Elite card

[Rinrada]

Just when you thought that the 1,000,000 Baht VIP,Card was a Dead Duck-(dead phet) just like the 116 bus on Teparak another one come along...

Invitation-only strategy adopted for pricey Elite Card

But David Beckham will get one free

Nondhanada Intarakomalyasut

(thanks Bangers Post)

Mrs Juthamas shows off the new card. _ APICHIT JINAKUL

Membership in the Thailand Elite Card will be mostly by invitation only as part of the revised terms aimed at limiting the privileges to well-heeled tourists.

Selected high-rollers, such as football celebrity David Beckham, will get cards free in an effort to promote the campaign.

The one-million-baht (US$25,000) lifetime membership entitles holders to a variety of benefits including a special entry permit and fast-track immigration.

Not all people who apply will be approved and most of the target group will be invited to join the service, said Juthamas Siriwan, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and chairwoman of Thailand Privilege Card Co, the firm set up to run the service.

However, interested people can still apply for the service but it will take 15-30 days to check the background and credibility of the applicants with related agencies including immigration and police authorities, she said.

Although the service will not be officially launched until next month, a call centre has already been set up to provide information. It is currently receiving about 200 calls a day.

The Elite Card, a brainchild of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to promote Thailand's tourism industry, projects one million members within the next five years, generating one trillion baht to the country.

Besides individuals, the service will also be offered to multinational corporations for two million baht (US$50,000) but only one representative of the company is eligible to use the service.

Mrs Juthamas said the programme was expected to attract at least 10,000 members from the US, mostly golfers, and another 50,000 members from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore in the first year of operation.

Some 15% of sales proceeds will be set aside for promotional activities and give-aways to famous people such as England soccer captain Beckham and his wife Victoria, a former Spice Girl.

Previously, there was a plan to present the cards to the 20 foreign leaders during the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) meeting in October. But the plan is being reconsidered, as authorities question whether it is in line with diplomatic protocol and whether it is appropriate to give away something so costly..

Thailand Privilege Card Co is now looking for a CEO through a recruitment company, and has appointed nine board members. They include Bank of Thailand governor M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula, Thai Airways International president Kanok Abhiradee; Jadet Insawang, the permanent secretary of the Tourism and Sports Ministry; and Vichit Na Ranong, chairman of the Tourism Council of Thailand.

Aside from visa privileges, Elite Card members will receive free services at selected golf courses, spas and 14 hospitals, plus airport-hotel transport.

They will also be able to take advantage of a ``buy one, get one free'' ticket offer from THAI when purchasing a first- or business-class ticket, and discount rates in selected five-star hotels.

Tour packages designed specially for high-end tourists on domestic and regional routes will be offered at special prices, as well as preferential property investment, but details have yet to be revealed.

Mrs Juthamas said members would receive a card with a gold logo and a gift from the One Tambon, One Product programme.

She also said that once the company generates enough revenue, it would build its own facilities such as golf courses and hotels to add value for the members

http://www.bangkokpost.net/Business/20Sep2003_biz61.html

[Butterfly]

Too bad. I was about to buy it if it really gave me those "great" advantages. I doubt it will be a success. Just another failure disguised as a success, a strategy that the Thais have used successfully for a number of years now.

[MaiChai]

Just goes to show you how Elitetist Thai society is. You wouldn't get away with this sort of thing in a Western country; there would be a public outcry.

Why should Beckham get one free; he's loaded already. Can't see Posh letting him come on his own to Thailand, can you?  ???

I still don't understand why, if you were mega rich, why you would want one to save a couple of bucks here and there.

[ovenman]

Not something that would interest me even if I had the sort of money that I could just drop a million baht on this card and not give it a second thought.  However, I suppose there are some people out there who would be interested in this.  It's really hard to picture that there are one million people who would do so.  How many annual tourist arrivals are there in Thailand?