Thailand reopening: There are no foreigners and no foreign flights at all - at least in the north. News from the airport in the northern Thai capital was just as grim. There was not a single foreign origin flight due today, tomorrow, the next day or the next. ASEAN NEWS



The chief of Thailand's northern hoteliers' association was forced to admit on Sunday that there were no foreign bookings at their hotels.

 

Today - Monday November 1st - was hailed as D-Day for Thailand's grand reopening as advertised by the government of Prayuth Chan-ocha and his optimistic tourism authorities. 

 

But it looks like the dampest of damp squibs at least in terms of expectations in the north.

 

La-iat Bungsrithong told Thai PBS that there were 100 SHA and SHA+ hotels who had bought into the reopening plans in Chiang Mai.

 

But they had no foreign bookings.

 

Right now the city of Chiang Mai would have to make do with domestic tourists on government stimulus packages, she lamented.

 

News from the airport in the northern Thai capital was just as grim.

 

There was not a single foreign origin flight due today, tomorrow, the next day or the next.

 

They just hoped that Jeju Air would fly in from Incheon on Friday.

 

Other airlines have expressed an interest but they have made no firm commitments. 

 

Again, domestic flights between 70-102 a day will have to take up the slack from the missing foreigners.

 

Earlier Prayuth attempted to woo nationals from an enlarged quota of 63 "safe" nations.

 

But so far - if the north is anything to go by - his goals of filling up Thailand with foreigners champing at the bit to visit the kingdom look to have been optimistic.