Is mass tourism a thing of the past in Thailand?

Is mass tourism a thing of the past in Thailand as the streets of the most popular tourist destinations are unnervingly quiet.
Along Chaweng’s Beach Road, a usually raucous party area, shuttered shops stretch into the distance.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, it was buzzing with traffic. Now, taxi drivers sit on the roadside, with little hope of finding customers.

Where bikini-clad sunseekers once browsed souvenir shops and drank at neon-lit bars, a lone street dog stretches on the pavement.

Elsewhere, swathes of Samui’s idyllic, sandy white beaches are almost entirely free of people.

About 40 million tourists flocked to Thailand last year, drawn by its spectacular coastlines, ornate temples and famous cuisine.

In 2022, the country will struggle to attract even a quarter of that number, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Tourism ground to a halt in April, when Thailand imposed a ban on all incoming passenger flights. The country – which has so far managed to contain Covid-19, recording 3,255 cases and 58 deaths – is discussing travel bubbles with low-risk neighbouring countries, but no one knows when these might be established. Borders remain shut to almost all foreign tourists.

The travel sector has survived devastating crises before, including the 2004 tsunami, bird flu and Sars outbreaks.

But the impact of the coronavirus pandemic is beyond comparison, says Tanes Petsuwan, deputy governor for marketing communication at the TAT.

During previous crises, revenue dropped by around a fifth, he said. This year, the coronavirus pandemic is expected to cause a 80% fall in revenues. “It’s a huge impact,” he said.

To make matters worse, Thailand’s economy has become even more reliant on tourism, accounting for almost 20% of GDP, according to Tanes. About 4.4 million people are employed across the industry – in transport, travel agencies, restaurants and hotels.

In Samui, many have gone for months without work. Before coronavirus, Jarunee Kasorn, who works in a local massage parlour in Chaweng, says her colleagues would welcome up to 90 clients a day.

They’re one of the few businesses to reopen on Beach Road, but a whole day can go by without a single customer. “If there are no tourists, then there’s no business,” she said.

Most of the shop’s 20 staff have left the island altogether, and returned to their family homes elsewhere in Thailand.

Though modest social assistance payments were offered to workers during lockdown, this is no longer available.

“Many people say we won’t die from Covid, but we will die because we are not able to eat,” says Ta Sasiwinom, who has just reopened her stall at an outdoor market in Fishermen’s Village, known as the walking street. The past few months have been a struggle for her and her two daughters. “We cook more cheaply – eating egg and rice, rice and egg,” she says.

Parts of the market, and the nearby beach, have begun to return to life. There are groups of visitors and locals peering at the discounted stalls, but it is still nowhere near as busy as it would usually be.

Among those shopping are tourists stuck abroad, foreign residents living in Thailand, and Thais – who the government has encouraged to travel domestically through a stimulus package that offers subsidised hotel bookings.

The scheme, and a looming long weekend, has provided a welcome boost, says Lloyd Maraville, general manager of Nora Buri resort and spa.

Of the hotel’s 144 rooms, about 100 are empty, though this will fall to 85 over the holiday.

Government measures, he adds, “might sustain hotels for a while but it will not be a long-term [solution].” Rooms have been booked at far below the usual rates. “Profit is out of the question at this moment, we just want to maintain the resort,” he says.

Tanes believes that when tourism is able to begin again, the industry will be altered completely.

He hopes for positive change. “I think this is a good time for Thailand to upskill the human resources of the industry to move Thailand [away] from [being an] overcrowded tourist destination,” he says. Mass tourism, and the dependence on large tour groups, he argues, will be a thing of the past.

In Samui, businesses are focused on survival for now. Just last month it was announced that nearly 100 local hotel owners had been forced to sell. Many more remain shut indefinitely.

“I’ve lived here for 20 years and I’m shocked, I never thought it could be like this,” says Rattanaporn Chadakarn, who runs a stall at the walking street.

No one knows if the Great Panic will continue. For now, she adds, everyone is just waiting for the skies to reopen.

