The Thai PM, chairing today's CCSA meeting, has asked people in Thailand to keep wearing their masks.
The words were carefully crafted.
"…although there are no legal obligations for people to wear face masks, people are still very strongly advised to do so, especially when it is deemed necessary."
In other words, you don't HAVE to. So nothing has changed in that regard as of today's CCSA meeting.
"According to the Ministry of Public Health, the government still encourages people to wear masks, especially in poorly ventilated spaces."
More details about today's CCSA announcements HERE.
Since the last week of June, the previous requirement to wear a mask, as enacted by the CCSA back in 2020, under the auspices of the Emergency Decree, was dropped for "open spaces and public areas". It became, politely, 'voluntary'.
Since the announcement was made we waited to see how the public would react. Doubts were expressed that Thais would be getting rid of their face masks in a hurry. We were right. Certainly, around busier parts of Bangkok, face masks are still uniformly worn by almost all Thais. Certainly, on all public transport, it remains an enforceable requirement. Same with private shops that, still, require shoppers entering their premises, to wear a face mask.
The same policy remains on all Thai domestic flights and airports.
This week there was a lot of rolling back of the decision to allow face masks to be 'voluntary'. The Public Health Minister even said his ministry "never supported" the removal of the mask requirement.
The background to all this wooly language and back-tracking follows dissension within the CCSA and Thai ministries. From the tourism point of view, there is an urgent need to get Thailand 'back to normal'. Whilst the public health ministry remains extremely risk averse and is concerned by the rise in Omicron sub-variant cases, with more BA.4 and BA.5 infections begin reported over the past 2 weeks.
Today it was also announced by the CCSA that the emergency decree will continue for at least another 2 months, up to the end of September. The emergency decree provides the CCSA, the country's Covid taskforce' with the power to make 'Covid' related legislation on the run, without having to go through the usually parliamentary processes. On one hand, it allowed Thailand to quickly shift strategy as it battled its Covid demons over the past 2 years and 3 months. But others suggest the retention of the emergency decree is just a way to "maintain power" and drag out the Covid narrative (for some upstate reason).
The emergency decree, from a day-to-day standpoint of people living in Thailand, has no effect at all. No soldiers are walking around with guns or tanks rolling down the streets. Life is generally back to normal, or as normal as things will be in the short term anyway. Anything, unrelated to Thailand's Covid-19 strategies, still has to go through the normal parliamentary processes.
For foreign travellers coming to Thailand, the current emergency decree has no effect at all.
The suggestion that the emergency decree is "just another way for the government to control the pro-democracy protesters" doesn't hold water either as groups can gather under the current guidelines of the CCSA. And have been doing so.
So, from a "what does all this mean" standpoint, today's announcements from the CCSA amount to absolutely no changes at all.
For the foreseeable future, we will continue to see Thais mostly wearing their face masks in public areas, certainly around Thailand's capital, maybe less so in some of the tourism enclaves. But foreigners will certainly continue to lead the way and take advantage of the loose language from the Thai PM and choose not to wear a mask, even though they've been "strongly advised" to do so.
But put yourself on CCSA-watch again for the next few weeks because, if the Covid infections start to rise sharply again (Minister Anutin said yesterday he expects infection rates to rise over the next 10 weeks), then the language of the CCSA may turn to "must" rather than "strongly advise".
For foreign travellers to Thailand at this time, despite the removal of the Thailand Pass, there will still be confusion in the short-term as they figure out what is legal, what is 'expected' of them, and how to best behave as guests in the country.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is considering reactivating community isolation facilities in 50 districts for COVID-19 patients in slum areas, to separate the infected from those over 60 years old, people suffering from underlying diseases and pregnant women, as new infections hit 2,000 a day in the capital alone.
While urging them to get booster shots, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said today (Friday) that this group is particularly vulnerable if they catch COVID-19 and, therefore, the infected should be isolated because of the crowded conditions in densely populated areas.
The governor also said that the BMA is coordinating with the Public Health Ministry to procure Molnupiravir tablets at special price, to be administered to patients under its care.
During the peak of the pandemic last year, several community isolation facilities and field hospitals were opened in Bangkok and elsewhere to accommodate patients with mild symptoms. Health officials monitored the patients' their conditions and supplied medication.
