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Post by bear on Apr 3, 2022 11:29:23 GMT 7
Thailand’s tourist entry rules aren’t worse than her regional rivals
Tourist entry rules differ widely throughout the sun and sand destinations in south east Asia.
Almost all south east Asian countries are anxious to recruit cash-laden international tourists after two years of near-total absence. Domestic critics of Thailand’s latest entry policy, which started April 1, argue that the country still has more onerous entry rules and regulations than those of her neighbors.
However, a comparison suggests that this is a gross over-simplification.
Thailand and Cambodia are the only regional countries to have abandoned the need for a pre-flight Covid test for vaccinated travellers. Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam all require pre-flight evidence of negative Covid status 72/48 hours in advance. This is usually the RT-PCR version but, where a lateral flow test is permitted, it must have been submitted for a professional laboratory report. It is a myth that these countries allow you to test yourself before going to the airport.
Criticism has been leveled at Thailand for the laborious nature of her Thailand Pass system. But neighboring countries have a similar pre-arrival registration system. For the Philippines, entrants have to register online with the Bureau of Quarantine to receive a QR code and, later, have to update the information with their seat number and RT-PCR test result on the actual day of departure. Singapore insists on registration via an “automated tool”, whilst Vietnam requires you to complete a computerized passenger declaration form just 12 hours ahead of departure.
Phnom Penh by night: Cambodia has the easiest entry rules in the entire region. The requirement for compulsory medical insurance for Covid infection is not unique to Thailand. Her US$20,000 floor requirement is less than the Philippines’ US$35,000, whilst the Malaysian government website requires “a relevant insurance policy” without elaboration. Singapore has a US$30,000 requirement for non-vaccinated arrivals whilst Cambodia requires a bond to cover hospitalization for anyone testing positive for the virus.
There are also specific restrictions by individual countries. Visa on arrival in Vietnam is restricted to 13 countries and 15 days and other nationalities must proceed through a prior visa screening process. The Philippines is particularly strict about having an onward flight ticket before being admitted to the country. All neighboring countries warn arrivals that extension of a tourist visa is not automatic with several stressing there is no “right” to stay once the permission has run out. Extending a visa in Thailand is far and away the easiest procedure in the whole of south east Asia.
It is, of course, true that Thailand is the only regional country insisting on a RT-PCR test on arrival – with a pre-booked hotel quarantine mandatory until the result is available some hours later. There is also a requirement, from April 1, for entrants to take a self-administered lateral flow test on day five and send the result to the same hotel. Whether this works well in practice remains to be seen. The Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam all emphasize the need for new arrivals to test themselves in the first week of stay and report to health authorities if sick.
All in all, the generalization that Thailand is more bureaucratic in entry procedures and is less tourist-friendly than other regional countries is at best a moot point. But the country which has taken the biggest leap forward in the encouragement of international tourism is Cambodia which has vaccinated 93 percent of its population. For vaccinated travellers, there are no Covid tests of any kind before or after arrival in the kingdom, whilst visas on arrival without any prior online registration are back. For the time being, that’s too radical a solution for the larger regional countries. www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/thailands-tourist-entry-rules-arent-worse-than-her-regional-rivals-394246 |
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Post by nomadic on Apr 3, 2022 21:13:21 GMT 7
Can I change my name from nomadic to homeboy? Nothing on Laos though.
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Post by bear on Apr 4, 2022 8:01:03 GMT 7
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Post by latindancer on Apr 5, 2022 6:31:09 GMT 7
Gawd I hate the onward flight ticket requirement. There used to be a mob that advertised on a popular expat website, which supplied onward bus tickets to get around that requirement. They probably shut down though during COVID. And you can't leave the Philippines by bus !