Source - BangkokJack

VISA AGENT

Thai gov’t already warning of new Lockdowns to come

Thailand may be locked down again if people don’t observe Covid-19 preventive measures once the country reopens, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul warned on Tuesday.
It would seem that some government ministers are hell-bent on sabotaging any hope the Thai people have of returning to something resembling the prosperous country they had until only 18 months ago.

After all, how many tourists are going to risk Thailand as a holiday destination this season if the government is threatening to shut the entire country down again, at any moment,  on a whim.

To add to the mixed messaging the Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced in a televised address on Monday that he has instructed the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration and the Public Health Ministry to only ‘look into’ opening the country on November 1.

Initially, tourists from 10 low-risk countries will be allowed to travel to Thailand without having to quarantine provided they are fully jabbed and test negative.

The list will be expanded to cover more countries in the first week of December and then again in January 2022.

This morning, Anutin said that the detail of the 10 countries was under discussion and will be proposed to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on this Thursday.

Asked about a tendency to close the country again, the heath minister said it depends on Thai people. If they don’t follow the preventive measures strictly, Thailand tends to be shut again.

Meaning, if people don’t do exactly what we tell them too them we will lock them all up at home again.

In addition, Anutin added that risk places like entertainment venues will be monitored seriously, in a bid to prevent the new outbreaks of the sniffles.

Source - BangkokJack

Our VISA AGENT

Airbus to cut 15,000 jobs to survive coronavirus crisis

Airbus is cutting 15,000 jobs within a year, including 900 already earmarked in Germany, saying its future is at stake after the coronavirus outbreak paralyzed air travel.

Airbus is moving swiftly to counter damage caused by a 40% slump in its 55-billion-euro ($61.8 billion) jet business following the pandemic, balancing belt-tightening against aid offered by European governments and future priorities.

But it faces tough talks with governments as well as unions, which immediately pledged to fight compulsory redundancies. A 2008 restructuring triggered rare strikes and protests.

"It's going to be a mighty battle to save jobs," said Francoise Vallin of the CFE-CGC union.

Europe's biggest aerospace group said it would cut 5,000 posts in France, 5,100 in Germany, 900 in Spain, 1,700 in the UK, and 1,300 elsewhere by mid-2021, for a core total of 14,000.

The broader tally includes another 900 job cuts planned before the crisis at its Premium AEROTEC unit in Germany.

On June 3, Reuters reported reduced jet output pointed to cuts of 14,000 full-time posts. Earlier on Tuesday, French union sources predicted 15,000 cuts in total.

Britain's Unite union called the measures "industrial vandalism." France's hard-left Force Ouvriere union and others said they would oppose mandatory cuts.

There was immediate political pushback in France, where the government of President Emmanuel Macron this month announced a 15-billion-euro support package for aviation.

"The number of job cuts announced by Airbus is excessive. We expect Airbus to fully use instruments put in place by the government to reduce job cuts," a finance ministry source said.

Airbus refused to exclude sackings, but said it would first seek voluntary departures, early retirements and other measures. It wants to start implementing cuts this autumn and complete them next summer - a brisk deadline for such plans in Europe.

Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said the company had been left with no choice by the dire industry crisis.

"It is the reality we have to face and we are trying to give a long-term perspective to Airbus," he told reporters.

Production outlook

Airbus said in April it was reducing output by a third, but has raised that to 40% as it presses the case for job cuts. Sources say the discrepancy reflects different ways of measuring output on a weighted basis, rather than an immediate new cut.

"We think we are rather stable now and there will be minor adjustments as we have in normal times," Faury told Reuters.

But he added, "minor changes can be bigger than seen in past because there is more volatility in the market."

Exceptional secrecy had surrounded the politically sensitive restructuring affecting jobs in Britain, France, Germany and Spain, the company's key backers in a fierce contest with US rival Boeing for orders and industrial clout.

About 37% of the 135,000-strong Airbus workforce is due to retire this decade, led by veterans of its best-selling A320.

Boeing is cutting over 12,000 US jobs, including 6,770 involuntary layoffs, after the pandemic compounded woes caused by the 15-month-old grounding of its 737 MAX.

Airbus' programs chief said it was slowing a push into after-sales services while maintaining a strategy of diversifying into the high-margin area.

