Phuket Sandbox open; TAT awards “Amazing Dodgems” moniker

[cdnmatt]

I believe Thailand is the ONLY country demanding insurance coverage, and at USD$100,000 in order to enter the country...CRAZY in my opinion....no wonder many will not go...

I just did some shopping around for insurance, as I'm now planning to go hang out in Malta for about 6 months while I wait for Asia to open up again. It's $180 for 6 months of $100,000 coverage. That's hardly going to break the bank.

Even if they didn't mandate insurance for all visitors, why in the world would you ever travel internationally during a pandemic without health insurance? You'd have to be a total moron to do that.

[christianpfc]

Try Cambodia...Not only do you need the insurance, but you also need to give them a $2000 deposit.
Only @christianpfc is that crazy

And I'm glad I did! But the requirements when I entered Cambodia where on the cusp of "not viable, stay in Germany or go somewhere else (South America)". It was about 80 USD for Forte (Cambodian company) health insurance against Covid for a month (other health insurances in principle accepted, but Forte was straightforward and worked for everyone else, whereas with other health insurances you would need documentation that it fulfills all requirements).

[christianpfc]

Try Cambodia...Not only do you need the insurance, but you also need to give them a $2000 deposit.

Only @christianpfc is that crazy

This is a slight misrepresentation of procedures. To enter Thailand, you have to apply for a COE (not required for Cambodia), and you have to submit your ASQ booking. There is an initial outlay of money for the booking, at least a partial payment. Some hotels want full payment and don't allow cancellations or alterations!

I prefer the Cambodian way. The money is in my pocket until I am on Cambodian soil, and I don't have to book a hotel (compare hotels, inquire about vacancies, check their small print).

These two (no COE, no ASQ booking) contributed to the fact that I went to Cambodia instead of Thailand. While I had everything arranged for Cambodia, but was still in Germany, Thailand allowed entry for tourists. I could have changed my travel plans, the only loss would have been the visa for Cambodia. But I'm very uncomfortable with COE and ASQ booking, and I didn't want to be among the first to enter Thailand, neither did I want to wait a month for reports of others who entered on a tourist visa and passed ASQ.

[Brad the Impala]

Thailand trying to protect the first seeds of the new tourism industry in Phuket from the current local surge in infections. Well, new tourism industry because the sandbox only started four weeks ago. I would love to go, but sadly I am not convinced. Too many complications for me, others are more intrepid.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...es-2021-07-29/

[cdnmatt]

From what this says, the Phuket sandbox experiment might get suspended shortly. 125 cases in the past week, while the government set a weekly threshold of 90 to keep the program open. Schools and venues closed, I guess.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/phuket-t...urge-1.1633243

[Dodger]

Too many complications for me, others are more intrepid.

After reading your constant stream of positive comments about the Sandbox for the past 5 months, I'm surprised you're not already there.

I guess there are too many complications and too much risk for YOU - but it's OK with you if other people stick there necks out.

Go figure!

[Brad the Impala]

My windows for a trip are in the next couple of months. Had I gone to Thailand, being able to travel outside Phuket, after the sandbox quarantine, to see friends and family would have been an important part of my trip. Sadly it’s the rapid covid spread in the rest of Thailand, and the restrictions that causes, that was the final element in the decision not to travel at this time.

Meanwhile over 13,000 tourists have made use of the Phuket sandbox in the first month, providing some benefit to the local hospitality businesses, and I am happy for them.

[Dodger]

My windows for a trip are in the next couple of months.

Just in time for the Pattaya Sandbox.

Enjoy your visit .

[Brad the Impala]

Why Phuket's Sandbox pilot project matters to other islands in Asia

"To be fair to Thailand, this is designed to be a longer-term project, building up towards the peak season from December to March," Gary Bowerman, the director of travel trends and research company Check-in Asia and co-host of the South East Asia Travel Show podcast, tells CNN Travel.
"And when you are the first to re-open in the region, it is inevitable that you are going to get some things wrong. But Thailand has been able to stress-test some of its airports, hotel systems and new-era protocols. At the moment, the whole travel ecosystem is trying to work out what happens next, and this is made more difficult by the rapid spread of the Delta variant in Southeast Asia."

Useful article from CNN that explains the significance of the Phuket Sandbox not only to Thailand but to other asian countries as well.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/artic...cmd/index.html

[goji]

I very much see the sense in the Phuket sandbox as a pilot scheme. Test, optimise, expand. If the clowns in charge of the show are capable of doing that.

I've also taken the view that Thailand ought to resolve at least the current covid wave before the peak season, when I would like to take a holiday.
However, at the moment performance is not very impressive, with half hearted lockdown measures, resulting in cases continuing to rise every day and a very slow vaccine procurement programme. So my confidence is decreasing slightly at present.