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In Motion stores to replace Dixons travel
When Dixons Travel got into trouble, WH Smith bought 18 of the technology and accessories stores across a number of significant UK airports, including London Heathrow, London Stansted, Manchester, London Luton, Birmingham and East Midlands.
They have now announced that these stores will trade under the InMotion brand, which is the name of their similar business in North America. The stores are expected to feature brands such as Apple and Samsung, as well as an extensive range of tech accessories. In a fully recovered travel scenario, these stores could deliver sales of c.£60m per year.
More of Thailand reopening but beware
On 1 July the island of Phuket reopened to tourists as part of the Sandbox scheme. There are lots of conditions of your visit which you can find in this article.
It is worth being aware of what has happened to those that have tested positive after entering Thailand or being sat near someone who has on the plane. The first case involved one person in a group of 13. The infected person was isolated in hospital and the rest of the group were allowed to either isolate in a hotel or leave the country. However, the person who sat near the infection source was forced to move to a new quarantine hotel to isolate and given very little support or information by the government. She is unlikely to be able reclaim this cost from insurance. Moral of the story is always to try to choose a seat away from other people if you can!
Samui has now launched a similar program called Samui+ but with slightly different requirements and fewer restrictions on flying there. It starts from 15 July 2021.
You need:
- A passport with at least 6 months validity;
- Have been in a Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) approved country for 21 days or more;
- Been fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) or the World Health Organisation (WHO);
- Have booked and purchased return air travel;
- Have booked and paid for accommodation, and required RT-PCR test/s at a Samui Extra Plus or SHA Plus hotel;
- Have purchased medical insurance with COVID-19 treatment coverage of at least US$100,000;
- Have tested negative for COVID-19 no longer than 72 hours before travel.
Unlike Phuket, you are allowed to fly via Bangkok with Bangkok Airways on the flights below. For the flight via Bangkok, the ticket must be issued on the same booking with an international flight in conjunction with the approved Bangkok-Samui-Bangkok flights. Any flight reservations booked separately will not be allowed.
You also must stay at an approved Samui Extra Plus on Ko Samui only for the first 7 nights, after which you can move to a SHA Plus hotel on Ko Samui, Ko Phangan or Ko Tao for the other 7 nights. After 14 nights on Koh Samui, you are free to travel further into Thailand. You can stay any length of time in Koh Samui less than 7 days as long as you then leave the country.
There are restrictions on your first few days too:
• Day 1-3: Can leave the hotel room for designated areas in the hotel only;
• Day 4-7: Can travel within designated routes and on tour programmes on Ko Samui only
Personally I would not be looking to travel to Thailand at the moment as cases are rising rapidly and new meausres are being brought in to curb the rise in other areas.
2 comments
“Moral of the story is always to try to choose a seat away from other people if you can!”
The moral of the story is don’t bother going to Thailand, surely.
Well the moral applies to quiet a few scenarios- Jersey is also super hot on isolating people after flights but at least you don’t have to move hotel!
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