Some industry sources say Airbus has all but abandoned a goal of more than doubling services revenue to $10 billion this decade and transferred some staff to other roles.

Source - TheJakartaPost

The world after Covid

The second quarter of 2020 has seen a divergence between the investment world and real economic conditions. Despite a recent uptick, the global economy is still contracting: the IMF has just downgraded its global GDP forecast to -4.9% from -3.0%.

Yet the picture for the investment world is quite good. Stock markets have regained their feet and surged after plunging 30-40% in March. Two factors have led risky asset prices to recover:

1. Continued stimulus: Since February, the balance sheets of the four major central banks (the US, Europe, Japan and England) have swelled by US$4.5 trillion. As well, a flurry of stimulus measures by the US Federal Reserve, including the purchase of corporate bonds, has meaningfully improved liquidity in the credit market.

Notably, on June 15 the Fed said it would begin buying corporate bonds directly. We see this as a signal that it intends to do whatever it takes to support the market whenever signs of trouble emerge.

2. Rebounding economies: Many countries have begun the cautious process of reopening their economies, leading to a revival in economic indicators. The global composite purchasing managers’ index, as well as other important gauges such as US jobs and retail sales data, plus Chinese economic indicators, rebounded in May. Preliminary figures for June also look promising.

US economic growth momentum appears better than either the market or we had expected. This reflects the resilience and flexibility of the US economy and effective stimulus measures by both the government and the Fed.

On the other hand, China’s recovery, though gradual, is slower than we expected. The primary cause may be the half-hearted stimulus measures, as Chinese authorities want to see a more organic and gradual recovery.

Looking forward, we forecast that the global and Thai economy will bottom out in the second quarter, economic revival will continue in the third quarter, and the fourth quarter may bring positive year-on-year growth.

Nevertheless, we see the world economy contracting by 2.3% and Thai GDP down 5.8% this year. We may see some rebound in 2021-22, after a vaccine is found and distributed. Nevertheless, the “new normal” economic growth rate will be lower than before.

Our projection is materially different than that of the IMF. The latter’s main assumption is that there will be persistent social distancing and/or lengthier lockdowns in several economies, which will lead to a lengthier slowdown.

However, given the better knowledge health authorities now have, governments may choose to partially shut down activity in areas where they see the virus returning, while rigorously testing, tracing, isolating and treating infected patients. This will allow partial opening of the economy while actively managing and controlling the spread of the virus.

Although we see most economies bottoming out in the second quarter, looking forward, there may be some downside risks:

1. Less economic stimulus, especially in the US. Although gigantic compared with the 2008-09 crisis era, the Fed’s purchases fell to $441 billion in May from $1 trillion in March and April. Reduced bond purchases mean liquidity injected into the market and the economy may shrink. Nevertheless, we believe that whenever it sees factors that could sap market confidence, the Fed will step in to reassure investors.

2. Rising numbers of newly infected patients. Surges in Texas, Florida, California and Arizona this month have raised concerns about US economic reopening. However, we believe there is no reason to panic. In some areas, such as California, the rising figure reflects increased testing. Some states that have overcome devastating outbreaks, such as New York, are starting to restrict travel from other infected states, along with other measures such as mandatory mask wearing, to reduce risk.

3. The risk of a cold war between the US and China. As we mentioned last month, an election-year cold war could be used to boost President Trump’s popularity by stirring up nationalism. If the US economy is staggering or the president’s chances of re-election seem slimmer, he may resort to a cold war. That would hurt the economies of the US and China, as well as the rest of the world.

Against the backdrop of a gradual recovery even as economic risks linger, investors need to remain extremely cautious. The focus should be on sectors that have a long-term future, such as technology, healthcare and sectors that benefit from a low-interest-rate environment, such as real estate.

Source - Pattaya One News

No date for reopening of Cambodian-Thailand border at Aranyaprathet

SA KAEO: There is no current timetable to reopen the main gateway with Cambodia, through Aranyaprathet, provincial governor Worapan Suwannut said.

The governor said the province was not ready to open the gate to Poipet at Klong Luk border crossing in Aranyaprathet district, closed to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“I cannot say when the border will reopen. It depends on approval from the government,” he said on Wednesday.

