TAT Governor Yuthasak in Phuket, admits issues, confirms July 1 reopening. Phuket News

TAT Governor Yuthasak in Phuket, admits issues, confirms July 1reopening

PHUKET: Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn was in Phuket yesterday (July 2) to check the readiness of the province to launch the 'Phuket Sandbox' model for receiving vaccinated forign tourists without quarantine from July 1.

Speaking after heading a meeting at phuket Provincial Hall, Mr Yuthasak confirmed that the July 1reopening to international tourists was going ahead, while admitting that many factors still need to be taken into account and remedied.

Mr Yuthasak said him joining the meeting yesterday was to prepare for joining a meeting of the Center for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) in Bangkok tomorrow(June 4), where many aspects of the Phuket Sandbox model will be discussed by the committee, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

"Today, I came to Phuket to have a meeting with local officers and relevant private sector representatives as well as the director of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT)," Mr Yuthasak said.

"On June 4, there will be a meeting of the CESA which will be chaired by the Prime Minister. The main topic for the meeting is the plan to open 'Phuket Sandbox' that came after the meeting on March 26," he added.

Mr Yuthasak said he appreciated the progress made to make the Sandbox launch possible. "People have been working so hard on the project, including the vaccination in Phuket which we believe can achieve herd immunity within this month, in order to open and welcome vaccinated foreign tourists," he noted.

"The second aspect of the project is developing our city [sic, meaning Phuket] in both the short and long term under the project named 'Better Phuket', which is going very well," he added.

"The third aspect is driving the demand through marketing. It is pretty satisfying that we have direct flights by airlines to Phuket from July," he noted.

"It's such a great intention and confidence among Phuket people to move forward to open the island to foreign tourists. I hope that in the meeting [tomorrow], there will be something beneficial and supportive for Phuket Sandbox," Mr Yuthasak said.

"We [the TAT] will work on the things under our authority. For the Phuket Sandbox, we do not only focus on foreign tourists, but also Thai tourists. We are ready to promote among Thai people to come to Phuket during the Sandbox period. 

"We will cooperate with relevant officials and the private sector to solve problems, such as vaccination or transport. And of course, to boost the confidence among Phuket people," he said.

Mr Yuthasak said safety was a key concern in allowing foriegn tourists to return. Only on Tuesday did he confirm that which countries the tourist arrivals come from will determine how long they will have to stay in Phuket before being allowed to travel elsewhere in Thailand.

He also assured that only tourists from low-risk countries will be allowed.

"The opening to vaccinated foreign tourists from low-risk countries will not affect Phuket people's lives and safety for sure. Local people can do everything as usual, as Phuket will be safe,"  Mr Yuthasak said.

"From the June 4 meeting, the information about the Phuket Sandbox will be clarified, including how tourists will stay, how and when they will be tested," he added.

"There will be an official announcement through the Royal Gazette, which is what agencies in the [source market] countries want. Many airlines have plans to operate flights, but they want to see the announcement as evidence to prove the opening date," he noted.

"The information right now is quite clear. Foreign tourists can stay how many days they want in Phuket if they do not go to other provinces. However, we still discuss that they may have to stay on the island at least 14 days to be allowed to go to other provinces in accordance with the current order by the CCSA [Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, in Bangkok].

"They can stay five, 10 or 12 days in Phuket and fly out, but if they want to go to other provinces, they have to be in Phuket at least 14 days. That is what we are still discussing," Mr Yuthasak said.

Regarding the testing of arrivals for COVID-19 after they arrive in Phuket, Mr Yuthasak explained, "For now, we plan to conduct swab tests on arrival [day 0], day 6 and day 12. Who will be responsible for the tests? For any cost of testing, which is for the safety of Phuket people, the government may have to find a budget to support this cost," he noted.

"If the testing is to be beneficial for the individual tourists, for example, when returning to their countries, if their governments ask them to present documents to prove they are not infected, they will have to pay for the test by themselves," he added.

Mr Yuthasak admitted that the reopening will not be a return to pre-pandemic levels of tourism, but at least a reopening.

"In the third quarter, we expect about 129,000 foreign tourists to come. The number is not high, compared to the number of hotel rooms in Phuket," he said.

"For domestic tourists, there is a holiday in July. We will cooperate with airlines and hotels to create special promotions for vaccinated Thai people to come to Phuket. To prove to them that the Phuket Sandbox is not only a paradise for foreigners, but also for Thai people."

