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Phuket TV - PHUKET XTRA: VIDEO: Thai food dominates ’best’ list! Overseas yachts welcome! Phuket golf! || October 22

Phuket TV - PHUKET XTRA: VIDEO: Thai food dominates ’best’ list! Overseas yachts welcome! Phuket golf! || October 22

Phuket Carnival hoped to help local businesses

Phuket Carnival hoped to help local businesses

Phuket pro-monarchy supporters file request to Governor 

Phuket pro-monarchy supporters file request to Governor 

Weather warning re-issued as Phuket lashed by wind, rain

Weather warning re-issued as Phuket lashed by wind, rain

Big bike riders set to face tough tests

Big bike riders set to face tough tests

MP faces probe over arm-slitting incident

MP faces probe over arm-slitting incident

Individual brilliance on display in Portuguese GP

Individual brilliance on display in Portuguese GP
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Emergency decree extended to curb coronavirus
Emergency decree extended to curb coronavirus
Wednesday 28 October 2020, 04:49PM
THAILAND: Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said today (Oct 28) the cabinet agreed to extend the emergency decree for another month.
Phuket told to prepare to receive tourists
Phuket told to prepare to receive tourists
Tuesday 27 October 2020, 04:25PM
PHUKET: Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MoTS) Permanent Secretary Chote Trachu in Phuket today (Oct 27) told representatives from MoTS offices from every province in the country to prepare to receive tourists.
Government checks ASQ after woman infected
Government checks ASQ after woman infected
Tuesday 27 October 2020, 09:05AM
THAILAND: The Public Health Ministry is vowing to beef up its Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) standards after a Frenchwoman appeared to have contracted COVID-19 while staying at her hotel in Samut Prakan.
Concerns raised as Veg Fest attendees lax on COVID protection measures
Concerns raised as Veg Fest attendees lax on COVID protection measures
Saturday 24 October 2020, 09:00AM
PHUKET: The key organiser for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival has expressed his relief for the lack of large crowds joining events at this year’s festival as social distancing and the enforcement of wearing face masks during the street processions has been found wanting.
Job woes add to swelling debt load
Job woes add to swelling debt load
Friday 23 October 2020, 03:04PM
BANGKOK: A rising under-employment rate driven by the COVID-19 crisis will further aggravate the country’s swelling household debt and borrowers’ debt-servicing struggles, says the Bank of Thailand chief.
Overseas yachts now welcome as per new CCSA approvals
Overseas yachts now welcome as per new CCSA approvals
Thursday 22 October 2020, 03:44PM
THAILAND: The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced yesterday (Oct 21) that tourists aboard overseas yachts have been granted permission to dock in Thailand.
China maintains outbound tour ban
China maintains outbound tour ban
Thursday 22 October 2020, 11:05AM
WORLD: China confirmed yesterday (Oct 21) via an announcmenet on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism website that it intends to uphold its ban on outbound group tours from the country due to the risk of a resurgence in coronavirus cases.
First batch of tourists COVID-free
First batch of tourists COVID-free
Thursday 22 October 2020, 10:25AM
THAILAND: The result of the first COVID-19 test on arrival for 39 Chinese tourists who travelled using the special tourist visa reported no positive cases.
First group of Chinese visitors arrive
First group of Chinese visitors arrive
Wednesday 21 October 2020, 07:47AM
THAILAND: The first group of Chinese visitors since the COVID-19 outbreak forced the closure of Thailand’s borders in March arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport from Shanghai yesterday (Oct 20), according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
Vaccines ‘by June’ if jab gets government nod
Vaccines ‘by June’ if jab gets government nod
Tuesday 20 October 2020, 09:17AM
THAILAND: The first batch of a COVID-19 vaccine could be available in June next year at the earliest, if the jab developed by AstraZeneca is approved for mass roll-out, according to the National Vaccine Institute.
Seven more Phuket hotels await Bangkok approval to operate as ALSQs, while two key hotels withdraw
Seven more Phuket hotels await Bangkok approval to operate as ALSQs, while two key hotels withdraw
Monday 19 October 2020, 05:28PM
PHUKET: Seven more hotels in Phuket have been approved by the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) and are waiting for approval from Bangkok to start receiving newcomers arriving in the country when international tourists are allowed to land directly in Phuket.
House Speaker Chuan Leekpai joins Phuket Vegetarian Festival
House Speaker Chuan Leekpai joins Phuket Vegetarian Festival
Monday 19 October 2020, 11:47AM
PHUKET: Speaker of the House of Representatives and former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai was in Phuket yesterday (Oct 18) to preside over the opening ceremony of a parade held as part of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival in honour of His Majesty King Vachiralongkorn.
Weighing the consequences
Weighing the consequences
Monday 19 October 2020, 09:56AM