Mr Worapan held a teleconference with Banteay Meachey governor Oum Reatrey on Tuesday, with Cambodia hoping for the reopening of the checkpoint to revitalise border trade, especially business at Rong Kluea market. 

Source - Khmer Times / Bangkok Post

#Welcome to #Cambodia! Bring your wallet wit you

If you’re thinking about planning a trip to Cambodia soon, reconsider, unless you’re willing to put down US$3,000, a fortune for a backpacker in Southeast Asia. The country wants foreigners to make the deposit at a local bank upon entering to make sure any potential medical or quarantine costs can be met. And that’s just the start.

Even if you have the money, it’s still tricky to get in. Travelers need to have a medical insurance valued over US$50,000 and a health certificate deeming them free of the coronavirus, issued 72 hours before entering the country. Then, they start deducting from the deposit.

Local media say testing may need to be done before a traveler can enter which would be US$100 for a swab test, US$30 for overnight accommodation while results sent to the lab, $30 for food and extra expenses for transportation. This would be taken out of the deposit made at the bank.

Once the travellers has gone through all that rigmarole, then they must self isolate for 14 days at their hotel, reporting to medical officers each day. Another swab test would be done on the 13th day of isolation. In another scenario, where a passenger on the flight tests positive for the coronavirus, then everyone on the flight would need to go into quarantine, with costs involved taken out of the bank deposit. Worse case, those who get sick need to pay all costs involved.

Even death has costs. US$1,500 would used for cremation and funeral costs.

Have a great time in Cambodia!

SOURCE: TTR Weekly

#Cyprus beaches reopen as new virus cases hit zero

A new form of beach life, spaced apart, emerged Saturday on the Mediterranean holiday island of Cyprus after more than two months of coronavirus-imposed curbs were lifted on freedom of movement.

The relaxation coincided with the first day of zero new cases of corona-virus in Cyprus since the first were declared on March 9.

"The people are good, the water's good, the weather's good, things are cool," said Georgios, a young gym trainer.

"We're here, we're having a good time... we're taking our safety measures."

The lifting of a swimming-only decree in force on the beaches brought sunbathers back out on the seashore -- but under social distancing rules.

The health ministry has issued directives on the placement of sunbeds and parasols. Also, only members of the same family can jointly take part in water sports.

"We've put the tables two metres (six feet) apart," said Panayiotis Neokleous, owner of the normally bustling Ammos beach club near the airport in the southern resort town of Larnaca.

"All the staff have taken the (COVID-19) test, they are all negative. Now we are all wearing protective masks, gloves and we disinfect our hands many times," he said.

The US-educated Neokleous acknowledged that the summer season was "going to be not so good because tourists are not going to come, or if they come, it'll be late".

"We are going to see a lot of restaurants and hotel businesses not going to make it and will have to close down," he said.

But for personal trainer Vanessa, a regular at the club, Saturday was a time to celebrate, even if a heat wave earlier in the week had given way to strong wind and choppy waters.

"I am very happy to be back ... And this is my favorite place to be... Anyway I'm glad it's all over and I hope it's going to be better," she said.

On Saturday, Cyprus also reported zero new corona-virus cases after the daily number of infections since the start of the month were down to single figures.

And on Friday the east Mediterranean holiday island announced a phased reopening of its airports to commercial flights from June 9.

But its two largest tourist markets, Britain and Russia are not on the initial lists, amid concerns over infection levels in the two countries.

The Cypriot government ended a strict stay-at-home lockdown on Thursday, reopening outdoor restaurants, barber shops as well as beaches, although hotels remain closed for now.

Since mid-March people could only go outside for exercise and essential trips which needed to be approved by text message while a curfew was enforced every night.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Tropical Bali looking to reopen to tourists in October

Indonesia's tropical holiday island of Bali could reopen to tourists in October, thanks to its success in controlling the coronavirus outbreak, the government said on Friday.

As of Friday, Bali had reported 343 coronavirus cases and four deaths, a much lower fatality rate compared with 16,496 cases and 1,076 deaths in the whole archipelago.

