The Deputy Chief of Mission of the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok has ruled out that there will be a reopening of the tourism sector between the two countries anytime soon, sending a sign to the local industry that at least this revenue source will remain off limits for the foreseeable future.
While China is slowly opening up to foreign expats there are no tourist visas issues and visitors for tourism purposes are currently not let into the country, pretty much the same as Thailand.
Thailand had planned to re-open their tourism industry under a project they named “Safe & Seal” from October 1, 2020 starting with Phuket but these plans have now (once again) been scrapped as we expected.
A recent virus scare of one person in Bangkok has renewed concerns in Thailand if this plan is really a good idea and likely used as an excuse to postpone the Phuket project which was destined to fail from the beginning.
Las Vegas has been on the forefront of reopening it’s economy to the public, first the casinos and then the dining options including – to a limited degree – buffets!
Now it appears that buffets are shutting down again and one of the first major resorts that has decided to scrap it is Wynn Las Vegas.
Starting next week those foreigners who are officially residing in Japan can finally travel back to Japan, respectively leave the country and come back at a later point after some changes instituted by the government.
Foreign residents will be required to undergo coronavirus testing upon entry and observe a 14-day quarantine period, the same conditions apply to Japanese citizens arriving from abroad.
The never ending saga about when Thailand is opening it’s borders and tourism sector again to restart the ailing economy is going into yet another chapter as the Prime Minister gave public support for new plans.
According to various news reports the country could welcome tourists as soon as November but under condition that sound more like a boot camp rather than a holiday.
Many Chinese nationals are having trouble leaving Singapore as they are reportedly unable to get tested for Covid-19 anywhere in the city, leaving them without the required certificate to board flights back home.
Several dozen people gathered at the Chinese Embassy to draw attention to the lack of proper coordination after China instituted a mandatory Covid test for all passengers flying back to the mainland after many arrivals from Singapore tested positive.
Hawaii has officially postponed the opening of the state to tourists from the continental U.S. without Quarantine requirement until October 1, 2020 at the earliest given recent spikes in Covid-19 cases.
Hawaii has originally scheduled their quarantine requirement to end effective September 1, 2020 provided the traveler can provide a valid negative test taken within 72 hr prior to arrival but this plan has now been scrapped for a second time in a row.
After the rather unconventional plan to reopen Koh Samui now tourism and government officials in Phuket have floated their own proposal to open their island they call “Safe & Sealed” while eyeing a reopening date of October 1, 2020.
The Tourism & Sports Ministry will meet with the Public Health, Interior, Foreign and Transport ministries on August 27 to discuss the introduction of the “Safe and Sealed” campaign.
Hawaii’s Governor warned this week that the expected a full opening of the state to tourists from the continental U.S. without Quarantine requirement might be pushed back again given recent spikes in Covid-19 cases.
Hawaii has originally scheduled their quarantine requirement to stop effective August 1, 2020 provided the traveler can provide a valid negative test taken within 72 hr prior to arrival but this plan had been scrapped by mid July and a prospective opening set for September 1, 2020.
The Canadian and U.S. government have agreed to keep the border between the two countries closed to non-essential travel for yet another month, extending the current measures through September 21, 2020.
Most foreign visitors are still not allowed to enter Canada and a 14-day quarantine requirement is imposed for those that do, including Canadian citizens.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has published a statement that doesn’t provide much hope for those who were speculating about regular passenger traffic returning to Thailand anytime soon.
According to CAAT director Chula Sukmanop the ban on regular air traffic will remain indefinitely until an improvement of the global Covid-19 situation has been assessed by the local response team in Thailand (CCSA).
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has lifted its entry ban on four more groups of foreigners who can soon travel to Thailand again as part of the latest easement measures by the authorities.
Affected by this are Permanent Residents (including their spouse/children); foreigners with work permits (including their spouse/children), Thailand Elite Visa holders, and documented migrant workers from neighboring countries.
The government of Thailand has decided in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the visa amnesty concerning foreign visitors will be extended until September 26, 2020.
There has been lots of speculation about what will happen to the amnesty which so far granted right of stay for foreigners in Thailand until July 31st even if their visa or entry permit had already expired since April when the Amnesty was first announced.
The government of Thailand has opened up a previously planned promotion called “We Tour Together” to boost domestic tourism, offering Thai citizens a reduction of 40% off hotels, air fare and food expenses.
Foreigners – no matter if visitors or residents – are not eligible to apply under this scheme and the promotion is capped to two million discounted air tickets and five million discounted hotel rooms.