Meanwhile, Deputy Bangkok Governor Asst. Prof. Dr. Tavida Kamolvej offered an assurance that the BMA's hospitals, are capable of handling serious cases, although only 40% of beds remain unoccupied.
She said that those who are infected, including migrant workers, can seek medical services at health centres or clinics operated by the BMA, adding that elderly people, or those suffering from underlying diseases, whose conditions are serious, will be admitted.
Regarding students at 457 BMA-run schools, Dr. Tavida disclosed that only about 1% have been found to be infected and most of them are high schoolers.
Infections in schools are still manageable and there is not yet a need for a suspension of classes, she said, adding that schools are prepared to introduce online learning in case of clusters of infections among students.
Thai government announces 19th extension of Emergency Decree, effective until September
The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced another 2-month extension of the Emergency Decree, effective from August 1st to September 30th.
CCSA spokesperson Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin told the Associated Press after the CCSA general meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O'Cha today, July 8th, that the meeting had considered extending the state of emergency throughout the kingdom for the 19th time for another 2 months until the end of September 2022.
The Prime Minister, as the director of CCSA, stressed that such extension is for disease prevention and preservation of people's lives and is not for other purposes or political matters as claimed by several pro-democracy activists or oppositional MPs.
TPN notes the extension needs final approval by the Thai Cabinet, which PM Prayut also chairs, to be final, but is nearly certain to happen.
Many hotels have voiced their opinions over the government's proposal to adopt dual pricing for the hospitality industry. They described the plan as "impractical" and asked that the government come up with promotions and campaigns to boost tourism instead.
A government spokeswoman said yesterday that hotels would be expected to adopt a dual pricing system where Thais would continue to get lower rates while foreign tourists would be charged pre-pandemic pricing – a two tier pricing system.
The spokesperson from the Tourism Council of Krabi said that "every customer should be treated fairly and equally".
"Clear communication is crucial, according to the head of who warned that this sensitive subject could damage the tourism industry's reputation."
A spokesperson for Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park echoed similar comments.
"I don't think it's fair. Whether we are Thai or foreigners, we should all pay the same rates."
According to the President of the Thai Hotels Association, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, the idea is unrealistic as hotel costs vary based on the state of the market.
"Hotels at each star level also apply different pricing tactics. Prices will automatically rise as demand rises to maintain the occupancy rate."
"Every hotelier would like to operate with higher and fair rates to gain a larger margin, but it is difficult to do so because of heated competition and oversupply. Operators have to use pricing strategy to gain cash flow,"
A representative for Sheraton Hotels, Guntapitch Rodpun, stated that international companies like Sheraton are unlikely to change their pricing policy based on the nationality of their customers unless they are ordered to do so.
"While several hotels may have implemented a separate pricing structure for Thai nationals and foreigners in the past, we have never had that kind of pricing structure. Although we have not received any direct proposal, our hotels have always featured universal rates for Thai nationals and foreigners alike."
According to the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the government would not force hotels to implement the much debated dual pricing proposal.
CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin gives an update on the Covid-19 situation at Government House on Friday. (Screenshot)
There were now about 29,000 new Covid-19 cases a day and the figures were rising in 23 provinces, particularly in Greater Bangkok and other tourist zones, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported on Friday.
CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said the daily stastistics came from people who registered their infections, and a small number of them were admitted to hospital.
New cases were declining in 54 provinces while rising in 23 other provinces, some of which reported large waves of infection, he said.
The 23 provinces were Bangkok, Chon Buri, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Rayong, Tak, Samut Songkhram, Samut Sakhon, Lop Buri, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Nakhon Phathom, Ayutthaya, Krabi, Phangnga, Narathiwat, Trang, Pattani, Yala and Songkhla.
"Phuket has big waves of new infection. New cases are noticeably increasing in Greater Bangkok and tourism provinces," Dr Taweesilp said.
On Thursday there were 20 more coronavirus-related deaths, and 2,144 new cases admitted to hospitals.