If the infection curve continued to improve, the tourism ministry is looking to revitalize destinations and do promotional work for some parts of the country, including Bali, between June and October, Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani, secretary of the ministry, said in the statement.

Partial reopening of those areas, which also include the city of Yogyakarta and Riau islands province, may begin in October, she said.

Bali's economy depends largely on visitors. Its gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 1.14 percent on-year in January-March, compared with a 2.97 percent GDP expansion nationally.

Foreign tourist arrivals into Indonesia plunged more than 60 percent in March, compared to the year-earlier month, with Chinese arrivals sliding more than 97 percent  

Source - TheJakartaPost

Thailand - Second phase of lockdown relaxation to start from May 17

The government has approved the second phase of the easing of lockdown measures from May 17 to help lift the economy, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Friday (May 15).

The Cabinet has approved the proposal by the National Security Council to ease the strict measures in the second phase for businesses in the green group (moderate risk of the virus spreading).

Businesses that could reopen are:

1 Stores in department stores or communities malls, such as consumption, computers, electrical appliances, bedding, building materials, furniture, office supplies, flowers, clothes, cosmetics and sport equipment.

▪︎ commodities, gold and jewellery

▪︎service provider; internet cafe, laundromat, repair workshop, car shops for changing tyres, repairing and cleaning

▪︎ credit business

▪︎insurance companies

▪︎drug stores

▪︎dentist clinics

▪︎nail salons

▪︎restaurants, food courts and food centres

2 Large retail shops

▪︎building materials stores

▪︎furniture houses

▪︎large wholesale markets such as Simummuang market and Talaad Thai

3 Beauty clinics for body and skin (no surgeries on face)

4 Gym and fitness centres

▪︎Only allow non-physical-contact sport with only three people in one team and no viewers, such as badminton, table tennis, yoga, fencing, squash, etc.

▪︎partially open fitness centres for free weight training (no workouts in groups or use of exercise machines)

▪︎ public pools, allowing number of people in pool equal to lanes (at least 7-feet long) and only allowing one hour of use per person.

5 Hotel meeting rooms and convention halls for meetings of limited number of people

6 Library

7 Gallery and museum

8 Film crew to start production with 50 people from all sections in the filming studio and must have space for people to eat individually.

There are no changes in the measures on transportation -- no regular international transport, and strict screening of inter-provincial transport.

Curfew timings will be relaxed by one hour, from 11pm to 4am compared to 10pm to 4am at present.

Source - TheNation

Thai checkpoint resumes for trade

Goods transportation at a Battambang checkpoint shared border with Thailand Sa Kaeo province has now resumed operations.

In the light of COVID-19 the border closed, but it has resumed in the last two weeks with time restriction, according to Battambang provincial governor Nguon Ratanak.

Although the border has just reopened, Ratanak said restriction will remain in place, leaving it opens from 7am to midnight. “They export pigs to Cambodia and we export agriculture products to Thailand,” he said.

Another international checkpoint shared between Cambodia’s Battambang province and Thailand’s Chonburi province is still open for goods transportation as normal. However it is not open to people..

The international border checkpoint in Battambang’s Sampov Luon district, connecting Thailand’s

Sakeo province is an import border gate for trade between the countries. The Federation of Cassava in Battambang President Ny Khon said recently that up to 1 million tonnes of cassava are exported through the border every season.

He noted cassava from Kompong Thom province is also transported through the border to enter Thailand.

The Bangkok Post recently reported a figure from the Thai Foreign Trade Department as showing that Cambodia’s cross-border trade with Thailand fell to $1.5 million in the first quarter as the corona-virus hit the global economy and led to the closure of dozens of checkpoints.

Keerati Rushchano, director general of the department, said outstanding performance was seen in exports to Cambodia, which saw continued growth of 14.3 percent in the first three months of the year despite the potentially deadly virus.

According to data from Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce the bilateral trade between the Kingdoms in the first three months was valued at $2.5 billion, a 31 percent hike over same period last year.

During the period, Cambodia’s total exports to Thailand reached $612 million, a 115 percent increase, while Cambodia imported from Thailand $1,891 million of goods, a 17 percent increase over the corresponding period last year.

