Pattaya hotel CEO urges govt to keep offering subsidies as industry not out of red yet
A hotel operator in Pattaya is urging the government to extend its tourism subsidy scheme “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” (We Travel Together) and introduce new measures to help the industry.
The “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” scheme is set to expire by the end of this month.
Vitanart Vathanakul, CEO of the Royal Cliff Hotels Group and Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall, said on Sunday that the tourism industry in the resort town was nearing pre-pandemic levels, with hotel occupation rate rising to around 50 per cent. Hotel occupation before Covid-19 was recorded at 60 to 70 per cent.
“The government needs to maintain these tourism promotion measures as the industry still needs help. These measures will help generate income for the local economy and soften the impact of the rising cost of living,” he said.
Vitanart said the travel scheme should be extended as the 1.5 million rights offered had been snatched up almost immediately, well before the September 30 deadline.
The scheme offers registrants a 40 per cent discount on hotel rooms and restaurants, capped at 3,000 baht a night. They will also receive an e-voucher when checking into a hotel as well as a 40 per cent flight refund when they check out.
Vitanart said he also wanted to see more measures promoting the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) industry, as not only will this attract a larger audience but people in this group have higher purchasing power.
He said the government could offer tax incentives or other benefits to both foreign and Thai companies if they hold meetings or events at hotels in tourist destinations.
“The authorities should also promote other activities available at hotels, like sporting events and exhibitions, for foreigners, so Thailand can attract a wider group of people apart from just tourists,” he said.
Vitanart said that at present, some 75 per cent of hotel guests in the eastern resort town are Thai, while 15 per cent are from the West and India, and some 10 per cent are from Asean countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.
“We expect the ratio of foreign tourists to rise once China allows its citizens to travel overseas freely,” he added.
