Domestic tourism set to explode as govt’s discount packages primed
Public interest in government discount measures to stimulate tourism is soaring as Thailand prepares to enter the fourth phase of lockdown relaxation.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn recently unveiled two packages for domestic travellers aimed at boosting the tourism business, which has been battered by the impact of Covid-19.
The Pan Sook (Happiness Sharing) package will hand out up to 4 million digital vouchers for inter-provincial travel. The vouchers can be shown at hotel check-in for discounts on accommodation of up to Bt2,000-Bt3,000 per person, which will be transferred back to the holder’s account. Online registration for the vouchers is open to people aged 18 and above.
Meanwhile, the Kom Lung Jai (Encouragement) package will reward 1.2 million front-line health and other personnel for battling the Covid-19 outbreak.
Both packages will last for four months, from July to October 2020.
Yuthasak added that the Finance Ministry has asked the TAT to prepare more details on the packages, which will be discussed again at the beginning of this week.
The budget for the Pan Sook package has been estimated at Bt8 billion-Bt12 billion, with an aim to stimulate two to three times more money in tourism spending. The budget will fund incentives to boost domestic travel during this low-season period, to compensate for the absence of international travellers during the pandemic. The Thai tourism industry employs at least 2.5 million workers.