Mr Yuthasak recognised the formal request for soft loans to be made available so that Phuket tourism operators can provide appropriate services to foreign tourists.

"For soft loans for operators, the national government has been trying to help, but there are limitations, including banks' conditions. We are not ignoring this issue and will raise this issue to be discussed at the meeting [tomorrow]," he said.

Richard Barrow regarding open up Phuket 1/7.



 

Tomorrow I've been invited to attend a meeting at TAT HQ about the planned #PhuketReopening on 1st July. But to be clear, the emphasis is still on the word *plan* because the CCSA must approve it first and then it has to be published in the Royal Gazette. Maybe next week.

As we all know, there is no certainty in life, certainly not during a global pandemic. My best advice is NOT to rush to book flights and hotels for the #PhuketReopening. There are so many details yet to be announced such as which countries you can fly from, which vaccines are approved and how to show you're vaccinated. If you want to book, make sure it's fully refundable. 

‪

CP All Plc, the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores, plans to spend 11.5-12 billion baht this year to expand its business. The company plans to open 700 new convenience stores this year, on par with last year. Some 155 new 7-Eleven stores were opened in the first quarter this year. Bangkok Post

CP All plans to open 700 7-11 stores

A 7-Eleven store in Bangkok is pictured during the pandemic. CP All operated 12,587 branches as of the first quarter this year. Somchai Poomlard

CP All Plc, the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores, plans to spend 11.5-12 billion baht this year to expand its business.

Kriengchai Boonboapichart, the company's chief financial officer, said 4-4.1 billion baht of total spending is for investment in new projects, subsidiaries and distribution centres, 3.8-4 billion is slated for store expansion, 2.4-2.5 billion is for store renovations, and the remaining 1.3-1.4 billion is for fixed assets and IT systems.

The company plans to open 700 new convenience stores this year, on par with last year.

Some 155 new 7-Eleven stores were opened in the first quarter this year.

"We will continue to open new stores, but with a more cautious approach. There are many uncertainties, so we will select locations that can build revenue and have real demand from customers," Mr Kriengchai said.

"Moreover, each location has to possess the capability to support our O2O [online-to-offline] retailing strategies."

CP All operated 12,587 branches of 7-Eleven at the end of the first quarter this year.

Of the total, 6,771 stores belong to business partners and 5,816 stores were owned by CP All.

Moreover, 85% of the stores were standalone with 15% located in PTT petrol stations.

CP All reported total revenue of 547 billion baht in 2020, down 4.3% from the previous year, with a net profit of 16.1 billion, a decrease of 27.9%.

In the first quarter this year, the company's total revenue dropped by 8.5% year-on-year to 133 billion baht, with a net profit of 2.59 billion, a fall of 54%.

The decrease in revenue was largely attributed to outbreaks of the pandemic, resulting in a slow recovery of domestic consumption, decreased consumer purchasing power and a lack of tourism.

Footfall per store per day in the first quarter this year declined to 845, down from 949 in 2020 and a peak of 1,187 before the Covid-19 outbreak.

The decrease is mainly a consequence of the first wave of the outbreak, followed by a new wave in late 2020.

The government announced measures to control the pandemic, resulting in a decrease in economic activities.

The slow recovery of the tourism industry and domestic consumption has also hurt prospects.

Furthermore, customer lifestyles are shifting to shopping online.

The company continues to implement O2O retail strategies, such as 7-Eleven Delivery, All Online and 24Shopping to satisfy customer demand.

CP All aims to provide prompt access to various consumer products, including at 7-Eleven stores, with delivery and pick-up service at branches seeing a good response, said Mr Kriengchai. 

🔴 BREAKING: 39 deaths and 3,886 cases (* 1,230 from prisons) on Thursday. Full update at 12:30pm. Richard Barrow

 



ASEAN Covid19 June 2nd. The Nation

 

Bangkok Post highlights 3/6

 

PHUKET: Phuket officials have again repeated that registration is open for foreigners to receive a state-provided COVID-19 vaccination while remaining silent on previous promises that foreigners would be vaccinated in June and that the vaccine to be used will be AstraZeneca only. Phuket News

Phuket officials continue to ignore AstraZeneca promise

PHUKET: Phuket officials have again repeated that registration is open for foreigners to receive a state-provided COVID-19 vaccination while remaining silent on previous promises that foreigners would be vaccinated in June and that the vaccine to be used will be AstraZeneca only.