As of midnight Thursday, a total of 25,082 people were receiving Covid-19 treatment (up from 24,904 the previous day), including 10,470 in hospitals (up from 10,211). Of the remainder, 1,083 were in field hospitals/hospitel facilities (down from 1,148) and 13,500 in home/community isolation (down from 13,541).
Of those in hospital, 763 were seriously ill with lung inflammation (up from 757) and 327 dependent on ventilators (down from 329).
"The hospital bed occupancy rate is at 11.9%. The number of patients admitted to hospital dropped over the past week but the number of patients with lung inflammation and dependence on ventilators rose slightly," Dr Taweesilp said.
The 24-hour period also saw 1,946 patients discharged from hospitals after recovering.
The 20 people who died were aged from 14 to 87 years.
"All the latest fatalities were in vulnerable groups of people," Dr Taweesilp said.
Bangkok logged three new deaths and there was one in the adjacent province of Nonthaburi.
Other central plains provinces further from the capital had five - in Uthai Thani, Saraburi, Suphan Buri, Chachoengsao and Prachin Buri.
The North reported two more deaths, in Phitsanulok and Lampang
The Northeast reported seven fatalities - three in Ubon Ratchathani, two in Nakhon Ratchasima and one each in Nong Khai and Maha Sarakham.
The South had two, in Surat Thani.
All the 2,144 new cases admitted to hospital over the 24 hours were from the general population.
Since the pandemic started in early 2020, there have been 4,540,955 Covid-19 cases, including 2,317,520 this year, with 4,485,075 complete recoveries to date.
The accumulated death toll stood at 30,798 since the beginning of the pandemic, including 9,100 so far this year.
Global Covid-19 cases rose by 925,494 in 24 hours to 558.65 million. The worldwide death toll went up by 1,725 to 6.37 million.
The United States had the most cases at 90.06 million, up 91,472, and the most deaths at 1.04 million, up 320.
The world and Thailand passed their Covid-19 peak early this year and there were small waves of new infection at the present time, Dr Taweesilp said.
Thailand's immigration bureau has undergone enormous changes in the last 100 years.
For most of Thailand's history, entry and exit into the kingdom was unsupervised. Many of the early settlers were Chinese. A 50-strong immigration department, as it was originally named, was established in 1927 and transferred to the Royal Thai Police in 1932. Although regular expansion occurred, particularly as mass air travel became a world feature, it was the 1979 immigration act which established the features of registering and controlling foreigners which are still dominant today.
The end of the seismic Vietnam war in 1975, with the collapse of American influence in Cambodia and Laos as well, created mass movement of refugees to Thailand (which had avoided close involvement) in the years that followed. The 1979 act toughened up visa regulations and insisted on knowing the whereabouts of foreigners during their stay. In fact, the origin of address registration and 90 days reporting was to track economic migrants from neighboring countries rather than the millions of leisure tourists who also became caught in the net.
The 1980s and 1990s witnessed an unparalleled boom in intercontinental air travel. Thai immigration authorities, under government instructions, consciously soft-pedalled visa restrictions by allowing long-stay foreigners to make repeat border-runs or in-out flights to renew or extend their visas. By 1991, one year visas and extensions of stay had appeared, whilst work-permit holders were no longer forced to fly to Penang and back every three months. Retirement visas were also permitted, although the minimum age at first was 60 years and the money in a Thai bank was described as "any six figure sum", or a minimum of 100,000 baht.
By the new millennium, restrictions were starting to appear. Government research suggested that there were millions of foreigners living in Thailand without the authorities knowing their whereabouts, their motivations or their income sources. Thai embassies abroad required more paperwork to issue visas and the number of border runs to Cambodia in particular was restricted, eventually to only two in a calendar year. Increasing numbers of foreigners found guilty of illegal working, criminal activity or visa irregularities were deported via the well-publicized and overcrowded immigration detention center.
New technology was the key to enabling the immigration bureau to keep a closer watch. United Nations agencies in particular donated computerized systems to strengthen air, sea and land monitoring to counter irregular migration and transnational crime. In 2014, the latest Verifier Travel Document and Bearer workstations were installed at Suvarnabhumi airport, later extended nationwide, which made passport fraud and migrant smuggling in particular risky enterprises indeed. Computerised liaison with Interpol has also smashed a number of pedophile networks, international forgery rings and terrorist groups.
