TAT turning to the "super wealthy" to boost domestic tourism

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Daily News reported that a memorandum of understanding signed between the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade yesterday was designed to convince the super wealthy to holiday in Thailand.

 

TAT governor Yuthasak Suphasorn said he was doing everything in his power to make the target of 80 million domestic tourist trips this calendar year a reality. 

 

The MOU targets the wealthy membership of the chamber of commerce to travel domestically from November to next February.

 

Chief of the TCC and BoT Kalin Sarasin said they would be working with the TAT on packages to inspire his membership. 

 

Soure: Daily News

 

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1 hour ago, webfact said:

TAT governor Yuthasak Suphasorn said he was doing everything in his power to make the target of 80 million domestic tourist trips this calendar year a reality. 

80 million domestic tourist trips in a country of 67 million inhabitants sounds quite challenging, isn't it? Especially when a few percent only have the financial means to do touristic travel at all, while a big part of the population is struggling to survive the crisis economically.

 

Edited September 24, 20205 yr by Flying Saucage

2 minutes ago, Flying Saucage said:

80 million domestic tourist trips in a country of 67 inhabitants sounds quite challenging, isn't it?

It is a TAT statistic - so it has been pulled out of thin air, and has absolutely no relationship with reality!

1 hour ago, webfact said:

was designed to convince the super wealthy to holiday in Thailand.

yes they just contacted me and said thanks and to keep up the good work. 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The MOU targets the wealthy membership of the chamber of commerce to travel domestically from November to next February.

Yeah, and let this be generously subsidized by tax payers money! 

Maybe they can lure "Boss Red Bull back to Pattaya for a weekend!

23 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

yes they just contacted me and said thanks and to keep up the good work. 

Sounds like Steven dialed the wrong number ????

 

46 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Maybe they can lure "Boss Red Bull back to Pattaya for a weekend!

And 80 million times, so Yuthasak can fulfill his quota.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The MOU targets the wealthy membership of the chamber of commerce to travel domestically from November to next February.

Must be one helluva large membership base if 80 million domestic trips are to be achieved between November and the end of February, i.e. a mere 4 months.

I tthink this is a bit moot. The wealthy used to go overseas for their trips, now that they face two week incarceration upon return, they are already spending their time in Thailand. 

A more apt headline could read "TAT trying to stay relevant"! 

Defunct agency now we are in the Controla Virus" era ????

2 hours ago, webfact said:

to convince the super wealthy to holiday in Thailand.

To me that implies visitors from ABROAD.

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

target of 80 million domestic tourist trips this calendar year

And that, in my understanding, means LOCAL tourists (i.e. Thais vacationing in their own country).

 

It seems TAT on the one hand and TCC and BoT on the other hand have been talking about TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT target groups.

 

And still they signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) about it.

 

Honestly, the comedy in this country just never ends. 

when is all this madness going to stop ? are we stuck in the matrix ? 

 

morpheus please hold me. 

2 minutes ago, mr mr said:

morpheus please hold me. 

Take the "red Pill" face reality - were screwed!

3 hours ago, webfact said:

TAT governor Yuthasak Suphasorn said he was doing everything in his power to make the target of 80 million domestic tourist trips this calendar year a reality. 

I can solve this issue by declaring the BIG C a domestic tourism venue.

Oh yes, no more messing around. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

 

Before, it was “quality” tourists. Wealthy tourists. 5 star tourists. Chinese tourists. No more backpackers, sex pats, and bar stool warmers complaining around the price of Leo. No sir.

 

But now even that’s not good enough. Gotta think even bigger. Now, we want SUPER WEALTHY. ULTRA LUXURY. Terminal 21 and Emporium weren’t high class enough, we just had to make IconSiam. Along those lines, is the kind of tourist we’re now after. Pushing the envelope. Going all the way. Only the most premium, highest-so, highest class of tourist is good enough for Thailand. Oh yes.

