Thailand suspends ‘Thailand Pass’ and ‘Test & Go’

 Thailand has suspended its ‘Thailand Pass’ and ‘Test & Go’ schemes due to fears over the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-O-Cha has ordered the immediate suspension of new registrations for Thailand Pass and at the same reinstated mandatory quarantine effective immediately.

The PM announced on Tuesday afternoon that Test & Go will be put on hold until at least January 4, 2022.

The so-called ‘Sandbox’ programs will also be suspended.

"After Dec. 21, there will be no new registrations for 'Test and Go', only quarantine or Phuket sandbox," said deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhanadirek.

However, those who had already registered and are due to travel will still be able to enter the country, but they will be required to take a second RT-PCR test. When the test is required was not clear at the time of posting.

The PM took the decision following a meeting with the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) on Tuesday morning.

This is a developing story. This post will be updated without warning.

Source - ASIAN NOW

VISA AGENT  /  How to register for: THAI PASS

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PM sets Nov 1 for reopening to foreign tourists from low-risk countries

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Monday that he will push for the opening up of the country to fully vaccinated foreign tourists from at least 10 countries on Nov 1, as the government earlier planned.

Gen Prayut said in a nationally televised broadcast that fully vaccinated tourists from at least 10 low-risk countries would be allowed to enter Thailand by air with no quarantine requirements.

The prime minister named the United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, China and the United States among the first group of countries to benefit from the move.

"I have instructed the CCSA and the Ministry of Public Health to urgently consider within this week to allow, as of Nov 1, international visitors to enter Thailand without any requirement for quarantine if they are fully vaccinated and arrive by air from low-risk countries," he said.

He pledged to open the gates for more countries by Dec 1 and targeted others by Jan 1.

Tourists from countries not on the low-risk list would be allowed but they would be required to quarantine, he added.

The announcement came after other countries including Singapore and Australia eased travel restrictions for their citizens to travel overseas.

Gen Prayut hoped the decision to open up the country next month would draw foreign tourists to Thailand over the next three months, including the forthcoming year-end holidays.

They would revitalise the sector and related businesses that involved millions of people in the country, he went on.

The government had earlier planned to open only Bangkok and several provinces for foreign tourists on Nov 1. The other provinces are Chon Buri (Pattaya city, Bang Lamung district, and Sattahip district), Phetchaburi (Cha-am district), Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin district) and Chiang Mai (Muang, Mae Taeng, Mae Rim and Doi Tao districts).

Monday's announcement indicated that the reopening would cover all parts of the country.

The announcement came after the country saw the number of fatalities drop below 100 in recent days, with new cases hovering around 10,000.

Although the situation was improving in most parts of Thailand, a surge of new infections continued in Narathiwat, Pattani, Songkhla and Yala. The southern border provinces were in the spotlight of health authorities who were mulling additional measures to clamp down on the spike in the areas.

Tourism was the main sector driving the economy before the pandemic floored the industry last year. The sector accounted for about 20% of gross domestic product if both local tourists and foreign arrivals were counted. Revenue from foreign tourists alone was about 15% of GDP, as the country welcomed almost 40 million travellers from abroad, especially Chinese.

The Bank of Thailand estimated only 200,000 foreign arrivals this year with the number jumping to 6 million next year.

Restrictions eased for alcohol sales

The prime minister said the government will allow restaurants and other places to sell alcohol by Dec 1 to promote tourism and the entertainment sector as people plan to celebrate the new year.

"By Dec 1, we will also consider allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages in restaurants as well as the operation of entertainment venues under appropriate health precautions to support the revitalisation of the tourism and leisure sectors, especially the new year period," he said.

Source - BangkokPost

Our - VISA AGENT

Thailand Nov 1 reopening to go ahead providing COVID-19 situation remains stable

The proposed reopening of Bangkok and other major tourist destinations in Thailand will go ahead on November 1, providing the COVID-19 situation does not worsen.

Speaking on Saturday (Oct 10) government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the reopening of Bangkok, Chiang Mai (Mueang district, Mae Rim, Mae Taeng and Doi Tao), Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin and Nong Khae), Phetchaburi (Cha Am) and Chonburi (Pattaya, Bang Lamung and Sattahip) will go ahead as long as there is not a sudden spike in cases or no large clusters are discovered between now and the end of October.

Following the reopening, the government expects to earn 1.5 trillion baht from tourism in 2022, Mr Thanakorn said.

Domestic tourists will account for 850 million baht with Thais expected to make 160 million trips next year.

Meanwhile, the government expects 15 million foreign tourists to visit Thailand in 2022, generating 650 billion baht in revenue.