Source - Khmer Times

Surviving lockdown in my Thai paradise

Opera singer and producer Niall Morris has found himself stranded in Bangkok with his husband Woody during the coronavirus pandemic

Back in 2010, along with my friend Terry from London, I visited Thailand purely by chance. We were on a winter holiday in Penang, Malaysia where Terry was less than impressed with the weather.

“Darling, it’s cloudy again,” he said one morning, in his disapproving Princess Margaret voice. “I can’t possibly go back to London without a tan to annoy my work colleagues.”

“It’s 35°C and sunny in Thailand,” I replied casually, looking at the weather forecast on TV.

Terry’s face lit up.

“I’m already packing, darling,” he gushed, in a flurry of hatboxes.

And with that spur of the moment decision, the future trajectory of my life was changed.

We took a one-hour flight from Penang to Bangkok and checked into a twin room on the 23rd floor of the Shangri-La hotel, with stunning views over the Chao Phraya river. That evening we went to Telephone Bar in the vibrant Silom district and got chatting with a group of friendly locals.

One of them, called Woody, had a dazzling smile and offered to take me on a motorbike tour of Bangkok by night. I ran the suggestion past Terry whose reply was “off you go darling!” And so, in a moment of Shirley Valentine spontaneity, I was whisked off on a scooter down a labyrinth of hot, steaming streets, where tall glass skyscrapers towered over makeshift wooden shacks and spicy chicken soup was being cooked at every corner. It was a thrill to the senses and from that first sultry, humid night in Bangkok, I was hooked.

When I got back to my hotel in the early hours of the morning, I was very surprised to find that Terry, along with all his hatboxes, had left. All that remained was a brief note on my bed: “Gone to Koh Samui. I want to be alone.”

Suddenly, I found myself 10,000km from home, all alone in a foreign country where I knew no one. I’m sure the sensible decision would have been to go back to Ireland and forget about the whole experience but, instead, I reached into my pocket and took out a little piece of paper with a neatly written telephone number and the words: “Call me! – Woody.”

Over the next few days, Woody and I visited some of Bangkok’s most famous tourist attractions. First, we went by motorbike taxi to the Grand Palace, the official ceremonial residence of the king. Built in 1782 by King Rama 1, it’s a huge complex on the west bank of the river and includes the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Some of it is open to the public, as long as you are well covered and have appropriate footwear (no flip-flops). Next, we took one of the frequent river boats down to Sathorn – a great way to see the towering skyline of the city – and disembarked at Saphan Taksin right next to the Shangri-La hotel. By early evening we were sitting in a side street outside a little restaurant that served the best fish in Bangkok for about €3.50 a main course.

Later that night, Woody brought me to App Arena Club to see his friend Coco, a sensational drag artiste, who lip-synched flawlessly to Whitney Houston – and looked very like her too. It was a whirlwind sightseeing tour which I would never have experienced if Terry hadn’t made his dramatic dash to Koh Samui.

A year later, Woody came to live with me in Ireland and we entered into a civil partnership in 2014. Ever since, we have made a trip each year to Thailand and we’ve built a little house in the rice fields near where he grew up, about 500km north of Bangkok.

In March, Woody and I arrived for our annual holiday in Thailand but now, like the rest of the world, we are caught in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Thai government has responded swiftly with draconian measures to contain the spread of the virus.

The beaches of the south are closed, patrolled day and night by drones; Phuket is in total lockdown (no one can enter or leave the island) and the bright lights of Bangkok’s world-famous nightlife have been turned off.

Throughout the country, there’s a strictly enforced curfew and anyone caught outside after 10pm could end up with a hefty fine or, worse still, a year in the Bangkok Hilton!

Controversially, there has been a total ban on the sale of alcohol since April 1. Thais are very sociable people and love nothing more than to gather at a friend’s house for a game of cards over a bottle of local whiskey but, in general, they are law-abiding and compliant and these strict measures have been highly effective.

To date, there are just 2,969 coronavirus cases in Thailand and while, sadly, there have been 54 deaths, in a country of nearly 70 million, these numbers are extremely low.

