Dusit Poll: Thailand is not ready for international reopening

A new poll from Suan Dusit Rajabhat University expresses the majority opinion that Thailand is not ready for a reopening to international tourism. The Suan Dusit Poll was conducted October 11 to 14 with 1,329 people from all over Thailand responding online.

The poll was conducted to gauge the people of Thailand’s feelings about PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announcing that the country would undertake a large reopening on November 1, less than 2 weeks from now.

When the poll administers asked respondents the more vague question of if Thailand is ready to reopen to international travellers without any quarantine requirement, and when asked the more specific question of if November 1 was the right date to commence this reopening, the answer was nearly identical.

For both questions, 60% of the poll respondents said no and 40% said yes, indicating that the majority of Thai people don’t think November 1 is the right time to reopen and further believe that the country is just not ready for a reopening.

Some key questions and answers from the Dusit Poll on reopening:

WHAT ARE THE NECESSARY CONDITIONS FOR REOPENING?

• 75% – more than 70% of the population needs to be vaccinated with quality vaccines
• 69% – the ability to contain the pandemic
• 68% – health services, hospitals and medical personnel must be ready
• 66% – mandatory testing of people before entering places
• 65% – confidence in safety in airports, public transport, restaurants and hotels

WHAT ARE UNFAVOURABLE CONDITIONS AGAINST REOPENING?

• 72% – Thai population has not yet been fully vaccinated
• 70% – Covid-19 could spread further in the country
• 66% – tourists could bring in the virus
• 61% – worry over new variants
• 56% – no clear plans if Covid-19 spreads

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF REOPENING?

• 77% – revival of the economy
• 75% – the return of employment and salaries
• 68% – national income from tourism
• 64% – revival of tourism-related businesses
• 58% – restore confidence in Thailand for investors and business operators

WHAT ARE THE UNFAVOURABLE EFFECTS OF REOPENING?

• 83% – Covid-19 infections might again rise
• 75% – lockdown could be reinstated
• 60% – health services might not be prepared
• 55% – illegal border crossings might increase
• 48% – people’s living conditions might be affected

SOURCE: Bangkok Post