During a live broadcast online this morning (June 2), as with the announcement yesterday, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew again delegated the presentation of the announcement to Pracha Asawathira, a PhD academic with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (M-DES) involved in the operation of the vaccination registration web portal 'Phuket Must Win' (www.ภูเก็ตต้องชนะ.com).

"Right now, 28,286 foreigners have registered to get vaccinated. On June 3-5, vaccines will be provided to foreigners who have work permits," Mr Pracha said.

"The opening for vaccination time booking will be open at 9am. Only HR [human resources] of each company can make the booking for foreigners," he added.

"The booking system will open for two rounds. The first round is opening at 9am for businesses in the tourism industry and education, and the second round will be at 2pm for businesses in other industries," Mr Pracha said just after 7am today.

"The documents needed to be presented to get injected are your passport, visa and your real work permit [sic]. We will have officers from Phuket Immigration and the Phuket Provincial Employment Office check the documents at the vaccination centres," he added.

While admitting that foreigners had already registered through the system to be vaccinated, Mr Pracha did not directly recognise that registrations for foreigners had been suspended by officials.

Previously, initially foreigners working with tourism-related businesses were allowed to register through exactly the same process Mr Pracha described this morning, followed by foreigners working for other types of businesses.

The registrations stopped after the Official COVID-19 Information Center Phuket announced on May 22 that Phuket Must Win would no longer accept registrations from Thais from June 5, and no longer receive registrations of foreigners after Tuesday (May 25).

The move created panic online by Thais wanting to register to be vaccinated.

Two days later, Phuket Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong called the move a "temporary suspension". enacted to crack down on Thais not in Phuket registering just so they could be vaccinated for the virus.

Adding to the confusion for foreigners in Phuket looking to be vaccinated was the announcement on May 24 ‒ again by the Official COVID-19 Information Center Phuket, which touts itself as the official source of information in Phuket regarding COVID-19 to prevent fake news ‒ that foreigners in Phuket who had already registered to be vaccinated were to receive the Sinovac vaccine on May 30.

That never happened, with no notice and no explanation from Phuket officials.

The post caused mass confusion online, with foreigners presenting evidence that they had been informed by the Phuket officials that foreigners would be vaccinated in June and by "AstraZeneca only" ‒ in line with repeated explanations by leading Phuket health officials, including Vachira Phuket Hospital Driector Dr Chalermpong Sukontapol, who was present at this morning's live broadcast.

Today, Phuket officials are announcing that registrations for foreigners to be vaccinated are open, as if they never were before.

Of note, The Phuket Newsalready has readers confirming that their independent attempts to register had been refused. One reader pointed out that his passport number was not accepted

Neither Mr Pracha nor any of the officials present for the live broadcast today made any mention of which vaccines are to be administered to which groups. Phuket so far has only ever received deliveries of the Sinovac vaccine.

Dr Chalermpong this morning said that Phuket was expecting to receive doses of the Astrazeneca vaccine, but the number of doses to be received was inaudible due to a video being inserted in the live broadcast drowning out Dr Chalermpong's voice.

The Phuket News is trying to confirm how many doses of AstraZeneca Phuket is expected to receive and when.

What was audible after the video insert stopped was that Phuket was expected to receive a further 12,320 doses of Sinovac arriving tomorrow (June 3).

Mr Pracha continued with his explanation that so far 279,943 people on the island had received their first vaccination injection, with 64.75% of those being people registered as living Phuket, and the remaining 35.25% are people registered as living somewhere else.

SÅ ÄR DÅ BANGSAEN PÅ LISTAN IGEN: TIMELINE: Chonburi informs residents who visited places in relation to most recent confirmed Covid -19 cases Wednesday, 2 June 2021, 11:49. Pattaya News



Chonburi –

The Chonburi Public Health Office last night (June 1^st) has released another timeline to inform people who went to specific places this month to notify health authorities and monitor their health in regards to Covid-19. The following is an English translation of the release.

1. Student Center Shop in Si Racha on May 23^rd from 10:00 A.M. to 10:30 A.M..
2. Fit Auto car service in PTT gas station on Bangsaen beach road in Sane Suk on May 27^thto May 28^th from 8:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M..
3. Toffy Pet Mart 999 Nong Yai Boo branch in Surasak, Si Racha on May 30^th from 2:40 P.M. to 3:30 P.M..
4. Kao Loa restaurant 1^st branch in Bang Sai, Mueang Chonburi on May 31^st from 11:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M..

If anyone has problems with respiratory symptoms and/or fever within 14 days from when they had visited those places, they must go to a hospital, according to the Chonburi Public Health Office.

