - and consequently - the mandatory insurance for foreigners entering Thailand will be required.

While the Thai authorities have previously revealed the issue that unpaid medical bills from uninsured foreign tourists have on the Thai health care system (and state coffers), if the current insurance requirement was to be implemented long term it could potentially put off millions of foereign tourists from visiting Thailand altogether.

 Source - ASIAN NOW

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Thailand Pass: Nearly 40,000 registrations and more than 6,000 approvals since Monday

 The IT specialist and spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs went online yesterday morning to give the latest figures for people applying for the Thailand Pass.

This is a new one-stop site to collate documents and apply to enter Thailand that came online as Thailand reopened to foreign tourists on Monday.

Tanee Sangrat said that at 6.30 am yesterday a total of 39,506 people had registered and that 6,484 had been approved.

The MoFA has been working with the Digital Government Development Agency to make it easier for people to get the required documentation together for entry into Thailand, noted the Thai business media yesterday.  

Source - ASIAN NOW

 

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Thailand Pass helps streamline international arrivals

BANGKOK (NNT) - The new travel document submission system known as “Thailand Pass” now being rolled out is helping to better facilitate international arrivals. This online-based system will be replacing the Certificate of Entry from next week.

Mr. Anucha Nakasai, the Minister attached to the Office of the Prime Minister, today inspected the processing of international arrivals at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Introduced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to better and quicker process international visitors, Thailand Pass replaces the Certificate of Entry visitors were required to apply at a Thai Embassy or consulate in their country of origin.

The new online-based system allows visitors to upload their required documents with step-by-step explanations to obtain their QR-code equipped pass, which they need to present when entering Thailand.

Mr. Anucha said this new system comes with safeguard measures including data encryption to protect personal information, in accordance with international standards.

He said some issues have been noticed at the early stage of the rollout, but they have already been addressed.

So far, around 10,000 Thailand Pass applications have been submitted, with the entry pass having already been issued for some 4,000 travelers.

Travelers with a valid Certificate of Entry will be able to enter the kingdom during this period. However, the Thailand Pass system will entirely replace the Certificate of Entry in the next 7 days.

Applicable to both Thai and foreign nationals, Thailand Pass is a document required for all international air arrivals.

Source -ASIAN NOW

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Bangkok sees only 1500 arrivals for REBOOT

There were only 1500 foreign arrivals in Bangkok on Monday, the first wave of travellers to Thailand in 18 months, as part of a quarantine waiver for visitors vaccinated against the bug.
There were 1,534 foreign arrivals and 890 Thais on 40 international flights on the opening day on Monday, senior health official Kiattiphum Wongraijit said.

These are total arrival numbers. It is not known how many of these are returning foreigners with property and family or actual holiday makers.

The waiver covers more than 60 countries, including the United States and China, plus several places in Europe, from where some were escaping the winter blues.

“Right now, in Europe as you know it’s quite cold, so we decided to go come here,” said German national, Simon Raithel, among the first arrivals.

Thailand, one of the Asia-Pacific’s most popular tourist destinations, has enforced strict entry curbs that were criticised in the travel industry for being too onerous and economically damaging.

More than 3 million Thai tourism-dependent jobs and an estimated $50 billion a year in revenue have been lost.

Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for about 12% of Thai GDP, with one survey ranking Bangkok as the world’s most visited city.

Thailand tested the waters with the reopening of the island of Phuket, but the pilot scheme had mixed results, drawing just 1% of its monthly pre-pandemic level when it started in July.

Under the new national programme visitors must await a negative COVID-19 test on arrival then can travel freely the following day.

“It is much easier,” said Marguerite Jeason from France. “Before at first it was 14 nights.”

Airlines have rushed to ready the country for the hoped influx of visitors, bringing jets back from hibernation.

Still, the pickup is expected to be relatively slow, with only 180,000 foreign arrivals anticipated this year and 7 million next year, compared with some 40 million in 2019.

Source - BangkokJack

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New rules for re-opening in Thailand

Bangkok restaurants that want to serve alcohol must have SHA (Safety and Health Administration) certificates and service must end at 9pm, City Hall said on Saturday as it detailed regulations for the lifting of many Covid restrictions starting on Monday.
Nobody has been prepared to explain just what this has to dpo with preventing any new virus outbreak or people’s health and welfare. Worse still, it appears nobody is asking these questions anymore either.

Many other types of businesses, including gyms and cinemas with certain conditions, will be allowed to resume as the capital prepares to welcome international tourists. However, entertainment venues, pubs, bars and karaoke shops will remain closed.

The communicable disease control committee of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced the new rules a day after the central government designated Bangkok, Krabi, Phangnga and Phuket as tourist-oriented “blue zones” as part of the tourism and economic revival plan.

Disease control officials stressed that businesses allowed to open or conduct some activities must continue to abide strictly by universal Covid prevention guidelines and must have Covid-free settings.

The eased restrictions will be in effect from Nov 1-30 but authorities reserve the right to make changes as needed.

Officials advised restaurants that want to serve alcohol to improve their venues in line with the new normal conditions brought about by the pandemic, as a way to boost the confidence of customers including tourists.

Businesses that can resume operations and conditions are:

Nurseries, child development centres and special-needs child centres (The BMA Health Department will consider the opening of facilities based on suitability);
Care centres for the elderly (Both service recipients and officials must be fully vaccinated and random checks must be conducted every week);
Restaurants/eateries can open normally, but alcoholic drinks are allowed only at shops that meet SHA standards set by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and consumption must not extend beyond 9pm;
Cinemas can open with audience capacity limited to 75% of seats;
Convenience stores, fresh markets and flea markets can open normally;
Libraries and all kinds of museums can open, but food and drinks are not allowed and activities must not be organised;
Beauty clinics, beauty salons, nail salons and tattoo shops can open via appointment . Customers at tattoo shops must be fully vaccinated or have RT-PCR or ATK results within 72 hours;
Spas and Thai massage shops can open via appointment. Customers at tattoo shops must be fully vaccinated or have negative RT-PCR or ATK results within the previous 72 hours;
Public parks, sports grounds, stadiums, swimming pools and water activities can resume operation;
Gyms and fitness clubs must strictly abide by disease-control measures. For spas, customers must be fully vaccinated or have negative RT-PCR or ATK results within the previous 72 hours);
Stadiums can stage events but all spectators must be fully vaccinated or have negative RT-PCR or ATK results within the previous 72 hours);
Hotels, exhibition halls and convention centres can open, but alcohol consumption is prohibited. There must be break times for air ventilation and meals must be served to guests separately;
Shopping malls and community malls can open normally but activities with large crowds are discouraged;
Playhouses and theatres require permission from the BMA Health Department;
Boxing and martial arts schools and dance schools require permission from the BMA Health Department;
Weight-control services, amulet centres, zoos and animal shows can open;
Children’s playgrounds require permission from district offices in their areas;
Water parks and amusement parks can open.
Businesses that will remain closed are entertainment venues, pubs, karaoke shops, massage parlours, game arcades, internet shops, cockfighting rings and horse racing tracks.

Activities with more than 1,000 people are not allowed, unless permission has been obtained from the Health Department.

This final ruling appears to be little more than an attempt to curb anti Lockdown protest groups from gathering.

Source - BangkokJack

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