What is the real cost for tourists when planning an outbound trip to Thailand in the COVID-19 era? Apart from sufficient budget for a quarantine facility, which for the most luxurious trip can be as high as B300,000 per person, tourists must consent to dedicated extra time for a 14-day quarantine – a condition that only allows people who don’t have time and money constraints to visit the country. While high-net-worth travellers may agree to spring for vacation here, their visits will be just a drop in the ocean when compared with B1.9 trillion Thailand recorded last year from foreign tourist receipts, reports the Bangkok Post. According to data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the upscale market or those earning over US$60,000 a year made up less than 20% in the past five years as officials struggled to generate a healthier portion of high-end travellers. In the past, the TAT avoided mentioning the targeted number and stressed the importance of the revenue goal instead, but volume was always in the limelight. Last year, when foreign tourist arrival numbers nearly hit 40 million, major revenue sources came from short-haul markets in Asia. Since the strict lockdown was eased in the second quarter, the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) has repeatedly called for a shorter quarantine period or, ideally, no compulsory quarantine to attract intra-regional travellers who don’t want to spend two weeks in confinement for their four- or five-day trip. To be specific, the association pointed to a few potential markets, the likes of China and Taiwan, that are considered low-risk countries. If applied, the scheme would draw 100,000 travellers a month and help repair the broken tourism engine with at least B5 billion in revenue, Atta said. Tour operators pledged to be responsible for those tour groups to calm public concerns. “With mandatory quarantine in place, nobody wants to visit Thailand. But if the government allows tour operators to cater those guests, I’m confident that we can contain the virus spread and reignite our economy at the same time,” said Atta president Vichit Prakobgosol. REGIONAL BUBBLES Hong Kong and Singapore recently reached agreement on a travel bubble policy, which will soon let people from those two countries travel back and forth without being quarantined. Mr Vichit said the decision is unavoidable for any tourism-led country that wants to save itself from peril. During the crisis, businesses that could redirect to domestic customers tended to have a better recovery pace than those heavily reliant on international guests. Some 62.5% of travel companies have reopened, but that rate pales compared with the overall average of 78.2%, according to the latest statistics from the TAT. A poll of 682 tourism-related operators found that 100% of car rental services have resumed business as people avoiding public transport in the wake of the pandemic, followed by restaurants (89.2%) and hotels (81.6%). Due to international travel restrictions still in place, most (93%) tourism customers are Thais, up 31% from the pre-COVID period. Mr Vichit said local communities should accept that special international groups allowed in earlier and those applying for a special tourist visa (STV) are not enough, as the expected number is just 1,000 per month, a far cry from the monthly figure of 3 million last year. “The STV model with a 14-day quarantine is only a minor remedy to the large-scale devastation of the tourism industry,” he said. The Atta president insisted that achieving 100,000 tourists is not a far-fetched goal, given that in a normal situation tourists from low-risk countries total at least 1 million per month. “If just 10% of them return, the tourism industry and overall economy will rebound,” Mr Vichit said. “At present, there are many cities that are free from the virus for longer than 60 days, so why can’t we start with a few of them.” He said there’s also pent-up demand from Chinese tourists who have been travelling domestically – a noticeable trend shown during this month’s Chinese National Holidays, which spurred 650 million trips on the mainland. TESTING THE WATERS There were positive signs for tour operators last week when the Public Health Ministry floated the idea to shorten the standard quarantine period from 14 to 10 days for visitors from low-risk countries, including China, Taiwan, New Zealand and Australia. The risky attempt is seen as an effort to drive the tourism engine amid negative factors awaiting this quarter, such as the end of the first-phase debt moratorium period for small and medium-sized enterprises on Oct 22. Tony Fernandes, chief executive of AirAsia Group, said keeping borders closed is not a solution in a globalised world, as Thailand and most countries in Asean depend on tourism. Testing on arrival without a mandatory 14-day quarantine is the preferred solution for post-outbreak travels. A strong contact tracing app is also important to detect people who have been in close contact with COVID-19 patients, in case the number of cases started to flare up. “At some point, countries have to take a little bit of risk to reopen, as we cannot live in a cave for the rest of our lives,” Mr Fernandes said. Moreover, vaccine development and distribution will take time. “We have to live with this virus as we have with others before like the common cold or dengue,” Mr Fernandes said. While the airline waits for borders to reopen after the outbreak, AirAsia has to focus on the domestic market as demand for short-haul work and travel still persists. Mr Fernandes said air travel will not change much relative to the impact of the 9/11 attacks, which demanded airlines adapt to new strategies. Still, there are a lot more health-related regulations to be added to deal with the situation, he said. CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC Opening the country to foreign visitors may not necessarily be an economic booster, but it is an attempt to learn how to deal with Covid-19 risks that transcend