At the present time, the government is promoting its visa plans for high-value tourists and expats. This concept is not actually new, as the affluent Elite card visa was introduced as early as 2003 although it has certainly had a checkered history. Contemporary initiatives include LTR (Long Term Resident) visas with the possibility of property purchases and flexible working regulations for executives and the well-heeled. The precise details have not yet appeared in the Royal Gazette.
The tourist ghost towns created by the pandemic have definitely affected immigration issues. Following the termination of Thailand Pass from July 1 2022, the 30 days visa-exempt discretion for nationals of around 60 countries has been extended to 45 days and the TM6 landing card bureaucracy has been suspended for air arrivals, though not for sea and land passengers. Requirements for medical insurance, both Covid and all purpose, have also disappeared for almost all visas or extensions, a reflection of similar decisions in force in Thailand's competitor nations in the ASEAN region.
Thailand's immigration service has grown from a tiny force in 1927 to a huge enterprise today which has a budget of over 350 million baht and a fleet of almost 300 vehicles and sea craft. There is currently speculation that Thailand is overdue for an overhaul to simplify the country's complex visa system which has overlapping and even contradictory bureaucratic rules for similar target groups. The confusion is well documented every day on well-informed social media, especially Asean Now and its resident hosts. A particularly popular move would be to improve online registration of personal details because the immigration websites in question are prone to breakdown. After all, the most efficient immigration systems in the world are those you don't have to visit too often.
Thailand to consider interim measures to prevent Covid spread
The meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) today could consider some interim measures to prevent the wildfire spread of the Covid-19 virus after the country's infection rates has been on a steep increase prompting many to question the official figures that are being released.
The surge in infection has prompted many schools to give a longer breaks in order to stem the outbreak and some have even opted to go back to online classes.
With official numbers as of this morning being at a mere 2,144 new cases that was announced by the Ministry of Public Health Ministry, Thailand is now facing a critical time yet again.
The Deputy Minister of the Public Health Ministry, Satit Pitutacha yesterday admitted that he 'believes' the real figure of infected people must be higher than the ones being announced because the official announcement only counts the RT-PCR and registered ATK.
Even though the claim has not been confirmed directly, one thing that is assured is the rise of this pandemic outbreak has caused significant trouble in the educational field.
Schools Shut Down
Thailand is now 2 months into the opening of their term and over the past few days, many schools have decided to close down again, but only temporarily.
On July 6, the Bangkok Christian College put out a briefing on its study method from July 11-19due to the Covid-19 situation within. By far, over 700 students and school personnel combined are infected.
The statement read out that there was an effort to shut down classes with over 10% infection, and though the results were quite satisfying, the rapidly growing number of infections is concerning.
Shortly after the Bangkok Christian College released its online study announcement, the Patumwan Demonstration School, on July 7, also sent out its briefing. To the rising case of Covid-19, the school will be closed from July 8-12, then reopen on July 18.
On the same day, Kasetsart University Sathit School Center for Educational Research and Development announced that the school will to switch from the onsite study to online. The paper stated that the online study will take place from July 11-12, and on July 18, the school will switch back to the onsite study, thereafter.
This morning, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Public Health revealed to the press that there is no Covid-19 measures adjustment, and for the spread among schools he said that the Ministry has monitored and instructed the schools already.
"I personally think it is a normal circumstance, and most kids have mild symptoms," he said. And for the likes of school closure policy, the Minister said that that will be awaited until there is a meeting.
Mandatory Mask
The rules relating to mandatory mask wearing has been eased up since July 1 and call are getting louder to bring it back on as the number of infections in the country surges.
Earlier, Prof. Dr. Prasit Watanapa, dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, has pointed out that it would not take too long before BA.4 and BA.5 become the main strain of Covid-19 spreading.
Since the infection rate is climbing, Prasit, therefore, suggested the government must go back to serious prevention measures, especially on the mask mandatory front. The regulations to wear masks in closed areas will help prevent the infection, and the MoPH should purpose that in the meeting, he claimed.
The meeting of CCSA today is expected to consider measures that needs to be put in place with 2014 coup leader and current Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, looking to chair the meeting.
