Eight major tourist organizations in Pattaya have proposed a plan to the governor of Chonburi to reopen Pattaya on August 1 in order to restore travel and the tourism-oriented economy.
Chairman Rattanopas, chairman of the Eastern Spa and Wellness Association in Pattaya, said last Saturday that he was one of those who recently met with Chonburi governor Phakkhrathon Thianchai.
Rattanopas said tourism representatives have asked Thianchai, who is also the chairman of the provincial disease control committee, to set up a panel to consider their proposal to reopen Pattaya.
They proposed the “Seal Route Plan” tourism reopening plan, part of the Pattaya Move On project run by the City of Pattaya, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the private sector.
He said the reopening plan is expected to take place on August 1.
The Seal Route Plan determines the types of tourists, places and routes that can be included to ensure safety during the reopening, which will be restricted in controlled areas.
The COVID19 pandemic has now ravaged the city for two years and has wiped out 80% of service businesses, he said.
He shared that he realizes that the geography of Pattaya is different from other touristic cities such as Phuket and Samui, which are islands and can be managed within a Sandbox scheme.
The Seal Route Plan would allow vaccinated visitors to travel through Chonburi’s two mainland districts, including Banglamung and Sattahip, subject to precautionary measures.
He said the associations also wanted the committee to adopt measures to comply with the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) and Standard Operation Procedures to ensure safety and quality of service in hotels in the districts.
Most importantly, 70% of people in Pattaya should be vaccinated to create herd immunity. About 900,000 vaccines are needed to vaccinate 450,000 people.
He went on to say that he has also asked the provincial committee of the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to forward the plan to reopen Pattaya to the CCSA’s central committee for consideration.
The “Seal Route Plan” plan would ideally begin in August and test the prevention system before the peak season begins in October, he said.
“If the plan cannot be implemented during peak season, many more companies would go bankrupt or be forced to shut down,” he said.
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