frontiers, said Tanit Sorat, vice-chairman of the Employers’ Confederation of Thai Trade and Industry (EconThai). The relentless spread of COVID-19 in many countries, including the US, India and Myanmar, and the revival of the disease in European countries like Britain, makes it hard to predict if this is the right time for international tourism. Mr Tanit said he is “not confident” tourists will enjoy a trip to Thailand while businesses in their countries are slammed by the pandemic. The number of foreign travelers is likely to be small relative to pre-COVID figures. Arrivals will stimulate the economy only for some local business operators and in certain areas, Mr Tanit said. “Opening the country to thousands of tourists cannot immediately restore the Thai economy, as we usually welcome 3 million tourists on average per year,” he said. But this does not mean the entry for foreign visitors should remain shut. The government should open the country as an “experiment” to see how it can manage risks, he said. “But they must be quarantined for 14 days,” Mr Tanit said. For foreign businessmen who only come to Thailand for errands or contract signing, the government should hold business meetings for them inside state quarantine venues, he said. The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) agrees that the 14-day quarantine is appropriate if the government allows international arrivals to resume. “Opening the door to foreign tourists will put Thailand at risk of a second outbreak, but the economy needs restoration,” said Kriangkrai Tiannukul, the FTI’s vice-chairman. “The B1.9-trillion stimulus programme to help the economy is not enough.” Analysis from health experts at the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) are needed to help the government strike a balance between disease prevention and economic rehabilitation. “The government cannot listen only to the CESA,” said Mr Kriangkrai, referring to the Center for Economic Situation Administration. “They need to heed facts and recommendations presented by both groups.” Authorities must make careful decisions because some business people are calling on the government to relax measures to screen foreigners. Harald Link, chairman of B.Grimm Group, Thailand’s oldest trading conglomerate, suggests the government relax the measures so that Thailand can remain attractive to foreign businessmen planning to invest in the country. These investors are looking for new locations to set up their production bases in Asean, so “if the measures are too stringent, our economic development may be affected”, he said. Flights to Thailand have become scarcer compared with those to Vietnam, not to mention the cheaper electricity rate in the neighbouring nation catching investors’ eyes, Mr Link said. If lenient measures lead to another domestic outbreak, it should not be difficult to curb the problem, he said. – Narumon Kasemsuk, Dusida Worrachaddejchaiand Lamonphet Apisitniran
Ardern wins landslide in NZ election
Ardern wins landslide in NZ election
Sunday 18 October 2020, 10:32AM
WORLD: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern won a landslide victory in New Zealand’s general election yesterday (Oct 17), capitalising on her success battling COVID-19 to gain an unprecedented outright majority and the chance to carry out her reform agenda.
Damage Done: Phuket’s tourism industry will take years to recover, say experts
Damage Done: Phuket’s tourism industry will take years to recover, say experts
Saturday 17 October 2020, 09:00AM
PHUKET: The damage to Phuket’s tourism industry by the COVID-19 prevention measures has already been done, and will take years to recover from, Phuket Chamber of Commerce President Thanusak Phungdet told The Phuket News this week..
Shrine tour added during Veg Fest to stimulate tourism
Shrine tour added during Veg Fest to stimulate tourism
Friday 16 October 2020, 02:36PM
PHUKET: The Phuket Office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has created a tour itinerary of shrines across the island to coincide with the Vegetarian Festival in the hope of further stimulating the local economy.
Sixty dollar experimental vaccine rolled out in east Chinese city
Sixty dollar experimental vaccine rolled out in east Chinese city
Friday 16 October 2020, 01:44PM
WORLD: A US$60 (B1872) double-dose experimental coronavirus vaccine is being made available to some residents in an eastern Chinese city, health officials have said, the first details of a mass rollout for an as-yet unproven vaccine.
First STV arrivals due next week from China
First STV arrivals due next week from China
Friday 16 October 2020, 10:31AM
THAILAND: Two groups of Chinese tourists with Special Tourist Visas (STV) will arrive in Thailand on Oct 20 and 26, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn has confirmed.
Thailand warms to China’s ventures
Thailand warms to China’s ventures
Friday 16 October 2020, 09:44AM
THAILAND: The Chinese government is ready to enable an expansion of investments in Thailand and connect its Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) with the Thai government’s flagship Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledged yesterday (Oct 15).
Phuket Vegetarian Festival hoped to generate more than B350mn
Phuket Vegetarian Festival hoped to generate more than B350mn
Thursday 15 October 2020, 03:42PM
PHUKET: The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is expected to attract some 60,000 people to take part in the festivities, altogether generating a projected more than B350 million in revenues for local businesses, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn has announced.
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