Thailand must reopen soon if it wants to survive: FTI

With such a long time since tourists were welcomed into Thailand, the Federation of Thai Industries fears that potential tourists may be wandering away from Thailand. The FTI chairman warned that the window may be closing to still attract these travellers.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but as Thailand’s closure to nearly all international tourism stretches to almost 2 years, tourists’ fond recollections of sun-drenched beaches, beautiful temples, great food, or wild nights may be fading away to a distant memory, and they may be tempted away by newer travel destination ideas.

The FTI chairman fears that Thailand has kept its doors closed and the tourism industry shuttered for too long already, and it’s time to rip off the bandage and reopen the country fully to international travellers.

He argues that now that 40% to 50% of the population of Thailand has been vaccinated, with injections continuing at a steady pace, the country is reasonably protected from Covid-19 outbreak if it were to reopen the borders.  The number of daily infections has dropped from its peak near 25,000 a day to consistently around the 10,000 per day mark.

Hospitals that were once overrun with incoming patients as authorities raced to set up hotel/hospital facilities, field hospitals, and community quarantine centres have now calmed and the previous bed shortages are no more. Thailand is prepared for the medical needs of future Covid-19 patients should a surge occur as the borders are reopened.

The FTI chairman did say that vaccination is still lagging and that before opening the country, a drive should focus on vaccinating the business sector so it is ready to open and operate safely for a full international reopening.

He stated that the economy is beginning to show signs of recovery and economic activity is fluttering to life though the Sandbox figures were disappointing, but that the gross domestic product will grow by only 1% this year and government assistance is still needed to help small to medium-sized enterprises stay afloat.

Source - The Thaiger / The Star

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#Thailand - No date for resumption of international arrivals: PM

In an apparent effort to quell rumours and undue optimism, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is downplaying the notion that international tourists will be allowed to return to Thailand in July. The government had set a tentative deadline of 1 July for lifting all restrictions put in place under the Emergency Decree to combat the spread of Covid-19. Last week it was reported the lifting of restrictions would mean that international arrivals would resume from July 1.

But yesterday the Thai PM said Thailand still has a long way to go in its fight against the virus before international tourists can be allowed to return. He added that the issue hasn’t yet been even discussed by the Cabinet, and that only tourists from certain countries may be allowed to visit Thailand, namely those where the outbreak is deemed to be under control.

When tourists are eventually allowed back in, he said, they’ll face “a number of restrictions” which he didn’t specify. This will include so called “travel bubbles,” using bilateral agreements with individual governments to help limit any further outbreak or second wave of infections.

The idea is similar to those enacted elsewhere as countries try to safely kickstart their tourism sectors.

In May, a “travel corridor” allowed people to travel between Seoul and 10 regions in China, including Shanghai, and in Europe, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania established their own travel bubble on May 15.

Australia and New Zealand have discussed plans to resume travel between the 2 countries, potentially as early as September.

The news comes as Tourism Authority of Thailand’s governor said last week he doesn’t expect international tourists to return to Thailand until later in the year.

“It is still dependent on the outbreak situation, but I think at the earliest, we may see the return of tourists in the fourth quarter of this year.”

If and when foreign tourists can return to Thailand, there will likely be restrictions in place to determine where they can visit. The resumption of any form of tourism will also rely heavily on airlines, most of which are struggling with huge financial losses and grappling with restarting flights in a very new international travel paradigm.

The PM has said he is in no rush to open up the borders, reminding reporters that all the new infections are now coming from repatriating Thais.

“We are not going to open all at once. We are still on high alert, we just can’t let our guards down yet. We have to look at the country of origin to see if their situation has truly improved. And lastly, we have to see whether our own business operators are ready to receive tourists under the ‘new normal’.”

A ban on all international travel in and out of Thailand remains in place until at least the end of June. The CAAT have made no comment at this stage about dates for a possible resumption of flights from Thailand’s international airports. Phuket Airport remains closed to all traffic.

Source - ThaiVisa / The Thaiger

Thai Government Extends All Foreigners Visas Until the End July

Foreigners locked down due to the coronavirus in Thailand have been granted another automatic visa extension for three months. The three-month extension from May 1 to July 31 was printed in the Royal Gazette on Friday.

The announcement was made by the Interior Ministry and was signed by Prime Minister and Interior Minister.

The extension covers foreigners holding all types of non-immigrant visas. Including visas on arrival, visa-free arrivals and border passes, according to the Bangkok Post.

Foreigners locked down due to the coronavirus in Thailand have been granted another automatic visa extension for three months. The three-month extension from May 1 to July 31 was printed in the Royal Gazette on Friday.

The announcement was made by the Interior Ministry and was signed by Prime Minister and Interior Minister.

The extension covers foreigners holding all types of non-immigrant visas. Including visas on arrival, visa-free arrivals and border passes, according to the Bangkok Post.

The Immigration Bureau explained on its website that foreign residents required to re-enter the country within one year will not be penalized for missing the deadline.

However, it warned that border pass holders have to leave Thailand within a week of the checkpoints reopening.

