Thailand to pay to boost domestic tours
Govt launching package to give Thais 1,500 baht to spend when they travel to 55 provinces in a new promo.
BANGKOK: The Thai Finance Ministry is launching a new stimulus package to boost the country’s domestic tourism by giving Thais 1,500 baht (RM194) per person to spend when they travel to 55 provinces under a promotion campaign, a source from the ministry said.
Under the campaign, Thais aged 18 and over can register for the programme.
The government will then deposit the money into their accounts through the e-payment system.
They can use the funds to make e-payments to the shops that have joined the campaign.
“We are collaborating with the Tourism and Sport Ministry and Krung Thai Bank for the campaign and have set a budget of up to 15 billion baht (RM1.9bil).
“We will now propose the programme to Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak to consider and to the Cabinet as soon as possible. We aim to launch the campaign before July this year,” a source from the Finance Ministry said.
The ministry expects up to 10 million Thais to register, he added.
Anusorn Tamajai, dean of Rangsit University’s Economics Faculty, said he agreed with the government’s plan to boost the economy.
The drought has severely affected the welfare of people living in rural areas, Anusorn added.
Moreover, the overall economy was also adversely affected by the contraction in exports.
Exports in March dropped 4.88% year on year and exports in the first three months of this year were down 1.64% due to the global slowdown and impact from the trade tensions between the United States and China. — The Nation/Asia News Network