One of the other key tactics here has been to radically reduce international travel.

All foreigners have been banned from entering Thailand and Thai citizens returning from abroad must quarantine for 14 days at an appointed place.

Our return flights to Ireland on KLM have been cancelled, leaving us somewhat stranded here.

But at least we are not accidental tourists shipwrecked in an strange land. We are staying at Woody’s sister’s house in a private gated community in a leafy suburb of Bangkok. I start each morning with coffee in the garden, after which I teach English to our gorgeous nephew Hummer who is almost four years old and already nearly bilingual.

Woody’s sister and her husband both work in the property and construction business and, in a typically Thai gesture where family is paramount, they’ve told us we can stay as long as we want.

Since May 3, Thailand has started taking tentative steps towards getting its economy moving again. Outdoors markets are opening up, along with some cafes and restaurants and, for the first time in nearly two months, little Hummer has been released from the confines of his garden to play at the local park. Last week, we all visited the nearby King Rama IX Park and watching him whizzing around on his little green bicycle was pure joy.

In those early days, when I first visited Bangkok, I used to wonder what it would be like to live in Thailand – but I always lacked the courage to give it a try.

Now, with my classical music career on hold and a global pandemic forcing us all to rethink our lives, I have found myself here more by chance than by choice.

But what a blessing it is.

As restrictions are easing, our next plan is to all go up to our village house to help harvest the rice fields and mango and banana trees. These dazzling days in Thailand are a long way from Mozart and Puccini – but the joyous connection with family and nature is like waking up each morning to an unexpected paradise.

Source - Pattaya One News

Cross-border trade with Thailand estimated at just $1.5 million for first quarter

#Cambodia’s cross border trade with Thailand fell to $1.5 million in the first quarter as the coronavirus hit the global economy and led to closure of dozens of checkpoints.

The Thai Foreign Trade Department said the country’s overall cross-border trade, including transit trade, totalled 264.97 billion baht in the first three months, with Malaysia still the biggest partner for Thailand’s border trade.

Transit trade involves the passage of goods through more than one country.

Of the total figures, exports from Thailand totalled 187.56 billion baht, down 5.4% from the first three months of last year, with imports also shrinking 12.6% to 77.40 billion baht, resulting in a trade surplus of 110.15 billion baht.

Thailand’s border trade with four neighboring countries amounted to 195.66 billion baht, down 7.4% from the same period last year.

Of the total, two-way trade with Malaysia totalled 56.47 billion baht, followed by trade with Laos (42.68 billion baht), Cambodia (48.33 billion baht) and Myanmar (48.16 billion baht).

Cambodia had the lowest cross border trade with Thailand after Malaysia the biggest partner for border trade, followed by Laos, Myanmar.

Malaysia remained the biggest partner for border trade, with two-way trade reaching 476.15 billion baht, down 8.7%, followed by Laos (181.80 billion baht), Myanmar (180.73 billion baht) and Cambodia (146.41 billion baht) for the first 11 months of 2019.

Transit trade with Singapore, Vietnam and southern China dropped 2.2% in the first quarter, totalling 61.86 billion baht.

Transit trade to southern China recovered to fetch the greatest value after China reopened, with value rising to 28.62 billion baht, up 4.9%, followed by Singapore (19.70 billion baht) and Vietnam (13.53 billion baht).

Keerati Rushchano, director-general of the department, said outstanding performance was seen in exports to Cambodia, which saw continued growth of 14.3% in the first three months despite the deadly virus.

Higher shipments were led by non-alcoholic drinks, automobiles and parts, and livestock.

Shipments to Laos also registered an increase of 2.4% in the period, especially for computers, non-alcoholic drinks and fresh fruits.

“Overall cross-border trade remains inactive, as the pandemic scatters throughout the world and seriously hits the global economy,” Mr Keerati said. Bangkok Post

Source - Khmer Times

Europe's countries seeking to relaunch tourism

Northern Europeans may not be able to decamp to the beaches of the Mediterranean this summer because of the coronavirus, but will their governments support the devastated tourism sector?

Beach destinations like Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal are already among the European Union (EU) members facing a daunting struggle with debt – and now their vital travel and leisure industries are on the line.