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Post by bear on Apr 5, 2022 7:33:48 GMT 7
Gawd I hate the onward flight ticket requirement. There used to be a mob that advertised on a popular expat website, which supplied onward bus tickets to get around that requirement. They probably shut down though during COVID. And you can't leave the Philippines by bus ! Onward/throw away flight tickets are still available.....about $12. I'd need to look for the site though. Cheers bear |
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Post by nomadic on Apr 5, 2022 21:09:03 GMT 7
Cheers bear. Looks almost certain to be trying to exploit tourists only. I first went to Laos in 95 on a tour as was the only way to enter then. Back to the bad old days and they will only get a fraction of the tourists they used to get until back to normal pre covid rules that made it so easy to enter. Seems like only Cambodia is back to somewhere near normal. |
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Post by scuzzy on Apr 5, 2022 23:19:18 GMT 7
Gawd I hate the onward flight ticket requirement. There used to be a mob that advertised on a popular expat website, which supplied onward bus tickets to get around that requirement. They probably shut down though during COVID. And you can't leave the Philippines by bus ! Onward/throw away flight tickets are still available.....about $12. I'd need to look for the site though. Cheers bear At the moment Qantas (and some other airlines) have a policy that if you buy a ticket now you can have unlimited date changes for free (but if you change to a date with a higher fare you just need to pay the difference). Also, if you cancel part or all of the ticket, you can keep the full value as a credit towards another ticket sometime in the future. This could be handy for onward ticket purposes. |
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Post by bear on Apr 6, 2022 7:16:26 GMT 7
Myanmar opens up in two weeks, but the detail remains scant
Myanmar’s military rulers say that the country is back on a near-normal course with the issuing of 28-days online tourist visas as early as April 17. Government websites point out that there are literally thousands of places to visit, admittedly mostly temples and pagodas, with hotels and restaurants nationwide keen for your custom. Particularly recommended is a hot air balloon ride at sunrise in UNESCO’s world heritage site in Mandalay. And don’t forget to drink a can or two of Mandalay Spirulina which apparently has anti-ageing properties you’d scarcely credit.
Although the junta has taken a lot of flak for the February 2021 coup and the now-familiar catalogue of human rights abuses, the revival of Myanmar tourism has its international fans. Indian newspapers in particular are suggesting that tourists will be perfectly safe, whilst their rupees will help to restore the Myanmar economy. The Chinese government is anxious not to upset the administration of senior general Min Aung Hlaing, but can’t for the moment promote international tourism whilst simultaneously ordering its own citizens to holiday at home. The internet reveals many international tour-escort companies promoting Myanmar right now. Their customer numbers may be a different matter.
Any European thinking of venturing into Myanmar faces some very high hurdles. Fully vaccinated tourist candidates must pay US$50-US$56 online for the e-visa, although the site does warn that you might be refused and won’t be told the reason. But you may be informed you are on “the watchlist”. On arrival, you will be taken to a quarantine hotel for a compulsory sojourn of seven days and two extra RT-PCR virus tests. Once let out, you will quickly discover that some cities and regions are off-limits to foreigners and that electricity brownouts are commonplace even in downtown districts. It is not exactly crystal clear which airlines will be flying to Yangon. Prior to the Covid pandemic, there were 30 foreign flights daily from Asian cities, but flagged travel suspension notices for April 2022 suggest that commercial flights will be very thin indeed on the ground. Of course, Myanmar Airways is offering repatriation flights from Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, whilst Thai Airways does operate an ad hoc service. Maybe a few stray tourists will be able to book seats on these semi-commercial flights. If so, they will likely be Asean nationals from Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines, the governments of which have said they are “neutral” about the legitimacy of the coup. But the numbers will be non-consequential. As Michael Isherwood, chair of the Burma Humanitarian Mission puts it, “the attempted revival of tourism is simply a ploy to benefit the junta and not the country as a whole”. He has little to worry about on that particular score. Yangon airport is likely to remain semi-deserted for as far ahead as the eye can see. The Myanmar international tourist game is going to be very short of players. Very short indeed. www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/myanmar-opens-up-in-two-weeks-but-the-detail-remains-scant-394419
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Post by bear on Apr 6, 2022 8:43:08 GMT 7
Onward/throw away flight tickets are still available.....about $12. I'd need to look for the site though. Cheers bear At the moment Qantas (and some other airlines) have a policy that if you buy a ticket now you can have unlimited date changes for free (but if you change to a date with a higher fare you just need to pay the difference). Also, if you cancel part or all of the ticket, you can keep the full value as a credit towards another ticket sometime in the future. This could be handy for onward ticket purposes. Officially; onward tickets are only required for Visa Exempt entries. Entry with a visa does not require onwards tickets; though it should be noted some consulates and embassies will not issue a visa without proof of onward travel. If you have a visa and don't have an onward ticket, you won't encounter problems with immigration upon entry. Welcome to Thailand  Cheers bear "Aliens entering Thailand by any means under the Tourist Visa Exemption scheme are required at the port of entry to have proof of onward travel (confirmed air, train, bus or boat tickets) to leave Thailand within 30 days after the date of arrival, otherwise a tourist visa must be obtained beforing entering Thailand." wellington.thaiembassy.org/th/publicservice/19038-visa-exemption |
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Post by bear on Apr 13, 2022 8:22:05 GMT 7
Gawd I hate the onward flight ticket requirement. There used to be a mob that advertised on a popular expat website, which supplied onward bus tickets to get around that requirement. They probably shut down though during COVID. And you can't leave the Philippines by bus ! Onward/throw away flight tickets are still available.....about $12. I'd need to look for the site though. Cheers bear There is also a pinned locked post at the head of the board........ Cheers bear
Onward tickets
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Post by bear on Apr 23, 2022 7:26:40 GMT 7
Thailand Plans To Scrap Test & Go From May 1, 2022
Thailand has allowed international tourists to enter under various schemes, first only in Phuket, from July last year, and has slowly expanded and relaxed the program.
