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On the first day of Thailand's reopening, insufficient taxis, vehicles and expensive airport transportation costs are creating frustration for arriving international tourists traveling to Pattaya.
This failure on the first day is reason to insist on further relaxation of the issuance of transport permits. Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, acting chairman of Chon Buri Tourism Council, says only vehicles with yellow or green license plates are allowed to pick up tourists at the airport, but the number of available vehicles is not enough to serve all tourists, while the price is also higher than usual .
Under the Test & Go scheme, tourists can book their first hotel night in Bangkok or head directly to nearby destinations such as Pattaya to wait for the PCR test result. The flow of arriving tourists will be smoother if vehicles with other license plates are also allowed to pick up tourists. The drivers can then be registered with the airport authority for the first phase of reopening.
He said lifting capacity limits in vans from 3-4 to 8-10 passengers on the same flight will reduce transportation costs to Pattaya.
Tour operators will discuss this matter with the Provincial Transport Bureau and the Provincial Tourism and Sports Bureau to resolve this issue.
Mr. Thanet also said that 90% of the bookings in the first week of the Test & Go program are travelers who only book one night. They then leave for their condo, family or workplace in Chon Buri. Only 10% of tourists are looking to stay longer than one night in Pattaya.
Source: Bangkok Post
On the news it looks very tempting: Thailand open again.
But the rules and paperwork are very many and in English, which does not make it easy for many.
Then on arrival special taxis and hotels and various checks.
There is already so little work and then they will make that little bit of work more expensive.
So those at the end of the line (tourist industry) (hotels, restaurants and bars) catch the least.
Hopefully they will realize that and with Vaccination APP, proof, test, there will be more confidence in visitors.
Regards William
I myself came back on April 7 and was alone in the transport provided by the hotel. There was another couple on the same flight and I later saw them in the same resort for their quarantine.
I thought for a moment why not in a car, but I was still happy. You would be sitting together with someone who was infected, because the Thai people were allowed to come back without a test. Then cheap would become expensive.
But if you are in a van with a shielded driver, 8 or 10 in a van doesn't seem like a safe idea to me. Maybe it would save you 1000 baht. but what does a mandatory quarantine cost in the event of infection?
The prices of transport are made by the carriers themselves because they know that the tourist has no choice but to travel with them. It would have been better if the transport was included in the hotel price, just like with the ASQ situation. Unfortunately, the government also wants to eat with us, so this will remain high for the time being. I also do not understand why those people who come back to go to family / own shelter are not allowed to wait there for the answer of the test. It seems that people here do not trust the tests taken abroad or want to generate extra money from the visitor. Unfortunately, this is a pity for the Thai who have to earn money in the tourist sector. I think many tourists are still waiting for better times.