Donna Mae Ocmeja

Even in the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic, we have continued communicating with our program participants to support them in their Educational Travel journey. Some of our participants stayed wherever their program destination is while others decided to come home.

Angie, one of our Hospitality Internship Asia Program participants recently returned to Thailand from Switzerland. She is a Hospitality student currently enrolled at one of our partner Universities in Switzerland.

In one of our recent exchanges with her, she decided to share with us the journey she went through in trying to get home. Let’s hear what Angie has to say about traveling internationally to Bangkok during COVID-19.

“ My travel adventure during COVID-19 was different (but not unusual) from my previous international trips.

Firstly, I had to contact the Thai embassy in Switzerland so I could start the process where they would put me in a queue for the flight while also collecting some personal information. 

They would normally contact around two weeks before you’re supposed to fly, informing you that there is a flight available for you. Unfortunately, they did not have any direct flights from Switzerland to Thailand, but they did have flights going from Vienna airport to Bangkok. This meant that I would have to find a way to arrive at Vienna airport, whether through a flight or a bus. 

So, I had to organize myself from Zurich to Vienna while the embassy was organizing the flight from Vienna to Bangkok. I immediately booked my flight from Zurich to Vienna and the embassy instructed me to wait for their confirmation (a call) for buying the ticket for Vienna to Bangkok.

This would bring us into the second stage where the embassy instructed us to take a health examination for a ‘fit to fly’ certificate. This was not a COVID-19, but an examination to see if the passenger has any COVID-19 symptoms. The examination for this had to be taken 1 or 2 days before the flight otherwise the certificate would not be valid. 

During this time, the passengers received lots of documents to be signed from the government and the airline that will be flying us to Bangkok. All of these documents had to be printed and presented on the day of the flight, including the ‘fit to fly’ certificate.

I got a confirmation from the embassy 5 days before I was supposed to fly to buy the ticket from Vienna to Bangkok. In my case, I had to call the airline directly (number provided by the embassy) to book my ticket and they already had all my information on a list that was provided by the embassy. All I had to do was confirm my name, birthdate, and finally my credit card details. They went over with some details about the flight and luggage. The day of the flight was pretty normal, I just had to wear a mask at all times and had to undergo more security checks. My flight arrived in Vienna early morning while our flight to Bangkok was in the evening. The embassy officials from Vienna greeted us at a gate with a lunch box, a bag with snacks, and essentials (extra face mask, wet cloth, water, etc.). While waiting for our flight, the officials checked our documents to ensure we had everything ready, and if not, they provided it themselves. Come time for the flight to Bangkok, we were seated with a spare seat between each passenger.

Once we landed in Bangkok we had to wait at the airport terminal for at least an hour to get all of our documents checked again. They also had to check our temperature. We went through immigration in small groups. There were officials everywhere guiding us on where to go and reminding us to stay in a safe distance. Once we got through immigration and got our luggage, they started to lead us outside to have our bags sprayed and disinfected. From there, we took our bags to the bus and just waited. They then took us to the Avana Bangkok Hotel. Once we arrived, the officials took all of our luggage out and lined them up. Only 5 people were allowed out at a time to pick up the luggage, to check the documents once again, and to get our room keys. They only allowed one person per room (unless you have children, then you can have up to 2 people maximum).

Once inside the room, we found some documents in Thai, listing the instructions, rules, and regulations of the quarantine. This includes no passing of any items between rooms and daily self temperature checks with a thermometer found in our room. 

The hotel dropped food off in front of our room 3 times a day. 

During the quarantine period, I was tested twice for COVID-19. The first one was 3 days after our arrival and the next is 3 days before your departure. It was a quick nasal swab test and results came in within 24 hours.

That’s basically how my journey went. I’m just glad I was able to come home safe and healthy. Thank you for checking on me. ”

A lot has happened in Asia in the past few months. Since COVID-19 came, country leaders in our six program destinations – Malaysia, Thailand, the Maldives, Vietnam, the UAE, and Indonesia – have been working hard to ensure not only the safety of their people but also the security of their economies.

It has been more than half of a year that our Global Community, especially the Hospitality and Travel Industry, is experiencing significant social and economic changes. Nevertheless, we still never run out of positive news to share with the World.

Here are some important updates relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic in our program destination:

 

                

 

MALAYSIA HEIGHTENS PROTOCOLS, PREPARES FOR POST-PANDEMIC

• Malaysia announced that the country’s Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO), which maintains strict travel restrictions, will remain in place until Dec 31, 2020.

• Malaysia and Singapore are currently finding effective ways to quickly open up borders for each other.

• The East Coast Economic Region Development Council has proposed the development of Terengganu islands as domestic tourism to the islands is expected to increase post-COVID-19, this is also expected to curb the threat to marine biodiversity.

 

PRIVATE SECTOR IN THAILAND CONTINUES TO STRIVE AND GET INVOLVED

• Thai Airways International (THAI) tickets will remain valid until the end of next year or can be converted to travel vouchers valid until the end of 2022.

• The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has continued its global expansion plans despite COVID-19. This includes openings in Khao Yai, Chiang Mai, and Yao Yai in 2021.

• Thai Hotels Association urged the government to include expatriates in the second phase of tourism stimulus, a program aimed at boosting domestic travel during the pandemic.

 

TOURISM CONTINUES IN THE MALDIVES WITH NEW SAFETY MEASURES

• From September 10 onwards, tourists visiting the island nation will need to be tested for COVID-19 (PCR) and receive a negative certification 72 hours ahead of their arrival.

• The Tourism Ministry recently launched a webinar series as part of the government’s crisis recovery action plan. The action plan aims to reconnect the Maldives with

 

               

 

VIETNAM CONTINUES PRECAUTIONS, RESUMES DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

• To keep the situation under control, the reopening of Vietnam’s borders is suspended until further notice.

• Foreigners entering the country are responsible to pay for the mandatory quarantine. • The goverment has renewed the visas for everyone stuck in the country until September 30th.

• Vietnam Airlines resumed local flights to and from Da Nang on September 7.

 

UAE COVID-19 FRONTLINERS GET SPECIAL TREATS

• Around 80,000 frontline heroes in the UAE are expected to receive special benefits from the government and private sectors including mental health and educational support.

• Dubai, UAE officially reopened its borders for international tourists on July 7.

• Visitors and residents entering Abu Dhabi and staying in the capital for six consecutive days or more will have to take a PCR test on the sixth day of their stay, besides providing a negative PCR or DPI test result at the entry point.

 

INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT STEPS US AGAINST COVID-19

• The government of Indonesia has allocated $2.8 billion for the development, production, and procurement of a vaccine against COVID-19.

• Plans to reopen Bali to international tourism this month have been reconsidered following the government’s decision to wait until the end of this year before welcoming foreign tourists.

 

We at RMC will continue monitoring the situation in the countries we arrange Hospitality Internships and Management Training Programs in. Together with the Hospitality and Travel sector, we remain optimistic about the gradual reopening of business and tourism activities towards 2021.

For questions or inquiries, don’t hesitate to send us an email or visit our website.