Thailand approves $722 million domestic tourism stimulus as virus hits global travel

 

FILE PHOTO: Empty chairs are seen on a beach which is usually full of tourists, amid fear of coronavirus in Phuket, Thailand March 11, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's cabinet approved on Tuesday a domestic tourism package worth 22.4 billion baht ($722.35 million) to revitalise a key sector hit by the coronavirus pandemic, an official said.

 

The package will offer incentives for medical personnel and health volunteers as well as the general public to travel in the country, deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek told Reuters.

 

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Martin Petty)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-06-16

 

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Cabinet gives green light to Bt22bn domestic tourism packages

By The Nation

 

 

The Cabinet on Tuesday (June 16) approved three packages to stimulate domestic tourism after the lockdown, with a whopping budget of Bt22 billion. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has handed the task of organising the stimulus scheme to the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB). He warned that measures taken must be transparent, as fears grow that the huge budget could give rise to corruption.

 

Meanwhile, Health Minister Anutin Charnwirakul said that “travel bubbles” were still being negotiated to allow free exchange of tourists between Thailand and countries at low risk for Covid-19.

 

The three domestic tourism stimulus measures will run for four months between July and October, after being drawn up by the ministries of Finance and of Tourism and Sports.

 

The Tiew Pan Suk (Trips to share happiness) package will offer a 40-per-cent discount of up to Bt1,000 on in-country travel, and is designed to help low-cost airlines and car rental firms.

 

The Rao Pai Tiew Gun (Let’s travel together) package will offer a 40-per-cent discount on accommodation costing up to Bt3,000 per night for a maximum of five nights. It will also fill tourists’ e-wallets with Bt600 per night for a maximum of five nights, to be used to pay for tourism activities such as spa services, souvenirs and restaurants. Money left unspent at the end of the holiday period will go back into government coffers.

 

The Kum Lang Jai (Encouragement) package will reward about 1.2 million people, including medical staff and village health volunteers, who are on the frontlines of the Covid-19 battle. They will be granted free one-night holidays worth up to Bt2,000 per person.

 

Thais will be able to register for the packages via the KTB platform, which will link to accommodation providers approved by the government. The registration process will be similar to that for the “Eat, Shop, Spend” stimulus campaign.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30389720

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-06-16

 

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Sounds good!  Maybe not so good for the millions of peasants who missed out on the 5000 baht a month but hey,  plenty of others can take up the offer...cops teachers,  nurses,  other government employees who have been getting a regular pay cheque. 

Can’t see this being much good for the 20 million population of Issan who didn’t have jobs and the ones that did had to support those in their families who didn’t have jobs.

There is still a cost involved even though it’s subsidised.

The missus reckons it’s alright for us as she said she could book hotels in her name and we could have a holiday.

Well, if a few of the hi-so guys give up on their foreign trips and decide to spend money in Thailand, that'd be a good thing. Drip-down doesn't work if all the wealth is going abroad.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile, Health Minister Anutin Charnwirakul said that “travel bubbles” were still being negotiated to allow free exchange of tourists between Thailand and countries at low risk for Covid-19.

that guy couldn't tell you whether he woke up this morning or not

What is the “KTB” platform?

1 minute ago, claynlr said:

What is the “KTB” platform?

Krung Thai Bank?

State owned bank.

Edited June 17, 20206 yr by BritManToo

13 hours ago, YetAnother said:

that guy couldn't tell you whether he woke up this morning or not

Nor could most of the population.

Sounds good for the middle class who can already afford this. What about the poor though? You know the people who actually need help.

19 hours ago, webfact said:

package worth 22.4 billion baht ($722.35 million) to revitalise a key sector hit by the coronavirus pandemic

And that sector would be..... oink oink !

19 hours ago, nausea said:

Well, if a few of the hi-so guys give up on their foreign trips and decide to spend money in Thailand, that'd be a good thing. Drip-down doesn't work if all the wealth is going abroad.

....... while no new wealth is allowed into the country - right on the money! 

First they destroy the tourism industry, then pump money into trying to make it "Normal" again whilst they repeat the mantra: "Normal is gone and replaced with The New Normal."

So every time the economy start to get up, knock it back on the ground and put a knee on its neck again.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

Tourism is a thing of the past.  Ya'll killed it.  Mission accomplished.  Now give it a good smack and get your knee back on its neck.  Good job.  That's the future of tourism.

19 hours ago, Brer said:

Can’t see this being much good for the 20 million population of Issan who didn’t have jobs and the ones that did had to support those in their families who didn’t have jobs.

There is still a cost involved even though it’s subsidised.

The missus reckons it’s alright for us as she said she could book hotels in her name and we could have a holiday.

It's not for them.  It's for the middle class, city dwellers.

He warned that measures taken must be transparent, as fears grow that the huge budget could give rise to corruption

 

????

Socialist Propaganda !!!

Seems pretty clear where this is going to end .... China 2.0 on steroids !!!

 

People will love it - everything free from the Government.

Question will be: Who is going to pay for all this ???

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile, Health Minister Anutin Charnwirakul said that “travel bubbles” were still being negotiated to allow free exchange of tourists between Thailand and countries at low risk for Covid-19.

You can have all the bubbles you like, but planes will only fly when they think they can make some money and not 25% full planes

2 hours ago, connda said:

First they destroy the tourism industry, then pump money into trying to make it "Normal" again whilst they repeat the mantra: "Normal is gone and replaced with The New Normal."

So every time the economy start to get up, knock it back on the ground and put a knee on its neck again.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

Tourism is a thing of the past.  Ya'll killed it.  Mission accomplished.  Now give it a good smack and get your knee back on its neck.  Good job.  That's the future of tourism.

What a drama queen... Tourism will be fine again soon enough, domestic and international. 

 

4 minutes ago, alien365 said:

What a drama queen... Tourism will be fine again soon enough, domestic and international. 

 

Quite.

Many on here have been whinging every day for weeks about getting people back to work. Even when people can go back to work there will not be any jobs in the tourist sector unless there are customers. The government is providing some money that can only be spent on domestic tourism to try and create customers that will provide jobs, but the whinging continues.

 

The problem is that many are so xenophobic they don't even think before posting. This is a domestic tourism stimulus package, and should be viewed as such, it is not a social security stimulus package.

2 hours ago, connda said:

First they destroy the tourism industry, then pump money into trying to make it "Normal" again whilst they repeat the mantra: "Normal is gone and replaced with The New Normal."

So every time the economy start to get up, knock it back on the ground and put a knee on its neck again.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

Tourism is a thing of the past.  Ya'll killed it.  Mission accomplished.  Now give it a good smack and get your knee back on its neck.  Good job.  That's the future of tourism.

Title - Thailand kills tourism industry.

Produced by super Prayut and the billionaire and his anti farang wife. Casting director  - Rolex general 

Titles and soundtrack by ACDC. Gaffer '  Somchai Nohope.

Movie rating.- 1 - 10.

 

On 6/16/2020 at 4:02 PM, Grumpy John said:

Sounds good!  Maybe not so good for the millions of peasants who missed out on the 5000 baht a month but hey,  plenty of others can take up the offer...cops teachers,  nurses,  other government employees who have been getting a regular pay cheque. 

And another trough filled for the ruling piggy wiggy's!! ????????????????????????????????