With daily new cases on a level that lands Thailand on many country's "red lists," Thailand isn't exactly considered a safe place to be by people that are afraid of Covid. I am not one of those people but I am just pointing out a fact that this generally seems to the measuring stick that the world uses as far as travel is concerned. I'm not saying those people are correct and for the most part I am on the side of people that think that Covid isn't anywhere near as dangerous as the news and various governments would have us believe.
However, Thailand is in a situation right now where it is quite critical that they get back involved in the tourism game as soon as they possibly can and a lot of the highers ups in economic places in this country agree with this idea.
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There are a lot of reasons that are claimed as to why it is that people have flocked to this country in the past for their vacations but I think if anyone is being frank they will state the obvious that the reason people came here was because of the beaches and nightlife that can be experienced for a fraction of the cost of other similar places around the world. Sure there are a ton of temples and history, but the main attractions are the sand and nightlife.
After more than a year of being all but completely closed off, a large portion of this country is suffering badly as 20% of the overall income in the Kingdom depends on tourism and the fear of the Federation of Thai Industries as well and high ranking officials in the Tourism Authority of Thailand is that if they do not open soon to international tourism that this fame that Thailand had as this sort of destination could fade among the international audience.
....and I think these officials have a very good point
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It is true that Thailand is inexpensive compared to some places that are like it but it isn't like there aren't a plethora of other options that fit the bill in exactly the same fashion that are located around the world. Sure, when compared to Maldives, Seychelles, or Polynesian beach getaways, Thailand is cheap but there are plenty of places in the world that are also like this.
You only need to look at basically all of Central America and the Caribbean in order to find the same values and if these places start to open first the fond memories or stories that have been heard of Thailand could fade and then the country could be facing a very expensive uphill battle in order to lure the tourists back to the Land of Smiles.
I don't know how long it has been going on but during the time that I have spent here I have noticed that officials, not business owners, have had a certain sort of disdain for certain types of tourists and the government has been very open about how they were trying to change the tourist demographics of the country to find the "right kind" of tourists and by "right kind" they mean "rich." While attempting this, they turned their back on budget travelers and long-term travelers to the point where even before Covid Thailand was slowly but surely stopping to be considered one of the popular destinations for budget travelers and backpackers. I've always felt like this was a terrible approach for them to have since every traveler, regardless of their budget, is putting money into the economy that otherwise wouldn't exist.
I agree with the officials that are calling for the near-immediate reopening of tourism in this country but I would go a step further than that. Thailand needs to abandon this notion of targeting certain demographics based on income-level and simply go after everyone. There is more than enough space for all type of travelers and I believe that there is going to be a massive race to attract tourists on a global scale that will not have space for excessive regulations the likes of which this country has enforced and embraced the entire time I have lived here.
I consider it to be like a restaurant with 100 seats in it. As the manager, of course you would prefer the type of people that are going to order the high-priced items on the menu and order without much consideration for the expense, but if this is only filling 20 of the seats in the restaurant then I can see no reason to not attempt to fill the other 80 seats with people who just want some soup or a cup of coffee. Yet in the years that I have lived here it seems as though Thailand officials are content to leave those other 80 seats vacant rather than let the latter group in at all or if they do let them in, they don't let them stay very long and then harass them to get out of the restaurant as quickly as possible.
Imagine if 20% of your own livelihood depended on a particular thing: You probably wouldn't see this as an opportunity to pick and choose how you were going to receive it but just take it as it comes, right? Now imagine that for nearly 2 years that income of yours was completely cut off and everyone else in the world was also vying for that particular thing: It would be a terrible time to be choosy about what comes your way, wouldn't it?
A paying customer is a paying customer and I am hopeful that Thailand will realize that now is the time to be open to everyone, not just the wealthy. If Thailand fails to embrace international tourism in the next few months, and I mean across the board, I fear that it could permanently damage this country's once rather dominant placement in the tourism game.
Targeting just the rich is a really idiotic idea, your restaurant example is spot on.
Targeting the rich when the strategy of providing for everyone has always worked. If something isn't broken the Thai government will "fix" it until it is!
I will be very happy if this goes forward without problems. Krabi, where I live, has been suffering badly. I agree with you about the visa meddling over the years. The backpacking guesthouse scene used to be booming in Krabi but over the years fewer backpackers have bothered to stick around in Thailand because they are "not welcome." on a selfish note this is particularly bad for us since they were the most likely of travelers to volunteer their time with us.
someone I know recently relocated to Krabi from up north and upon arrival she couldn't find anywhere to stay at all other than expensive hotels. I have been there a number of times and remember that the guesthouse industry provided many options. It would really be a shame if that industry simply vanished.
I have never been abroad but I read the from the news that Thailand's beaches are wonderful as good as Bali in Indonesia. Reading your post that Thai Government give warmer welcome to the wealthy tourists, I think that is not good for the mass economic life. As I know that in Bali, there are many homestays that will welcome backpackers.
Bali was one of the other places that was talking about adopting a similar policy targeting the wealthy only. I am not sure about the details. In my mind, Bali has always been a place where people of all budgets can find something for them in Bali and I think that this would be a terrible idea for the local economy if the government were to do this.
The reclamation of Benoa bay is one of the capitalism project in Bali but most people in Bali reject the project because the place will be exclusive and not all people have permission to access the area. Till now the reclamation of Benoa bay is suspended.
Cambodia might be on a similar trajectory, although they did just announce the reinstatement of e-visas yesterday, which basically means I have a path back into the country, although it still comes with a mountain of paperwork. The stipulations are definitely going to deter budget-minded travelers, so I'm hoping this "two thousand in cash that must be presented to the airline staff from the country of departure" policy will be gone soon.
I can just imagine the look on the Suriname airport staff's faces when their screen tells them to ask to present a few grand in cash for them to see 😲. We will definitely the first people ever departing Suriname with Phnom Penh as our final destination. Either way, we'll take any escape from this country we can get, no matter how complicated.
I hear mixed reports about the entry requirements to Cambodia but I would imagine you are very up to date on it. I think a $2000 deposit (if that is what it is) isn't unreasonable to create some sort of Covid cash stash should it be needed but I wonder, is Cambodia the kind of country that would make you work really hard to get that money back? Because in Thailand people are very hesitant when Thailand proposes something similar. There are some that I know that are on retirement visas that require a certain amount of money to be kept in a savings account and when they try to withdraw it because they are intending to leave Thailand, they find that they can't get it.
Of course things are changing by the week, but the latest info is still e-visa online only, no visa on arrival yet. The $2,000 USD deposit has been reduced to $1,000 for vaxxed foreigners, and also the quarantine period reduced from 14 days to 7 days for vaxxed foreigners. You still need to show the cash at check-in wherever you are in the world before you fly, and I can't wait to see the look on Suriname Airways' faces when their screen tells them to ask to flash a grand.
I can live a meaningful life on $120 a month in Cambodia, but of course I prefer more for stability and security, so yeah, losing a $1,000 is a big deal. However, it looks like the quarantine costs are $60 to $90 per day depending on where you randomly are brought by the government, and food costs are $30 a day, can't be refused. At seven days, that will be $630 cheapest possible scenario, so I could maybe get $300 or $400 back if I'm lucky. The visas for Cambodia are still far easier than Thailand, about $350 total costs per year to be legal and free to work, etc. Drop your passport off at an agent, no questions asked, no border runs, and usually back in your hands within a week.
Land border is still closed as of now too. But when we're settled in Veal Veng, and it becomes an international border crossing with Trat, we'll be an easy visit if you want to come check us out in Cambodia.
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