The tourism numbers are still abysmal as western visitors are unwilling to put up with the Test & Go application process and follow-up tests that are cumbersome for many.
Now, Thailand’s Tourism Minister, Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, has told the local press that he will propose scrapping the Thailand Pass Test & Go registration scheme altogether at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) meeting held on April 22.
If the Test & Go is scrapped from May 1st, it would mean that tourists no longer are required to apply for the Test & Go and can travel only with proof of their completed vaccination scheme.
The government has previously indicated that it would only require an antigen test upon arrival to Thailand from next month instead of the current PCR-RT that can detect previous covid infection for several months (and off to the hospitel you go).
There can be a setback to these plans if there is a covid spike after the Songkran festivities that are currently held in Thailand (Thai New Year’s Holiday).
Conclusion
The number of foreign international visitors to Thailand has stayed relatively low, but these various schemes have been useful for Thai Nationals and visitors with ties to the country to enter that have been willing to put up with the red tape.
Opening the country for international visitors without registration requirements now, would ensure that the country would not lose another tourism high season that runs from January to March.
For vaccinated travelers starting May 1st can apply for the Thailand Pass without the need of having to book a hotel, or RT-PCR test.
Due to these changes we are now offering two Thailand Pass VIP Service package types.
• 1,500 THB - VIP Thailand Pass Service, 5G SIM Card
• 1,900 THB - VIP Thailand Pass Service, Insurance Included, 5G SIM
Hire us here:
We look forward to ensuring your travel is stress free.
Stay safe, and PLEASE SHARE 🙏 🥰 🥰
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Post by bear on Apr 23, 2022 8:51:42 GMT 7
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Post by nomadic on Apr 27, 2022 20:34:04 GMT 7
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Post by bear on May 2, 2022 22:02:52 GMT 7
Confusion Ensues as Thailand Opens Land Borders But Laos Remains Closed
Confusion has ensued at border checkpoints between Laos and Thailand this morning following regulations reopening Thailand but leaving Laos closed.
Thailand announced the reopening of 31 land border checkpoints as of yesterday, including borders with Laos, which has yet to reciprocate.The resumption of cross-border bus services saw a flurry of Lao citizens entering Thailand by bus from Nong Khai and Mukdahan today. Lao citizens carrying a border pass may enter the Kingdom without utilizing the Thailand Pass system. After doing away with tests on arrival, Thailand has standardized entry rules for walk-in tourists, with procedures for arrivals by land now in line with arrivals by air. But many failed to read the new regulations carefully, expecting that Thailand’s reopening of borders meant Laos would follow suit. Reports from Thailand reveal hundreds of requests from disappointed Thais expecting to be able to travel to Laos today. The Nong Khai Provincial Tourism Information Center even made a frustrated post on its Facebook page in response: “Please wait! We know that everyone wants to know the details of how to enter Laos but this will come later in an official announcement from the Lao government.” Addressing comments, the page continued, “As soon as we receive official information [from Laos] we will post on our page immediately!” Meanwhile, Laos’ National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control issued a new proposal for reopening the country on Friday, suggesting fully vaccinated tourists enter the country with only a pre-arrival ATK test, while non-vaccinated tourists would require a pre-arrival PCR test. Under the plan, tests on arrival and quarantine would be scrapped, while a USD 10,000 Covid insurance would be required by foreigners. No mention was made of the Green Pass system, nor when the new regulations, if approved, would enter into force. In a first for Laos, the government actively called upon the public for comment, including foreign nationals, who are encouraged to send their comments by email at info@mict.gov.la or cabinet@mict.gov.la or visit www.laogov.gov.la. laotiantimes.com/2022/05/02/confusion-ensues-as-thailand-opens-land-borders-but-laos-remains-closed/
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Post by Banjo on May 3, 2022 7:18:46 GMT 7
I lived in the Lao PDR for about a year... amazing country, I met some incredible people there.
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Cheers bear
