Thailand
Lottery changes a bid to reduce ‘gray money’

– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community
PHUKET: The government says its move to try and solve the problem of expensive state lottery tickets is a bid to control so-called “gray money”.
The so-called “gray money” earned from selling the tickets above 80 baht apiece might have been used in other illegal activities or support activities that could have damaged the country, deputy government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said yesterday.
Sansern said that Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s decision to replace the Government Lottery Office’s board on Friday night by invoking Article 44 of the provisional constitution was designed to boost the agency’s management efficiency.
The change should enable better regulating of lottery ticket sales and appropriate prices, he said.
First Army Region deputy chief Maj Gen Apirat Kongsompong is the GLO’s new chairman.
As part of a government order issued on Friday night, people caught selling overpriced lottery tickets will be subject to up to one month in prison and/or a fine of up to 10,000 baht from June 16.
The current penalty is a fine of up to 2,000 baht.
Many lottery vendors in Chiang Mai said yesterday that they disagreed with the order because they thought it was not tackling the problem at the root cause.
They also said that selling lottery tickets for 80 baht may result in |no profit, meaning they may have |to find other jobs.
Parakorn Khamdech, president of the Chiang Mai Association of the Blind, said the government should solve the problem at its root cause and consider the feasibility of |selling tickets for 80 baht and the |vendors’ profits because the association bought tickets at 7,400 baht per book for a profit of only 7.4 baht per ticket.
If tickets were sold at 80 baht each, the profit would shrink to 5 baht, he added.
Vendor Chanthalak Boonnoon, 56, said she felt tired and wondered why the government didn’t think about the vendors’ well-being too.
“If we sell at Bt80 per ticket, where will we get a profit from?” she said. “These days we only get 5 baht to 10 baht in profit from selling tickets.
“If we don’t get this kind of profit, what is the point of continuing in this business, in which we would only suffer losses?”
She urged the government to come up with a clear system that is practical.
In Udon Thani, many lottery shops on Prajak Silpakhom Road in Muang district are quieter than usual these days as only a few vendors sell the May 16 round of lottery tickets.
Vendor Sunee Wisaleewat said she didn’t dare put the tickets – which she bought from a supplier at 80 baht per ticket – on sale for between 90 baht and 100 baht because it might result in severe punishment from the government.
She wants the government to solve the problem of inflated ticket prices without hurting vendors.
— Phuket Gazette Editors
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Thailand
45 new cases today, 37 local‐Covid‐19‐Update

Thailand reports 45 new cases of Covid-19cases today, with 37 infections being locally-transmitted. 8 of those infections were imported, raising the total amount of infections since the pandemic began to 25,809.
The Department of Disease Control reports that 32 cases were confirmed at hospitals with 5 confirmed through active case finding in communities.
Samut Sakhon province, the 2nd wave epicentre, reported over half of the new cases at 19. 14 of those cases were confirmed at hospitals and 5 were detected in Myanmar communities. Bangkok has reported 3 new cases, Nakhon Nayok reported 5, Chai Nat 3, Nakhon Pathom 3, Saraburi 2, Prachuap Khiri Khan 1, and Samut Prakan 1.
The 8 imported cases were those under quarantine arriving from Pakistan, Bangladesh, the UK, Germany, France, The Netherlands, and Kuwait. The case from the UK was that of a 6 year old Thai schoolgirl.
Globally, Covid-19 cases rose by 444,466 over the past day to 113.54 million. The worldwide death toll increased by 10,552 to 2.52 million. The United States still has the most cases at 29.5 million, with the most deaths at 520,785.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Tourism
Surveys show Thailand still one of the top holiday choices post-pandemic

The Stockholm office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand has conducted a survey in which 62% of respondents say they want to spend winter in Thailand provided restrictions are lifted. The top destinations are Phuket, Krabi and Khao Lak, followed by Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan, Koh Tao, Bangkok, and Hua Hin.
68% say they would cancel bookings if the 14-day quarantine remains in place. 26% say they would still go ahead, and 13% said they’d be in favour of quarantine being cut to 10 days. 99% of participants say they would be worried about testing positive for Covid-19 after travel plans have been made.
Meanwhile, the TAT’s London office has also been busy, carrying out a survey in conjunction with market research firm, YouGov. The idea behind the survey was to get an idea of the future of tourism once the pandemic is over.
4,127 people took part, with 75% of them saying they’re prepared to be vaccinated if it’s required for travel. 41% are against mandatory quarantine, although 52% would accept a 5-day quarantine. 62% of those planning holidays are over the age of 50 and interested in countries with low infection rates.
According to a Nation Thailand report, Siripakorn Cheawsamoot from the TAT says the findings of the survey indicate that up to 6 million people are interested in travelling to Thailand at some point this year.
Meanwhile, a number of online travel agency platforms in France have also carried out a survey. The poll, conducted by companies such as Go Voy, Opodo, and eDreams, showed that the number of hits to tourism-related websites rose by 15% once the success of Covid-19 vaccines was announced. The top destinations searched for were Dubai at 49%, Marrakesh at 27%, and Bangkok at 25%.
Another travel survey in the Americas found that most holidaymakers have chosen to postpone their trips by 7 months to a year, rather than cancelling completely. Siripakorn says that booking flexibility is a priority for Americans.
“Flexibility to reschedule is the top priority for American tourists, followed by safety. These tourists are looking for safety, no quarantine, flexibility, and no deposit.”
Meanwhile, a report issued by Skift Research shows that travel will not recover until 2023 and will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2025.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Thailand
Long Buddhist holiday to see over 40 percent reduction in domestic tourism

The long Buddhist festival holiday, which starts today, is set to see over a 40% reduction in domestic tourism. The Tourism and Transport Authority of Thailand has made the estimation which tallies around 1.09 million domestic trips, a number that is down 44% from last year’s Makha Bucha Day.
The 2nd wave of the Covid pandemicthis year has made potential tourists cautious about spending money, with the holiday forecasted to yield 3.9 billion baht. That number is 38% lower than the same period last year. Hotel occupancy rates are also expected to only be 50% of last year’s tally on average.
Other venues that are normally open for tourists on this holiday, such as the ancient Buddha’s footprint at Khao Khitchakut in Chanthaburi, have been closed out of fears for Covid spreading through mass gatherings. As one of the country’s top 10 religious events, it is indicative of how the 2nd wave has taken a toll on the country’s tourism. The event’s closing is attributed to the forecasted 74% drop in trips to Thailand’s northeastern region, otherwise known as Isaan. And, if there are less tourists, then there is less revenue. The cancellation is expected to decrease expenditures by 68% on average.
Meanwhile, the 2nd wave is also affecting airlines as Thai AirAsia has reported only 9.49 million passengers with an average load factor of 75% for 2020, posting a net loss of 4.76 billion baht with a total revenue of 16.3 billion baht.
Thai VietJet’s marketing manager says before the 2nd wave hit late last year, the airline was on the upswing, operating 120 domestic flights per day. Recently, top economic leaders have warned that Thailand’s tourism industry will fallout soon if it is not revived. The 60 plus year industry is in dire trouble with slow vaccine rollouts, country travel restrictions, and virus variants all being major factors in Thailand’s slow reopening of tourism.
With the vaccine set to be issued to tourism hotspots first, PM Prayut has stated that the government is mulling whether to allow tourists to skip quarantine requirements if they can show that they have received the Covid vaccine.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
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