The comments come as the Thai baht depreciates against the US dollar and is about to pass the ฿36 to the dollar mark as the kingdom still struggles to recover its lost foreign tourism industry even though momentum is rising. The World Bank estimates that it will be 2026 before a full recovery is achieved in the sector while the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is only aiming for 50% occupancy this year for reopened hotels and is aiming for just over 50% of former foreign tourist numbers next year with 22 million visitors projected.
As Thai foreign tourist arrivals begin to climb towards one million visitors a month, a recovery in the badly damaged foreign tourism industry is underway which is imperative for an economy and less well-off people, flailing from the impact of rising inflation, the highest in 14 years, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has come out to urge Thai tourism operators to hold firm on their prices and not to offer discounts to incoming holidaymakers. Minister Anutin told a trade event on Monday that the kingdom must brand itself as a premium destination worthy of higher prices, comparing the country's industry to luxury Louis Vuitton handbags.
Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday urged foreign tourism industry trade operators to hold firm on their prices and advocated that Thailand change its pitch to become a premium tourism offering in the future. The message comes as foreign tourist numbers are recovering and gaining momentum but very much based on Thailand's traditional mass tourism model which is driven by the country's hospitality industry, reputation for low prices and year-round sunshine.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul, speaking at a tourism promotion event at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Monday, urged Thailand's tourism trade not to offer low cost or competitive prices to foreign tourists now returning to Thailand as the industry begins to show positive signs of improvement following an easing of regulations over the last few months and in particular, the scrapping of the Thailand Pass pre-approval system from July 1st.
These moves have seen foreign tourism numbers jump nearly fivefold in three months as potential travellers, particularly repeat visitors to Thailand, find the more convenient conditions and the country's attractions which have made it one of the most popular destinations in the world, a potent draw.
Thailand built its hugely successful foreign tourism sector on cheap sun, beer and entertainment over the last sixty years as air travel also expanded
Thailand has always been seen as a low-cost destination despite its long distance from many of its key markets with the country's weather, entertainment and hospitality sectors being key strengths that have built up the kingdom's huge appeal over the last six decades.
The country's rise as a tourism hub coincided with the mass availability and proliferation of air travel and airline routes with 2019's record year being very much linked to maximising transport and air travel links.
It should be noted that Mr Anutin's Bhumjaithai Party also controls the Ministry of Transport in the large coalition government, in power since 2019, where the minister is a Bhumjaithai Party and Buriram province favourite, Mr Saksayam Chidchob.
Deputy Prime Minister urges foreign tourism trade to become a Premium offering and to hold firm on prices
However, on Monday, the emphatic advice from minister Anutin, who has been recently credited with Thailand's controversial move to legalise marijuana and who made a name for himself for his hawkish stance on introducing and later removing pandemic restrictions, was that the key players in the still damaged and challenged industry should try to avoid offering discounts and package deals to incoming foreign tourists from around the world, at this time.
His comments came as Thailand's tourism industry is still struggling to recover from the closure of the country in 2020 with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently setting a target of achieving just a 50% occupancy rate for the hotels in the kingdom that have reopened this year after the number of foreign tourists plunged in 2021 by nearly 99% to 421,000 out of a figure seen in 2019 of 39.8 million.
Reopened hotels operating on marginal profitability with an occupancy rate target for 2022 of only 50%
A survey, some months ago, by the Thai Hotels Association showed that 45% were still operating on a financial liquidity basis of 3 months' operating costs.
The same survey showed that only 19% of hotels generated just half of their normal income while a full 49% of hotels were earning just 30%.
This is expected to improve with the growing strength of numbers now arriving in Thailand.
At the same time, the kingdom has yet only seen 2 million arrivals from January to June this year although arrival numbers are growing impressively with an expected arrivals figure, still to be confirmed, of 821,000 from June 1st to July 3rd last.
Full recovery only seen in 2026 says World Bank
Thailand's foreign tourism agency, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is predicting that the kingdom will see a rebound to half its previous levels in 2023 with 22 million visitors with the World Bank forecasting that it will take a further three years or sometime in 2026 before the sector fully recovers from the damage inflicted by the government shutdowns which have deeply scarred the industry leaving many firms and a significant proportion of its former tourism infrastructure permanently closed.