Together with five more southern allies – France, Malta, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania – has urged the 27-member EU to help save this "strategic" economic resource.

The EU is seeking to put together a trillion-euro economic stimulus package, to kickstart the economy as a whole when the coronavirus lockdowns come to an end.

But, already rebuffed once, when they asked to share debt with their northern neighbors, southern countries are now sounding the alarm about the lost summer season.

The European Commission has been tasked with agreeing the rules of the relaunch, and on April 27, tourism ministers from member states held a video conference.

Afterwards, the nine southern members released a statement.

In our countries, tourism constitutes a strategic industry," they said.

"We would like the EU Recovery Plan to include strong support for tourism and to recognize the existence of certain territories with specificities that must be met."

The southern friends also urged "homogenous" travel rules, fearing that a piecemeal withdrawal of lockdown measures will distort the tourism market and isolate needy areas.

Read also: 'Don't cancel, postpone': Portugal urges tourists in voucher scheme

Brussels attempted in vain to coordinate the lockdown and keep the EU's internal borders open, but many national capitals imposed unilateral restrictions on unnecessary visits.

EU member states have now begun setting a variety of target dates and criteria for a return to normal, and some expect to urge or require their citizens to stay at home this year.

"Public health makes the law these days," said French minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, in an AFP interview.

"As soon as we get word on the opening of the borders, we'll let you know. It's important that areas that have not been affected are not exposed to the virus.

"We should promote Europe as a destination in and of itself, and avoid competition within the bloc," he said, while admitting domestic tourism will probably recover before trips abroad.

At the meeting, Croatia's tourism minister Gari Cappelli and EU single market commissioner Thierry Breton suggested members work on a harmonized strategy on hygiene rules.

In Breton's office, a source said they were aiming to have advice ready by mid-May so hoteliers, restaurateurs, tour operators and transport firms were working with the same tool kit.

This reflects the concern expressed by German foreign minister Heiko Maas in the Bild newspaper, that a dangerous free-for-all race between rival resorts to re-open could revive the epidemic.

Experts trace many of the cases of coronavirus in northern Europe to the Austrian ski station of Ischgl, popular with winter partygoers, and do not want beach hotspots like Majorca to play the same role in summer. 

Source - TheJakartaPost

Thailand’s Tourism Likely Won’t Improve Until Vaccine Found

The Tourism Authority of Thai land (TAT) has said a vaccine for covid-19 is needed to help reverse the plunge in Thailand’s tourism. Tourism numbers are set to tumble 60% to only 16 million tourists this year. Almost halving foreign tourism income.

Furthermore those numbers could go even lower as the world waits for an inoculation or if a second wave of infections materializes, according to Bloomberg.

“Everyone is waiting on a vaccine,” TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said in an interview April 24. “People are expecting that it will take at least 18 months. Which also means we’ll have to remain in a state of fear and worry.”

Thailand has been particularly reliant on tourism spending, especially by Chinese visitors. The lack of Tourism leaves Thailand with one of Asia’s  bleakest economic outlooks.

Yuthasak said the tourism industry needs to restore confidence in the safety of leisure travel. Predicting that October is the earliest he expects holidaymakers from China to return.

“We must all enter into a new normal after Covid-19,” he said. Also estimating foreign-visitor receipts this year may amount to only 1 trillion baht. Down by almost half from the 1.9 trillion baht in 2019.
Tourism will look again to Chinese Visitors

Yuthasak said “There could also be an opportunity within the crisis for us to improve. So in the future revenue will be more sustainable and wealth can spread to smaller communities.”

Meanwhile, The Thaiger reports Thailand’s tourism recovery trajectory is expected to be initially centered on domestic and local corporate travel. Before radiating back into into international and regional travel.

When borders open and international travel bans are lifted, China will almost certainly resume its dominant role in Thailand’s inbound tourism sector. How this major feeder market for Thailand is expected to begin travelling again will offer strategies for those suffering through today’s crisis.

Findings by Chinese travel giant Trip.com have long ranked Thailand among the first outbound destinations Chinese travelers want to visit post-coronavirus.

Source - Chiang Rai Times