how to make a website

MENZZOO MAGAZINE

THAILAND
Inbound & Outbound Commercial Flights Banned Indefinately

A ban on international scheduled flights remains in force.

13/08/2020

THAILAND BANS COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS INDEFINATELY

A ban on international scheduled flights into Thailand remains in force while the pandemic situation remains critical in many countries around the world.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has officially confirmed the country’s ban on allowing foreign 'ordinary' tourists back into Thailand. 

CAAT director Chula Sukmanop and the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration say they are monitoring the “global situation” before deciding when commercial flights would resume back into Thailand.

The confirmation follows the deputy governor for international marketing at TAT, Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, who noted earlier this week that there had been “no talk of a timeline issued for reopening the country to inbound or outbound leisure travel.

The deputy governor of the TAT also candidly forecast that there will likely be no general tourism until at least the end of 2020, even up to Chinese New Year in February 2021.

“I see no signal from the government that the country will open this year. That’s putting a lot of pressure on the tourism industry. The Christmas period, usually the high season, is in jeopardy and I’m looking horribly even to Chinese New Year in February, which is an iffy proposition at best now. Unfortunately, this is not a rosy picture.” He said

Discussions about the creation of travel bubbles have also stalled.

“Last month, there was talk about forming travel bubbles. That talk has not continued so far because of outbreaks in many of the countries we were hoping to get tourists from, including Vietnam.” He added.

Vietnam recently evacuated 80,000 people from the central coastal city of Da Nang following a surprise appearance of 3 new Covid-19 cases. All festive activities, celebrations, religious ceremonies, sports activities and crowded events in public places, stadiums and large venues are now banned and the city is on lockdown.

Mobirise

Above; Suvarnabhumi Airport

The TAT deputy governor also said that plans were being discussed for safe bubbles that can be formed for leisure travel, with a proposal that all visitors spend a minimum of 30 days in Thailand. This would be in designated areas – probably islands, such as Koh Samui or Phuket.

Currently, this won't be moving forward as the government is taking a wait-and-see attitude. They want to see how the current groups of foreigners, such as film crews and diplomats, do first. 

Thai tourism operators have also proposed a new inbound tourism plan, called “Safe and Sealed”, to replace travel bubbles. As compared to the travel bubble scheme, the plan envisages safer, more flexible screening procedures for many countries.

Earlier plans for travel bubbles, with similarly low-risk countries which included China, Taiwan, S.Korea, Vietnam, Japan and New Zealand have been shelved as some of the potential countries have had recent spikes in corona virus.

Meanwhile the list of groups allowed back into Thailand, under strict health measures, has been expanded from diplomats and UN officials, to business people, investors who have an agreement with the government, film crews, spouses, some migrant workers, exhibition personnel and the holders of Thailand Elite visas.

The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking has instructed the government that many foreigners have signalled their intention to visit Thailand on business but officials need to check if there are enough state quarantine facilities for the mandatory 14 day quarantine period.

INTERNATIONAL TOURISM BANNED

As of now, no commercial airlines are permitted to operate flights into and out of Thailand and only a number of foreign businesspeople are allowed to enter the country for business purposes.

At the moment the government is limiting arrivals of foreigners, and Thais, to 500 per day in line with the CCSA’s precautionary measures. This applies across the board to all types of visitors trying to get back into the country.

No 'ordinary' tourists are allowed entry at the moment and no travel bubble programmes have been agreed with other countries.

EVA Air has announced that it is pushing back its re-introduction of flights to Phuket from next month until at  the very earliest March next year.

The tourism sector used to employ 4 million workers pre-Covid, but with businesses having little to zero revenue over the past 6 months, unemployment in the sector could soon exceed 2.5 million.

SOURCE:  CAAT, CCSA

MENZZOO MAGAZINE

August 2020

Useful Links;

Go to Updates >

Address

Bangkok 
Thailand

Contacts

Email: support@menzzoo.com
Phone: +66 (0) 828116642