Economy
Thai government considers easing restrictions for foreign business travellers
The Thai government is considering further easing entry restrictions for foreign travellers coming to conduct business in the Kingdom. Currently, around 11,000 businesspeople and work permit holders have been granted entry by the Centre for Covid-19 Administration Situation since they started allowing some foreigners back into the country after July.
All arrivals have to submit to a mandatory 14 day quarantine, as does anyone arriving from overseas at the moment. They will have also undergone extensive Covid-19 testing, prior to departing their country of origin, again on arrival in Thailand, and several times while in quarantine and before being released from quarantine.
According to a Nation Thailand report, Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri says making life easier for foreigners trying to enter Thailand for business or investment purposes is “vital to economic survival”. Thailand’s economy has been decimated by the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, with many arguing that it is now time to re-open the borders.
The government has signed off on the new Special Tourist Visa, which was formally Gazetted last week, to allow long-stay tourists to enter the Kingdom on specially chartered flights, although there is still some confusion as to when the first group might arrive. Meanwhile, the STV has been criticised by some for the onerous requirements attached to it and the fact that it simply does not go far enough in addressing the economic crisis caused by the closure of Thailand’s borders.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Geoff
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 11:38 am
My business has collapsed because I cannot travel from Thailand and return safely to my family.
I earn forex for Thailand.
Just saying
Jilted John
Sunday, October 11, 2020 at 11:26 am
Sounds like your Government couldn’t give a XXXX…
Ryan Lih
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 11:41 am
“Considering easing” is not enough. It’s all talk and no real & concrete action plan. 3 months will pass by in a blink of an eye and by that time, cry about spilt milk? Major protests/uprising are in the works by you know who. More citizens will join because no results shown. It’s all about considering, talking, thinking, recommending, etc. After the meeting, no accountability, no follow-up, no tracking of progress & results.
Issan John
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 7:05 pm
“Major protests/uprising are in the works by you know who.”
Quite possibly, but they’re not about opening the borders as you seem to suggest.
All the surveys, even that in Phuket which has been hit as badly as anywhere if not worse, show very clearly that most Thais do NOT want the borders open despite the damage to the tourist industry.
Toby Andrews
Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 10:29 am
Rubbish. These surveys, are they the ones that consult 1450 persons?
I keep seeing them and they are always anti foreigner.
I suspect they are paid false surveys.
Survey the Phuket citizens lining up in the street for free food.
Survey the business owners that have closed down due to lack of foreign visitors.
Jilted John
Sunday, October 11, 2020 at 11:31 am
Spot on, i was thinking myself who exactly are these people answering these surveys
Nipral
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 11:52 am
Another joke ! Any business in Thailand ? I remember in the past they had some
tourism. The greedy and corrupt government killed it. Nothing left but starving
people. The good news is that PM and crew have food on their table and roofs over their empty head.
harry1
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 1:17 pm
indeed a complex situation,but not thoroughly thought thru collectively ? local and country business are devastated and it reliant on tourism. people are becoming more desperate.not sure why the hold up of the experiment of letting some back.perhap airline wont operate until more passengers are flying, until there a clear message from the powers that be
Gigitour
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 1:22 pm
how many covid tests are done in thailand every day?
RR
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 2:22 pm
Aside from the mandatory ones of the forced quarantine, none, because they are expensive, and must be paid by the user. People buy food, not tests. Thailand has one of the lowest test/population ratio in the world, not surprising the number of detected cases is so low.
Issan John
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 7:43 pm
“Thailand has one of the lowest test/population ratio in the world, not surprising the number of detected cases is so low.”
Not only untrue, but the conclusion is nonsense.
If the number of cases were markedly higher, the number of overall deaths would also be higher. It isn’t. QED.
Toby Andrews
Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 10:22 am
How do you know that is not true. You have the proven figures.
YOUR conclusion is nonsense.
Neelam Mehta
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 1:23 pm
ROYAL THAI EMBASSY IN MUMBAI INDIA SAYS WE ARE NOT ISSUING BUSSINESS VISA.
I JUST DON’T GET THE POINT
IF ANY ONE IS WILLING TO SET UP A BUSSINESS IN SUCH DIFFICULT TIMES
THEY SHOULD BE MORE THAN WELCOME.
Marc F
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 1:56 pm
Wishfull thinking or qualified lies?
Announcing measures with attached conditions rendering them non applicable is bad. Bad for the trust in authorities. Bad because it prevents any planning from any stakeholder. Bad because it prevents effective measures to be discussed.
Che
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 3:30 pm
Reopen now!
Issan John
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 7:00 pm
… and is that Thailand’s fault, or that of the countries you are unable to travel to?
Issan John
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 7:36 pm
Why would that matter?
If testing the general population, in order to be effective you would need to test the entire population at least every month which would require over 2 million to be tested every day. Even the USA isn’t managing to test half that number.
jooseppi
Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at 4:31 am
yeah but usa is not Finland LOL. those guys has people living in the street while we got ZERO
Issan John
Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at 9:42 am
I’m not sure why Finns hold their country up as a shining example of how to deal with Covid-19.
You’ve had fifty times as many deaths from Covid-19 as Thailand, with less than a tenth of the population and a fifth of the population density.
Your borders are closed to visitors from all but a handful of countries, with more restrictions than Thailand, and your fatality rate from Covid-19 is 50% higher than the world average while Thailand’s is 50% lower.