Thai government bogeys golf-quarantine proposal

The government’s plan to offer golf resorts as alternative state quarantine facilities for international tourists landed in a sand trap after operators said the expense wasn’t worth it.

Pornsit Sriorathaikul, president of the Golf Course Association of Thailand, said only 15 of 87 qualifying courses and resorts initially expressed interest in the idea. Once they found out the details, that number dropped to five.

The government’s idea was that, instead of being confined to a hotel room for nearly all of 14 days, tourists could play golf and have the run of a resort during their time. But the extra expense of safety protocols and the potential backlash from Covid-panicked…