Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing a "Workation" in Thailand. I will just get into what that is. The new verbiage we are seeing especially from the Government lately and the slogans, the "sandbox this" and the "plus that"; it has been really interesting.

A recent article from the Bangkok Post, that is bangkokpost.com, the article is title: PM Outlines Vision for "Phuket Transformation", quoting directly: "Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha shared the "Phuket Transformation" initiative on his Facebook on Friday as fresh easing of coronavirus restrictions took effect that so cinemas reopen and shortened spells in curfew and mandatory quarantine." Quoting further: "He said the program aims to attract up to a million high-quality foreign travellers and those who are on "workation" during the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of 2022, or an average of 5,000 visitors per day." 

I am really interested where they come up with all these numbers because I am curious where the data is to support the notion that that is going to happen. Yeah "workation", a new word that we have seen. I don't know what that necessarily means. For those unaware and we have done videos on this, under the Emergency Decree back in March 2018, and we have done videos on this and we have quoted the Labour Ministry, you can't work in Thailand if you are not work authorized and as we have discussed in other videos work can basically be virtually anything, compensated or uncompensated. So you may want to be careful if you are coming to Thailand and you are going to be working. Now if you are answering emails for a couple of weeks while you are here for a job you do abroad, well you may not need to worry too much about something like that, not to get into too much detail there but this notion of a "workation" seems a little odd considering all the ramifications of the various rules and laws regarding labour here in the Kingdom. 

But hopefully this is the case. Hopefully in this fourth quarter we will see a spike in arrivals especially foreign arrivals. It would certainly be well received by folks here in Thailand. We are all looking very forward to getting tourism back. Quite frankly I wish the Government would get out of its own way and just let tourists get back to being tourists. Again that remains to be seen. Hopefully though we will see some real numbers when it comes to arrivals sooner rather than later.