After 7 months the first tourists in Thailand again
A group of 39 Chinese tourists from Shanghai arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday evening with the new special tourist visa.
Thailand wants quarantine-free travel bubble with China
Bloomberg News recently reported that Thailand is in talks with China to make arrangements for a quarantine-free travel bubble in January next year.
Public Health plan for new type of Alternative State Quarantine
The Thai Ministry of Health is coming up with a plan for a new type of Alternative State Quarantine. Apparently people are not confident that tourists will embrace the current rules.
Today again the results of a survey and as many readers noted yesterday, it just depends on who you ask the question. About 50 percent of respondents in a poll by the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) agree with the plan to reopen the country to specific groups of tourists.
A majority of the Thai population does not agree with the reopening of the country to foreign tourists. This is due to fears of a second wave of Covid-19, according to a poll by the National Institute of Development Administration or Nida Poll.
Does Thailand's first “tourist court” in Pattaya still exist?
Thailand's first 'tourist court' focused on resolving petty disputes, a new initiative for tourists began in Pattaya in 2013.
Special Tourist Visa: Thailand can welcome the first tourists again
Thailand is ready to receive tourists again, but strict conditions apply. Tomorrow, the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut, will give the green light to the Special Tourist Visa (STV), intended to interest long-stay travelers in traveling to Thailand again.
Phuket wants to receive thousands of long-stay Scandinavians
Holiday island Phuket thinks they are an attractive alternative for thousands of Scandinavians who want to escape the harsh winter in their own country. Because southern Europe still suffers from regular virus outbreaks, Phuket is an interesting destination for this group of hibernators.
Thailand will allow foreign 'long-stay' tourists
The Thai cabinet on Tuesday approved the plan to allow foreign tourists who want to stay in Thailand for a longer period of time, such as winter visitors. They receive a special visa for this, the Special Tourist Visa (STV), which is valid for 90 days and can be extended twice to a total of 270 days.
The Thai government is expected to approve the plan to allow 1.000 visitors per day when the travel ban is lifted on July 1. These foreign visitors do not have to be quarantined. However, it must concern travelers from safe countries or areas and with which Thailand has made a bilateral agreement.
A majority in Thailand do not want foreign tourists to return soon because the number of Covid-19 infections is low. Foreigners can spread the disease and the Thai population should be able to enjoy the country first, or so it is believed.
Thai government: 'Restrictions on foreign tourists may not be eased until the third or fourth quarter'
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid says that the restrictions for foreign visitors may not be eased until the third or fourth quarter.
After two months of lockdown, street vendors are hoping that tourists will return to Pattaya now that the beaches are accessible again.
It may take a long time before tourists from Belgium and the Netherlands can travel to Thailand again. The Thai government plans to only allow travelers from countries with which they have an agreement.
Tour operators are urging the government to reopen the country to international tourists in July. This can be done by first allowing corona-free countries without the mandatory 14-day quarantine. Instead, a health certificate and a free corona rapid test on arrival should suffice.
What direction will tourism in Thailand take? Fear still reigns in Thailand at the moment. But at some point they will have to make the switch there too. Trial balloons are released here and there, but there is little talk of a real plan for the future.
About 10.000 foreign tourists are stranded on three Thai islands, including about 5.700 on Koh Samui. The islands were locked some time back due to the corona virus.