Please inform the hospital that you visited the same place as a Covid-19 confirmed case, they continued.

Chonburi Covid -19 cases drop to 29 confirmed and new infections Wednesday, 2 June 2021, 11:22. Pattaya News

Chonburi Covid -19 cases drop to 29 confirmed and new infections

Wednesday, 2 June 2021, 11:22

Chonburi –

The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 29 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, June 2^nd, mostly driven by clusters at factories and migrant worker camps.

Today is the lowest number of cases in Chonburi since April 7th, 2021.

This makes a total of 4,745 cases of Covid-19 in the current round of infections, with 978 people still under medical care and with a total of 28 recorded deaths in Chonburi since the start of this recent round of infections in early April.

Additionally, 3,739 people in total have now been released from medical care and fully recovered since this current wave began. 40 people were released yesterday.

The district-level new cases were as follows today:

Mueang Chonburi with 6, Si Racha 9, Banglamung (including Pattaya) 8, Panat Nikhom 1, Nong Yai 2 and three patients were transferred from another province to Chonburi for medical care.

The details on today's cases given were:

1. Contacts from previous confirmed cases

• In families, 7 cases
• In workplaces, 2 cases

2. Infected in a factory in Pluak Dang, Rayong transferred to Chonburi for medical care, 5 cases
3. Close contacts under investigation, 4 cases
4. Being investigated, 11 cases

In the last day, a total of 271 close contacts were tested from contact tracing, and 1,206 people were tested in proactive testing when medical staff goes out into the community. All are pending results.

Public health officials continue to urge people to not socialize outside of their direct household until the situation improves. Most cases have come from small social gatherings according to authorities.

Chonburi has significantly stepped up testing at industrial estates and their worker dormitories as well as workplaces in the province.

Qatar Airways confirms Phuket flights to resume July 1. In addition to its 12 flights a week to Bangkok, the airline will operate a total of 16 weekly flights to Thailand “providing connectivity for its passengers travelling from Europe, the Middle East and United States” the release said. Phuket News

Qatar Airways confirms Phuket flights to resume July 1

PHUKET: Qatar Airways has confirmed that the airline will operate four flights a week from Doha to Phuket starting July 1.

The route will be operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, offering 22 seats in Business Class and 232 in Economy Class, the airline noted in a release issued yesterday (June 1).

In addition to its 12 flights a week to Bangkok, the airline will operate a total of 16 weekly flights to Thailand "providing connectivity for its passengers travelling from Europe, the Middle East and United States" the release said.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said, "With the resumption of flights to Phuket, Qatar Airways marks a significant milestone in the recovery of international tourism. We are proud to have led the industry, setting the benchmark for safety, innovation and customer service throughout the pandemic.

"We know many of our customers are eager to get back flying and return to some of their favourite holiday destinations, such as Phuket. Famed for its many exotic beaches, family friendly atmosphere, turquoise waters and delicious local cuisine, Phuket is an ideal destination for a summer getaway. We look forward to working with our partners in Thailand to support the recovery of their tourism sector."

The Qatar Airways flights will operate as follows starting July 1:

Doha (DOH) to Phuket (HKT) QR 840 departs 02:55 arrives 13:30(Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

Phuket (HKT) to Doha (DOH) QR 841 departs 02:30 arrives 05:30 (Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday)

🔴 BREAKING: 38 deaths and 3,440 cases (* 1,087 from prisons) on Wednesday. Full update at 12:30pm. 27 May: 3,323 - 47 dead 28 May: 3,759 - 34 dead 29 May: 4,803 - 34 dead 30 May: 4,528 - 24 dead 31 May: 5,485 - 19 dead 1 June: 2,230 - 38 dead 2 June: 3,440 - 38 dead <— TODAY. Richard Barrow

 



The grand re-opening? The Tourism Authority of Thailand chief Yutthasak Suphasorn revealed his latest assessments about foreign tourism targets and predictions to Thai Rathyesterday. It was revealed that the first arrivals as part of the much vaunted Phuket Sandbox tourism reopening scheme in the southern province would include people from the USA. However, it was hardly opening the floodgates - just 20 had booked to come on July 9th. Thai Visa





Picture: Thai Rath

 

The Tourism Authority of Thailand chief Yutthasak Suphasorn revealed his latest assessments about foreign tourism targets and predictions to Thai Rathyesterday.

 

It was revealed that the first arrivals as part of the much vaunted Phuket Sandbox tourism reopening scheme in the southern province would include people from the USA.