The extraordinary measures are designed to help foreigners cope with the travel restrictions. Also because of border closures enacted in the campaign to contain Covid-19.
No new cases of foreigners catching virus

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Health Department reported 15 new coronavirus cases and zero deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 2,922. Thailand’s death cases remains at 51 as of Sunday.

The number of new cases was a sharp drop from the 53 recorded on Saturday. The cases numbers jumped because 42 migrants infected with the virus were trying to jump the border in Songkhla.

Of the new cases, four were linked to previous cases, another four had no known links. While five new patients are arrivals from overseas who have been under mandatory quarantine. Even more there was no new infections amount foreign tourist  or long stays visa holder.

Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, a spokesman for the Health department said since the outbreak in Thailand, 2,594 patients have recovered and gone home.

Source - Chiang Rai Times

Thailand set to introduce “Double Tourist Visa”

A leading government figure has said that #Thailand is about to introduce a “Double Entry Tourism Visa”.

This will enable a visitor to go in and out of Thailand to neighboring countries such as Cambodia, Laos or Malaysia then return to Thailand to complete their holidays, Thai news site Post Today reported.

One media outlet even mentioned that a “multiple entry” visa was being considered.

Kobsak Pootrakul, deputy secretary general to the prime minister, told a conference that Thailand was considering a number of stimulus measures to help the tourism industry.

He said that the target was to get 42 million people visiting the kingdom next year.

Apparently 20 million did so in the first half of this year according to Kobsak.

The double entry visa would have a time limit though exactly how long this might be has not yet been announced.

Kobsak also mentioned the possibility of applying online.

Changes to the visa arrangements appear to be in the latter stages of discussion though no timeframe for their implementation has been announced as yet.

But there is one relative certainty – the border checkpoints for tourists at both Nong Khai and Sadao (the posts between Thailand and Laos and Thailand and Malaysia respectively) will be open 24 hours for a three month trial.

Kobsak said this would happen either at the end of this year or the beginning of next. Following the trial the numbers would be crunched to see if it is worth continuing.

In addition the number of VAT refund spots is being increased from the current five, he said along with plans to create walking streets at several popular tourist spots.

The Deputy Secretary General’s comments come just a day after reports that room occupancy and tourism was 20% down in Pattaya.

Source - BangkokJack

#Thailand - Shortage of migrant labour hits key sectors

CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS SLOW DOWN; FISHERIES, AGRICULTURE ALSO AFFECTED

MANY SECTORS, including construction in the capital, fisheries in the South and agriculture in border areas, are facing labour shortages due to the tough new labour law, sources said yesterday as migrant workers began returning to Thailand.

A construction site of the Red Line train (Bang Sue-Rangsit) needed to slow down after many Myanmar workers left their work to reprocess work permits, an official said. 

Workers at the construction site at Bang Sue central terminal also left work, even though they did not need to: they incorrectly believed that their “pink card” was no longer valid under the new law, the official added. He noted that those workers might take 10-20 days to check or reprocess the register before getting back to work.

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However, other construction sectors were less affected by the new law, since major construction firms usually hire legal workers, according to an official at the State Railway of Thailand who declined to be named. 

Millions of migrant workers in Thailand were in a chaotic situation over the past week after the government issued a new decree to manage migrant workers. The decree took effect on June 23, threatening fines for employers of at least Bt400,000 for every illegal worker they hire. 

Only a few days after the decision, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha last Tuesday invoked his special powers under Article 44 to suspend four key articles of the decree until the end of the year. The suspended articles prescribe much harsher penalties against offending migrants and their employers until the end of this year. 

The suspension came too late for many companies, as thousands of legal and illegal workers panicked over the tough punishment and rushed to go to their home countries to process or reprocess their work permits and to register. More than 50,000 migrant workers reportedly returned home since last month, mostly to Myanmar and Cambodia. 

In order to end the chaos, the Labour Ministry will allow all Thai employers to register their Lao, Cambodian and Myanmar workers at temporary centres throughout the country from July 24 to August 7. 

While Prime Minister Prayut said earlier that he believed the workers from neighbouring countries would return to work in Thailand as there are demands in the market, Nit Ouitengkor, former president of Ranong Chamber of Commerce, said they might not return due to complicated legal procedures. There are more jobs available in their countries, including Myanmar, since the economy there is now growing faster than Thailand’s, he said. 

Ranong is Thailand’s southern port province, sitting next to Myanmar. The province is home to some of the most important fishery piers in the country. 

Many piers in the province yesterday were seen almost empty, while some were working with only half of the normal workforce. While it is estimated that more than 5 million migrants from neighbouring countries are working in Thailand currently, it is estimated that only half of them are documented. 

In the eastern border province of Sa Kaew, where there is a shortage of farm workers, local authorities coordinated with their Cambodian counterparts to encourage workers to cross the border to work. Many Cambodian workers have fled due to the new labour law in the past month, leaving many farms in trouble during the growing season. 

Sa Kaew provincial immigration chief, Benjapon Rodsawad, said Cambodian people are allowed to cross the border to work temporarily in the area in order to ease the current labour shortage.

With border pass papers, Cambodians would be allowed to enter and stay in Sa Kaew and neighbouring Pachin Buri province for seven days, he said, “so we have to strictly check their document in order prevent them from going deeper to other provinces or the capital”. 

Source - TheNation 

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