A fee of 10,000 baht is only the beginning: https://pattayaone.news/thailands-sp...ils-including/
A fee of 10,000 baht is only the beginning: https://pattayaone.news/thailands-sp...ils-including/
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
Extract from the article "Once they are tested negative for Covid-19 after the 15-day quarantine, long-stay tourists will have the freedom to travel as they please around the country with a mobile application that will track their destination".
I suppose the tracking data might look like this for some members ?
a447 (September 26th, 2020), Brad the Impala (September 26th, 2020), christianpfc (September 26th, 2020), dab69 (October 10th, 2020), dinagam (September 26th, 2020), splinter1949 (September 27th, 2020), Zebedee (September 26th, 2020)
No more hoops to jump through...the Special Tourist Visa has been scrapped.
https://www.godsavethepoints.com/tha...program-fails/
"With a mere 31 steps, mandatory 90 plus days of prepaid accommodation, travel insurance, charter flights needed to move around the country and a variety of other obstacles, receiving one of Thailand’s “special tourist visas” was never going to be easy – or cheap.
And no, there won’t be any refunds".!!!!!
https://www.godsavethepoints.com/tha...program-fails/
Hope you don't mind me pinching your source Dodger, but no refunds after all that expense,should be shouted from the rooftops. Blatant robbery.
Its certainly a "Special Visa " for sure!
goji (October 11th, 2020)
sorry, I'm confused - are we on facebook? twitter? or is this really sawatdee?
we are quoting from a "news" item on GodSAveThePoints.com, not a news organisation but a travel blog focused on maximising frequent flyer miles, hotel points, and flight reviews?
from the article the STV program "has been scrapped, or postponed indefinitely" and "in a stunning rebuke to future tourism, Thai Authorities say no refunds will be offered"
not even the Pattaya Mail or PattayaOne, hardly bastions of reliable news reporting, but at least news organisations, has sunk so low in their reporting of this so far.
The Khao Sod article published the day before that this quoted article is based on was much more measured when it said "The government will not offer them any refunds for flights ... since the delay is not officially considered as a cancellation of the policy. ,,, there’s no need for those refunds, because their trip is not canceled, it’s just delayed. ,... the tourism authority director said he’s confident the special visa will be implemented later this month"
The Bangkok Post article published the day after this quoted article similarly said "Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn confirmed that STV scheme will proceed as planned, though it might be delayed due to paperwork. ... There's no need for refunds because their trips are not canceled, they are only delayed, he said."
but yes let's all get our knickers in a twist about this spectacular failure and blatant robbery
and can someone explain to me the "31 steps" referred to in the article - the Bangkok Post graphic they link to only has 21 stages, some of which are not "steps" for the applicant
I can’t even be bothered to be apathetic these days!
Brad the Impala (October 10th, 2020), dab69 (October 11th, 2020)
from the Bangkok Post, 9 October
and the cheapest Elite Card is half that price, but I recognise a dead horse when I see one so I will stop wasting my time hereAt present, 14 Elite Card holders have arrived and completed a mandatory 14-day quarantine, while 34 members are undergoing quarantine.
I can’t even be bothered to be apathetic these days!
Brad the Impala (October 10th, 2020), Manforallseasons (October 10th, 2020), Smiles (October 12th, 2020)
If this STV Visa is indeed cancelled I would be the first one to cheer from the roof tops, even though I was seriously thinking of applying for one. Perhaps it will be replaced by something far more practical, and rather less Thai style.
I too read on another news page somewhere that the visa had been delayed, rather than cancelled. This was due to some huge Thai event taking place simultaneously in Phuket and the organisers of that event did not want it to coincide with the trial return of foreign tourists.
The government agreed and delayed the flight. That’s why there are no refunds...its merely been delayed.
Wish I could find the article.