 

However, it was hardly opening the floodgates - just 20 had booked to come on July 9th. 

 

And also CNN were coming. 

 

Yutthasak also said that the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) have still got to ratify the details that will allow double dose vaccinated tourists to enter Thailand. 

 

He said that he had been in discussions with his counterparts at the Thai tourism ministry and they were expecting 3-4 million foreign tourists this year. 

 

Thaivisa did the math - that would mean for the top end assessment 18,691 would need to arrive every day on average.

 

The National Economic and Social Development Council have said that they are banking on 500,000 foreign tourists before the end of the year. 

 

That would be a more modest 2,336 per day. 

 

Meanwhile Siriphan Chiawsamut, a TAT marketer, said that authorities in Krabi were working on an alternative reopening plan called 1+2+4 Q.

 

Under this scheme Koh Phi Phi, Railay beach and Koh Hong would be opened in July with foreign tourists having to quarantine in their rooms for one day.

 

On days 2 and 3 they could use the hotel grounds, then on days 4-7 they could move further afield subject to restrictions. 

 

They hope to expand this to Koh Lanta and Ao Nang on the mainland in August if it meets with official approval. 

 

Also Thai Rath reported the TAT chief Yuttasak as saying that he expects 129,000 foreign tourists to visit Phuket from July to September. 

 

They would mainly come from the USA and Europe, he said.

 

IT spending in Thailand is expected to surge by 4.9% this year, buoyed by a jump in outlays on enterprise software and devices to support remote work, according to global research firm Gartner. Bangkok Post

Remote work to boost IT spending by 4.9%

IT spending in Thailand is expected to surge by 4.9% this year, buoyed by a jump in outlays on enterprise software and devices to support remote work, according to global research firm Gartner.

Of the total IT spend, enterprise software is forecast to see the strongest growth of 13.2%, followed by devices with growth of 11.3% as "remote work support is expanded and improved", Gartner said in a statement.

Overall IT spending is forecast to reach 680 billion baht in 2021, up from 648 billion in 2020. The outlay is predicted to surge 5.7% to 718 billion baht in 2022.

In 2021, communications services are expected to see the biggest IT spend at 364 billion baht, up 1.6% from a year before. The outlay in this segment is projected to remain substantial in 2022 with 379 billion baht forecast to be spent.

At the global level, IT spend is projected to surge 8.4% year-on-year to US$4 trillion in 2021 and expected to jump 5.5% to $4.2 trillion in 2022.

"IT no longer just supports corporate operations as it traditionally did but it is fully involved in business value delivery," said John-David Lovelock, distinguished research vice-president at Gartner.

"Not only does this shift IT from a back-office role to the front of a business but it also changes the source of funding from an overhead expense that is maintained, monitored and sometimes cut, to the thing that drives revenue."

In 2021, the biggest growth in global IT spending is expected to come from devices with an increase of 14% to $755 billion, followed by enterprise software with a jump of 10.8% to $516 billion.

This comes as organisations shift their focus to provide a more comfortable, innovative and productive environment to their employees, he said.

Throughout the rest of this year, the focus for chief information officers (CIOs) will be completing digital business plans geared towards enhancing and transforming the company's value proposition, he said.

"Last year, IT spending took the form of a 'knee-jerk' reaction to enable a remote workforce in a matter of weeks. However, as hybrid work takes hold, CIOs will focus on spending that enables innovation and not just task completion," said Mr Lovelock. 

Bangkok Post highlights 2/6

 

Inoculation rules laid out for visitors to Phuket. Bangkok Post

 Inoculation rules laid out for visitors to Phuket

Anyone flying into Phuket must have received at least one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine or both or full doses of other brands, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) said yesterday.

Entry by air is also allowed for those who have documentary proof of their recovery from Covid-19 within 90 days prior to their arrival.

Healthy travellers also need to produce a document confirming they have had a Covid-negative test result issued within the previous seven days.

Airlines will not allow those unable or unwilling to show any of those documents to board the plane. Children five years or older are exempt from the new restriction, which went into effect on Monday.

Meanwhile, public opinion is being gauged from local business operators over the province's readiness to reopen to tourism.

The findings will be conveyed to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Friday before the cabinet rules on whether the reopening of the province to vaccinated tourists on July 1 can go ahead under the so-called "Phuket Sandbox" model.

Wikrom Chaktee, deputy Phuket governor, said the meeting was held to hear from several tourism-related sectors such as hotels, restaurants and transportation operators.