Nevertheless, on Monday, Deputy PM Anutin was adamant that Thai business operators must change their marketing and business model to a premium one aiming to attract well-heeled and high-spending visitors as opposed to foreign tourists looking for cheap holidays in the sun.
'We cannot let people come to Thailand and stay because it's cheap,' Minister Anutin told the trade event to promote foreign tourism. 'Instead, they should say 'because it works, it's reasonable', that's where we can increase value.'
Anutin has been a politician since 1996 and is also a highly successful businessman after saving the family construction firm after the 1997 crisis
55-year-old Mr Anutin, a former Thai Rak Thai Party MP who served as Deputy Minister of Public Health and Deputy Commerce Minister in the government of ex-Premier, Thaksin Shinawatra, from 2004 to 2005 before taking on his more senior ministerial role in 2019 after the Bhumjaithai Party, which he leads, came in 5th in the March 2019 General Election with 10.3% of the vote and 51 seats in parliament, was the President of the Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Plc, a family-run firm which he successfully took from near bankruptcy after the 1997 Financial Crisis to notable success before going into politics.
After the 2006 coup and the demise of the Thai Rak Thai Party, Mr Anutin was banned from politics in Thailand for five years during which he learned to fly his own aeroplane.
In 2012, he piloted a new aircraft from Cannes in France to Thailand in a week-long journey.
'When in the skies, I can move the plane to the left or right. It's total freedom,' he said at the time, although he highlighted how his training as a pilot has impacted his decision-making process. 'Though I put it on auto-pilot, I always have to think ahead. If this or that happens, what should I do? I have to be prepared.'
Controversy in February and March 2020 in outbursts against western foreigners or tourists to Thailand
However, in March 2020, at that point, a Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, he emerged as less than prepared for an intense backlash when he appeared to attack western foreigners in Thailand still in the country as the kingdom struggled to grapple with the then-impending crisis which put the senior minister in the spotlight following a visit to the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.
Referring to western foreigners who are known in Thailand as 'farang', a term linked to 17th-century French visitors to the ancient kingdom of Ayutthaya, his Twitter account emitted an extraordinary outburst.
'All you see are farangs. They flee their own countries for the safety of Thailand. In Chiang Mai, 90% of Thais are wearing face masks, although none of the farangs are wearing masks,' Anutin's account fumed. 'This is the reason our country is being infected. We should be more careful of the farang than other Asians. At the moment, it is winter in Europe and farangs come to Thailand to hide from the disease. Many farang dress dirtily and don't shower. All hosts have to be very careful.'
Later, the minister's Twitter account was deleted and he appeared to issue an apology while also denying that he was responsible for the incident.
This followed another incident at a BTS station in Bangkok after Minister Anutin became outraged when a European man refused his offer of a free face mask in a promotion by the Ministry of Public Health was running on the transport concourse.
At the time, he threatened to contact foreign embassies in Thailand and have foreigners who refused to wear a face mask removed from the kingdom.
Later, a face mask mandate came into force through both national regulations under the Emergency Decree and local bye-laws.
In recent weeks, Thailand has moved to relax these provisions for outdoor use although both Minster Anutin and Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha urged the public to continue wearing them with the vast majority of the Thai public heeding this signal as a matter of personal choice as well as many foreigners.
The Bhumjaithai Party, which Deputy Prime Minister Anutin leads, also runs the country's Ministry of Tourism and Sports which is led by Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.
Goal is to be a premium foreign tourism offering just like expensive Louis Vuitton handbags says Anutin
On Monday, as he advocated that Thailand pursues a premium foreign tourism strategy instead of the cheap sun and booze mass tourism model that has made the kingdom the fourth most visited destination in the world, Minister Anutin compared Thailand to ultra-expensive and luxury handbag firm, Louis Vuitton.
'Hold your ground. Sell premium. The more expensive, the more customers,' he explained. 'Otherwise, Louis Vuitton wouldn't have any sales.'
Since entering government, the deputy prime minister has seen his Bhumjaithai Party plummet in the polls to just 2.65% in the latest National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) poll with a 1.52% vote for its leader as a possible prime minister placing him in tenth place behind a large field of more popular candidates.
