THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

PTT plans Bt5,000 allowance to employees to stimulate domestic tourism

PTT plans Bt5,000 allowance to employees to stimulate domestic tourism

PTT's board of deputy directors will meet today (August 26) to discuss a cash handout initiative to its staff for boosting domestic tourism, a source said.

They will consider granting Bt5,000 to the company’s employees to use for travel within the country.
“Currently PTT Plc has around 3,000 staff with over 18,000 employed by companies under PTT Group,” added the source. “The number does not include subcontracted employees.”
The source expected more details to be unveiled shortly after the measure was approved, and that it would be implemented immediately without having to be proposed to the board of directors.
Minister of Tourism and Sport Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn had said earlier that the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (August 25) in Rayong province had agreed to upgrade the “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” (We Travel Together) tourism stimulus scheme after it received a disappointing response from travellers.
Only 660,000 of the 5 million nights of subsidised accommodation offered under the scheme has been booked by travellers since it started operating in July. In response, the Cabinet agreed to extend the period of subsidised stays for each traveller from five nights to 10 nights and doubled the air-fare subsidy from Bt1,000 to Bt2,000. Large companies will also be invited to take advantage of the scheme by organising training seminars and events in popular destinations around Thailand.
“The scheme would be financed by the Bt400-billion budget for economic rehabilitation due to the Covid-19 outbreak, from which Bt20 billion was allocated to boost tourism,” added Phiphat.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said during the Cabinet meeting that the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is considering the possibility of letting foreign tourists enter Thailand in October. “We need to prepare suitable measures to prevent the risk of outbreak in order to regain 20 million foreign tourists that we used to have and to prevent tourism businesses from closing down any further,” he said.
“Currently Thailand has effective measures to screen and track down patients who may have slipped into the country thanks to adequate medical professionals and facilities. We need to always balance between the fulfilling of economic needs and maintaining public health.”
Office of PM spokesman Anucha Burapachaisr added that the Cabinet on Tuesday also approved the decisions of the Centre for Economic Situation Administration’s meeting on two aspects, namely the plan to invite foreign tourists under the Phuket Model, and the preparation of new graduates for labour markets in the new normal era.

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