Visitors carry sun umbrellas as they pose for photos at the 17th century Wat Chaiwatthanaram temple complex north of Bangkok after authorities reopened tourists sites earlier this month.
Photo: AFP
Thailand is set to launch an ambitious 20 billion baht (US$641 million) government stimulus package to encourage domestic tourism, in a bid to plug the gap left by the drop in international arrivals amid the coronavirus pandemic.
With international arrivals unlikely to resume until the last quarter of this year, the government is counting on its own citizens to pump cash into the ailing tourism industry.
Its three-pronged stimulus package covers subsidies on accommodation, transport subsidies – including for domestic flights, long-distance buses, and car rental fees – and e-vouchers that can be used for food and other services. All subsidies are capped at 40 per cent of total expenditure, leaving travellers to pay the balance, with transactions to be handled through the state-owned Krung Thai Bank e-wallet app that is linked to each user’s unique citizen ID card number to reduce the risk of fraud.
The scheme will run until October 31 and is limited to 5 million room nights and travel allowances for 2 million trips – a fraction of the government’s target of 100 million domestic trips this year. An additional 2.4 billion baht has also been earmarked to provide frontline health care workers with special travel packages.
Online registration for the scheme is already open for businesses planning on taking part, with 36,000 restaurants and 24,000 hotels expected to join. The scheme’s implementation has not been without its issues, however.
Read the full article at South China Morning Post: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3092568/thailand-launches-us641-million-scheme-boost-domestic-tourism?fbclid=IwAR0Q-Mvm_akRjQZjdfrn7y3rTb-1n863F61lQdMTjyeN3weHuI2FI3B-6Ek