Mr Thanakorn said the 1.5 trillion baht revenue target is approximately half the amount the country's tourism industry earned in 2019 before the start of the pandemic.

Mr Thanakorn also gave an update on the Phuket Sandbox, which has been hailed a success.

As of Thursday (Oct 7) 43,026 foreign tourists had visited Phuket via the Sandbox program.

Most tourists came from the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

Source - ASIAN NOW

Our VISA AGENT

Thai Airways ready to carry foreign tourists

Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) is ready to arrange special direct charter flights from six countries and territories to Phuket under the government’s plan to revive the subdued tourism sector, said THAI acting president Chansin Treenuchagron on August 27.

Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) is ready to arrange special direct charter flights from six countries and territories to Phuket under the government’s plan to revive the subdued tourism sector, said THAI acting president Chansin Treenuchagron on August 27.

The six countries and territories are Denmark, Germany, the UK, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan and Hong Kong (China).

The airline can make two flights per month on each of these routes, Chansin said.

THAI is expected to begin these special flights in late November. The airline will even increase the flights on these routes if it sees rising demand, he said.

It is also expected to make special charter flights from China to Phuket.

Chansin said THAI has attached the utmost importance to the security and health of passengers on all these routes.

Tourism businesses have asked the government to open the country to some groups of foreigners to help boost the struggling sector, which is suffering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on August 26 that he was in talks with state agencies on how to open the country to foreign tourists once the pandemic situation improves./.

Source - PattayaNews
 

#Portugal ready to welcome back tourists, says government

 

 Portugal's doors are open to tourists, the country's Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said on Friday, one of the first European countries to welcome back visitors from elsewhere in the continent.

"Tourists are welcome in Portugal," Santos Silva told newspaper Observador, explaining that some health checks will be introduced at airports but there will be no compulsory quarantine for those flying in.

Portugal, which has so far recorded 30,200 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,289 deaths, is slowly easing restrictions in place since it locked down in mid-March.

It has been less affected than its neighbor Spain or Italy, which both plan to reopen next month.

Many shops and restaurants in Portugal have already reopened under strict restrictions as part of an effort to revive the country's export-oriented, tourism-dependent economy.

"Portugal's health system responds well, and this is very important for us to be able to welcome people," Santos Silva said.

The minister's comments came a day after British low-cost airline easyJet, which operates in various Portuguese cities, said it would restart a small number of flights next month.

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Earlier this month Portugal's flag carrier TAP resumed some of its international operations, with flights to London and Paris.

Flights to and from outside the European Union are still temporarily suspended until June 15, with some exceptions, including some routes to and from Portuguese-speaking nations like Brazil.

The Spain-Portugal land border, which has been closed to tourists since March, will also remain shut until then.

"We are gradually going to start looking at easing border controls," Internal Affairs Minister Eduardo Cabrita said on Friday.

The tourism industry, one of the hardest hit by the outbreak, contributed 14.6 percent to gross domestic product in 2018, according to the latest official data, and helped Portugal to recover from a severe debt crisis.

The sector registered a 62 percent slump in the number of people staying in holiday accommodation in March from a year ago and total hotel revenues fell by over 57 percent.

Unemployment in the Algarve region more than doubled in April compared with the same month last year as the lockdown kept foreign visitors away and wiped out seasonal jobs.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Cambodia - Government creates ‘great tourism zones’

Tourists visit the Wat Phnom historic site in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

A sub-decree issued Thursday coined ‘great tourism zones’, a term for areas where a wide range of tourism-related services is available.

In last week’s sub-decree, the government describes the zones as areas that have accommodation, food and beverage services, entertainment complexes, sports facilities, gardens, parks, health care centres, and other tourism-related facilities.

Great tourism zones must cover at least 100 hectares, according to the sub-decree.

Investors that wish to create great tourism zones in any part of the country must first submit an application to the Tourism Development Committee of the Ministry of Tourism, who will study and evaluate the project and submit a report to the government, the sub-decree said.

Top Sopheak, spokesman at the Ministry of Tourism, told Khmer Times that the concept of great tourism zones is modelled after special economic zones, areas that bring together facilities needed to streamline manufacturing activity.

“In Khmer, the word ‘great’ (piseth) has a similar meaning to the term ‘special’. That’s why the government chose this word,” Mr Sopheak said.

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“Great tourism zones are hubs that offer all tourism-related services. It is based on the same idea that special economic zones, which focus on manufacturing,” he said.

Mr Sopheak said great tourism zones cannot be established in existing tourism sites but only in new locations that show great tourism potential.

Source - Khmer Times