As the virus continues to ping pong around the globe it is becoming obvious that without an effective vaccine available to everyone nothing will change the status quo here in Thailand and elsewhere.Similar Threads:
As the virus continues to ping pong around the globe it is becoming obvious that without an effective vaccine available to everyone nothing will change the status quo here in Thailand and elsewhere.Similar Threads:
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
Actually a lot may change.
If tourists are not allowed back this season Pattaya will lose out on nearly 10 million visitors. (Last year there were 9.4 million foreign tourists in Pattaya).
As an expat you need to be really worried about that manforallseasons. You could end up living in a dark deserted city devoid of any entertainment, restaurants or bars.
Whilst I get the impression some expats are happy to see the back end of Chinese and Russian tourists they should be careful what they wish for.
If we tourists do not return soon Pattaya could be permanently dark and deserted as we have seen in YouTube videos over the past few months.
christianpfc (July 29th, 2020), GerBear1958 (July 29th, 2020)
Beats the alternative.Originally Posted by gerefan2
If no tourists are allowed entry - that means that the countries where the tourists reside are continuing to get clobbered by Covid-19, and certainly not places I would want to be.
If Thailand continues to stand firm on their C-19 restrictions, which I believe they will, the economy will continue to decline - no doubt about that, but every single Thai that I've talked to understands and supports this position. regardless of the hardships being encountered. Business owners...well that's another story.
As a resident expat, I really feel sorry for my friends who can't make it back here for holiday, but actually enjoy the beaches more with less tourists...appreciate less traffic and safer roads overall...breath cleaner air (tour buses are history)...and can always find a place to have fun. Bars, restaurants and entertainment venues are suffering as expected...but there's always somewhere to find what you're looking for.
A vaccine is definitely the critical piece on the play-board right now. The borders in Thailand won't be open to high risk countries (and possibly others) without it. From what all the medical experts have been telling everyone from the time this virus hit, is that it will require 12 months of testing before it can be approved and released to the public. That puts us near the end of 2021 at the earliest.
As far as Pattaya: It has been imploding for the past 20 years and simply outgrew itself. The infrastructure, e.g., electric systems, water systems and roadways are unmaintained and overburdened to say the least and supported by third-world technologies at best. The lack of skilled internal resources needed to support the massive growth Pattaya has been experiencing simply adds to the problems.
I took a drive along Pattaya Beach yesterday...stopped in at Royal Garden...and continued along Jomtien Beach on my way home, and honestly saw what seemed more normal to me than anything else. As far as the number of people on the beach or out-and-about in the stores, it seem more balanced and the roads were definitely safer to drive on.
From my perspective, Pattaya is much more a dead zone. The gay zones are on life support, barely kept alive by the few remaining expats and those others who are stuck here until when; the future is grim.
As a flatulent friend of mine once said, 'It's an ill wind that blows nobody good.' This is a good time to be an expat. I particularly enjoy the cleaner air. Every morning I pull back my curtains and marvel at the bright, clear light making the trees look so sharp and freshly green. I feel I could almost count the leaves on them (christian probably could). The little sliver of sea over Bang Saray way between a V of trees, which enables me to say that my condo has a sea view, is now visible all the time and not just when the pollution eases off for a day or two. As you say, it's much easier to get around on the roads without a tour bus in sight. I go to the beach more than before, now that I can have a quiet, relaxing read and admire the sharply delineated blue-grey islands on the horizon.
Sorry all those of you trapped in exile, but all the boys in the Complex and on the apps desperate to share their bodies with me can be a bit much ('One at a time please, I'm not into multi-tasking'). I regard it as not merely likely but a racing certainty that there will be more bar closures. The volume of business in the Complex is low to put it mildly and I find myself thinking what a time to have embarked on that pricey overhead erection which is presumably intended to lead to higher leases. I wonder if it will be finished any time soon or whether I will continue to walk along that soi feeling that I am inside the skeleton of a whale. But I don't share the apocalyptic vision of some. When (and not if) the tourists do return in force, I'm confident the entrepreneurial spirit will stir in Thai and farang breasts again and bars will reemerge. Remember, Pattaya is a brand name, a bit like, well, Kentucky Fried Chicken.
catawampuscat (August 2nd, 2020), GerBear1958 (August 1st, 2020), gerefan2 (August 2nd, 2020), Marsilius (July 31st, 2020), Smiles (July 31st, 2020)
According to todays CCSA Covid-19 update shown on TV, as well as a slurry of recent news releases, Thailand now ranks number one in the world on the Covid-19 recovery index.
I never hesitate to criticize Thailand when things get screwed up - so it's only fair to complement them when things go right. Their handling of this pandemic from the start has been one for the record books. Now, if they can leverage this widely publicized success to increase consumer confidence at a time when global supply chains are all changing shape, they just may be able to increase their foreign business potential and export markets.
Story here:
https://www.tatnews.org/2020/07/thai...ecovery-index/
BenCH (August 1st, 2020), GerBear1958 (August 1st, 2020)
A sensation that you no doubt share with every Thai boy who's had to fuck a fat farang in Pattaya.
GerBear1958 (August 1st, 2020), Khor tose (August 2nd, 2020)
The question is,did those Thai boys have a whale of a time?
GerBear1958 (August 1st, 2020), Khor tose (August 2nd, 2020)
1 At present, governments have to try and balance economic v Covid risks. So far, the Thai government has very much prioritised reducing the Covid risk, at the expense of a large percentage of the economy. This has already resulted in protests in many cities in Thailand, which is no surprise at all, considering the impact on people in the tourism sector. This may result in changes, with or without a vaccine, particularly if the government recognises that repression of the population will become increasingly difficult.
2 With all the vaccines under development, it seems increasingly likely that at least one will be widely available in 6~12 months. There are also treatments that improve the death rates.
An end is very much in sight.
a447 (July 29th, 2020), christianpfc (July 29th, 2020), GerBear1958 (July 29th, 2020)
I doubt that this government is interested in the welfare of those who work in relatively low-paid jobs in Pattaya, nor for the people of Isaan et al, who depend on them to feed families "back home". However, the managements of big companies such as the already- struggling Thai Air are a different matter.
I suspect that their views are being aired- and listened to-at this very moment.
Unless there is an increase in the number of internal cases, I can see at least a partial opening-up in High Season.
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