What are these jokers smoking? 3.5 million tourists, from where? Australia’s borders are likely to remain closed until mid-2022 aside from travel to New Zealand (which opened last month) and a few other “low risk” countries. These could include Singapore, Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and possibly Taiwan and later, Vietnam. Thailand has not been mentioned in the first phase and thus we can probably assume it won’t be part of any Australian travel bubble this year.

Secondly, in a country that is proving itself to be one of the most totalitarian in the world, what with Buri Ram forcing vaccines on it’s residents, Phuket fining and threatening foreigners with deportation for hosting a friend over for a beer in their OWN homes, Surat Thani fining anyone who drinks alcohol at home, and every province issuing fines of 1000-20000 Baht for not wearing a face muzzle, what makes them think tourists will put up with this nonsense?

Even those willing to be vaccinated, are not going to put up with this. Isn’t the vaccine supposed to allow all our freedoms to return? If tourists are still going to be required to be muzzled in public, including on a Phuket beach, despite being vaccinated, then Thailand can hammer the final nail in the tourism coffin. 

At this point in time, there is more liberty in China than in Thailand. I can’t imagine the Chinese would be interested in coming to a country where there are no casinos, where the fun police nitpick every thing you do and can potentially deport you for not wearing a face mask. It’s happening in Cambodia (Chinese nationals have been deported for not wearing masks or breaking lockdown orders), Bali is doing it and Thailand isn’t far behind. 

China has tropical beaches too (in Hainan). Aside from Phuket being warm all year-round (whereas Sanya is a little cool between December and February), there is no reason for Chinese to want to come to Thailand.