This was an improvement for his party on a March poll which had the Bhumjaithai Party at 1.88%.
Bhumjaithai support fell due to its 2019 switch from opposition to a party in an unpopular government
Most analysts attribute the fall in support for the party to its participation in what has proven to be an unpopular government.
This is deeply felt, in particular among ordinary people or the less well off.
There is a feeling the country's swingeing lock down measures from 2020 to 2021 were too severe causing a large proportion of the economy to collapse particularly in the informal sector, much of which has never recovered.
It should also be recalled that in 2019, the Bhumjaithai Party portrayed itself as a party of opposition to the status quo.
There were also hard questions asked of Minister Anutin in 2021 at the height of the crisis in Thailand over the government's vaccination programme rollout which, at one point, appeared shambolic when supplies failed to match national demand and the planned schedule.
Even as foreign tourism recovery gains ground, there are still millions of people struggling to recover
Even as the kingdom's foreign tourism industry and economy enter a mild recovery mode with projections last week to the government suggesting that Thailand will see 9.3 million visitors in 2022 or 7.2 million in the latter six months of the year, these figures are well down on the figures seen in 2019 leaving millions of Thai people in the sector still either unemployed or underemployed with figures in the last few months showing that up to 59.8% of those formerly laid off had returned to work.
The emergency period has shown that Thailand is uniquely dependent on foreign tourism which is also the key engine in the latter half of 2022 as the kingdom faces a severe economic challenge from rampant inflation with a 14-year rate high of 7.66% just confirmed for June and a deprecating baht well passed a 15 year low against the US dollar as it approaches the ฿36 to the dollar range this week.
Thailand is the fourth most popular destination in the world and is seen as a place to relax and unwind
In April, the Visa Global Travel Intentions Study confirmed Thailand as the world's most favoured destination after the United States, the United Kingdom and India for foreign tourists.
The survey also showed that relaxation was the key benefit sought by foreign tourists when visiting Thailand among 73% of those who planned to visit the country.
Respondents to the survey particularly identified Thailand's massage industry as a key attraction with 48% suggesting that their holiday goal was to find relief from work and life stress while the remaining 25% identified relaxation through adventure activities in Thailand as the key motivation for visiting the country.
PHUKET: A tsunami evacuation drill will be held on July 30, after a series of underwater earthquakes off the Nicobar Islands raised residents' fears of an impending tsunami, governor Narong Woonciew said yesterday.
The governor said he had instructed deputy governor Anuparp Rodkwan Yodrabam, the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office and other agencies to keep a close watch on the situation.
They had been told to ensure staff, work crews and equipment were ready to respond should there be a tsunami, Mr Narong said.
"We have been prepared for it since Phuket experienced a tsunami in 2004. We can't be complacent. What is of high importance is the safety of the people," he said.
Udomporn Kan, chief of the Phuket disaster prevention and mitigation office, said the strong southwest monsoon, high rainfall and a high tide on Sunday had sent waves surging ashore. Several beachside roads, including Hat Sai Kaew, were flooded, and this caused panic.
"I can assure you that the high tide had nothing to do with a tsunami. For a tsunami to form there must be an earthquake with a magnitude of seven or more on the Richter scale along the Nicobar fault line.
"The National Disaster Warning Centre closely monitors all factors which may lead to earthquakes and a tsunami," he said.
From Monday to Tuesday, the National Disaster Warning Centre detected 23 earthquakes of about 4.7 magnitude off the Nicobar Islands, about 540 kilometres northwest of Phuket, but they had no impact on Thailand, Mr Udomporn said.
These quakes were also reported by the navy's wave-monitoring station on Koh Miang, off Phangnga province.
He said his office is ready to handle a tsunami. There are 19 warning towers around Phuket and they are tested regularly, by playing the national anthem at 8am every Wednesday.
If a tsunami was coming, warnings would be issued for people living in coastal areas. There would also be announcements in five languages -- English, Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Russian.
In the first warning, the magnitude of the earthquake would be reported. In the second, people would be told to get ready for evacuation.
Mr Udomporn said there would be a tsunami evacuation drill on July 20 in Phuket's Thalang district, starting at 10am.
District officials will meet state agencies ahead of the drill, so they can prepare and be ready to respond in case of an emergency, he said.
Govt plans to charge foreigners more than Thais for hotel rooms
A man speaks to hotel concierges at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on July 1, 2022. The tourism ministry plans to ask hotel operators to implement a dual-tariff structure under which foreign visitors may be charged rates similar to pre-pandemic days while locals may continue to enjoy discounted rates. (AFP)
Foreign tourists may soon find Thailand a more expensive destination than in the past two years with the country now planning to raise hotel rates to pre-pandemic levels to support a faster recovery of the industry.
The tourism ministry plans to ask hotel operators to implement a dual-tariff structure under which foreign visitors may be charged rates similar to pre-pandemic days while locals may continue to enjoy discounted rates, Traisuree Taisaranakul, a government spokeswoman said in a statement on Wednesday.
"This is to maintain our standards of rates and services for foreign tourists, which affects the perception of country's tourism brand," Ms Traisuree said. "Rates that have been reduced during Covid-19 will be maintained for Thais to sustain the momentum of domestic tourism."
Hotels in tourism hotspots such as Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui continue to offer huge discounts to draw back visitors after the pandemic pushed room occupancy rates to about 30%.
While there was no immediate response to the proposal from hotel operators, the tourism ministry and the Tourism Authority of Thailand will soon hold talks with the Hotel Association of Thailand about the dual pricing plan, according to Ms Traisuree.
While the country has scrapped all Covid-related travel restrictions, the tourism sector is still reeling from heavy losses accumulated during the pandemic. The government expects 9.3 million foreign arrivals this year, a fraction of the 40 million tourists who arrived in 2019.
It was not immediately clear how the government's new plan to attract more foreign tourists to Thailand - by raising prices and charging them more than Thais - would impact foreigners living in the kingdom.
A series of continuous 4.0 – 4.9 magnitude earthquakes struck the Andaman and Nicobar islands for a period of 3 days, 506 kilometres away from Thailand's Andaman coast. More than 40 tremors occurred, beginning July 4 at 6:00am and continuing until this morning, July 6.
The epicentre of the tremors was only 10 kilometres deep, making the chance of a tsunami extremely low, according to Thailand's Metereological Department. Such tremors happen regularly, said the department.
Chulalongkorn University's Department of Geology said the earthquakes were caused by normal fault movement and are extremely unlikely to cause a tsunami. In the rare occurrence that the tremors did trigger a tsunami, it would be low scale and not nearly as destructive as the 2004 Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami, said the department.
The series of tremors sparked concerns that two of Thailand's tsunami buoys are not working. However, Phuket's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation would like to assure the public that there are good warning systems and response plans in place if a tsunami were to occur.
Phuket's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation confirmed that 19 warning towers around the island are working well. If a tsunami occurred, the towers' alarms would sound loudly and issue warnings in 5 languages. The department said the towers' speakers will be tested by playing the national anthem from the towers at 8:00am every Wednesday morning.
The department said there will be a tsunami evacuation drill in Phuket's Thalang district on July 20.
Phuket's Earthquake Monitoring and Surveillance Centre has asked volunteers to listen out for the sound of the alarm towers along the Andaman coast and educate people about tsunamis.
The centre says an earthquake will only trigger a tsunami if the earthquake has a magnitude higher than 6.5, is caused by the subduction of oceanic tectonic plates and has a deep epicentre.
So, it was concluded that the series of tremors that occurred at the Andaman and Nicobar islands cannot cause a tsunami. However, the centre says the situation should still be monitored.
The earthquakes were linked to flooding that occurred at Sai Kaew beach, which sparked concerns that a tsunami might occur. But if a tsunami was on the way, the water would drain from the beach first.
The centre says earthquakes of 6.5 – 7.9magnitude can trigger small-scale tsunamis that would not cause significant damage to property. Whereas 7.6 – 7.9magnitude earthquakes can trigger tsunamis that cause significant damage, especially near the epicentre. Earthquakes with a magnitude higher than 7.9, and especially as high as 9.0, can trigger tsunamis that cause widespread destruction.
The centre says their response time is good and if a tsunami was approaching, there would be ample to vacate the island of Phuket.