 

Oh yeah, but they should just kindly look away from those crumbling, abandoned buildings. Those streets with barely a sidewalk. Avert your gaze from the elderly, disabled beggars, crawling along what sidewalks remain. Also, don’t forget about the maniac moto taxi drivers, who occasionally make use of the sidewalks, for the betterment of the nation. Remember it is a great nation, despite all that noise those protesters are making. Just ignore it. Enjoy your stay in the most ultra modern, ultra luxury 5 star hotels. But should you go out, oh yeah, you might want to watch your back. There’s those angry somtam vendors, demanding you quit staring and make a purchase. The taxis who don’t run the meter, or deliberately get lost. And the aggressive ladyboys. Aside from all that, Amazing Thailand is the ultimate ultra luxury premium high end vacation destination for only the highest end premium tourist.

The super wealthy didn't get that way by being stupid. What is Thailand offering that they can't get anywhere else they want?

So now there are no more tour busses will "supercar" parking be open again in front of MAYA Lifestyle Mall in Chiang Mai? I want to show off my new pink Lambo.

Target the unexplained unusually wealthy and the hotels will be full of generals ???? 

1 hour ago, PatOngo said:

Maybe they can lure "Boss Red Bull back to Pattaya for a weekend!

On foot preferably...

19 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The super wealthy didn't get that way by being stupid. What is Thailand offering that they can't get anywhere else they want?

Hookers that pretend they love you?

Isn't that what Thailand always offered to foreigners?

Edited September 24, 20205 yr by BritManToo

57 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

To me that implies visitors from ABROAD.

Blinded by the usual bigotry, I suppose, imagining there are no super wealthy Thais, relatively speaking. We SO hate admitting that. It doesn't matter in the slightest what it implies to you but only what it means in fact to TAT.

 

57 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

And that, in my understanding, means LOCAL tourists (i.e. Thais vacationing in their own country).

 

It seems TAT on the one hand and TCC and BoT on the other hand have been talking about TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT target groups. . . . Honestly, the comedy in this country just never ends. 

 

Got that right anyway. LOCAL. Yes, they are talking about TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS, but not COMPLETELY DIFFERENT as both groups are also LOCAL. The LOCAL--shock!--includes the local super wealthy. That was clear from the headline: "to boost local tourism."

 

The comedy on the forum just never ends, eh.

Edited September 24, 20205 yr by BigStar

I believe this very interesting development may tie into their plans to "target the super wealthy" and, actually, it all starts to make a little more sense.

Still inimitably ridiculous, as Thai government ideas always are, but they've got the germ of something here.

I came across this elsewhere but believe the forum rules do not allow us to link to this particular major source of Thai news, so, here is the relevant extract:
 

Quote

Thailand Elite Card plans to add work permit privileges for members who invest US$1 million in Thailand, with the end of visa amnesty pushing member applications to a record high in August and September.
 

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the adjusted privileges have to pass cabinet approval first, but the scheme should draw more investment to the country.

The privilege for the work permit will only be granted to the top tier categories, which cost 1-2 million baht. These members must have a minimum investment of US$1 million within one year.

Investment types are the member's choice, but the government would like to focus on property investment, which has been battered by the crisis.

Members would have to follow related agency regulations on foreign investment.

The additional privilege will automatically end if they do not possess or have any investment in Thailand.

Mr Yuthasak said this scheme is a bit different from the Board of Investment's scope that focuses on investors who already have a project proposal. Thailand Elite Card targets tourists with high purchasing power who would like to seek more opportunities in Thailand.

Somchai Soongswang, president of Thailand Privilege Card (TPC), the operator of Thailand Elite Card, said the company has 11,000 members globally.

But the number of applications in August and September spiked from a monthly average of 300 to 500 as the deadline for tourist visa renewal approached.

According to the Immigration Bureau, more than 150,000 foreign nationals need to have their tourist visas renewed by Sept 26 or face fines for overstay.

Mr Somchai said not all applicants are granted membership, as they have to pass the screening process at the Immigration Bureau and in some cases national intelligence agencies in their origin countries.

The process normally takes 15-45 days and TPC granted membership to only 200 applicants per month in August and September. TPC approved 100 memberships per month before the pandemic.

He said of the nine membership tiers, the best seller is the Elite Easy Access worth 500,000 baht, with a renewable five-year multiple entry visa. These cardholders make up 47% of the total, followed by Lifetime membership (22%), Elite Superiority Extension with 20-year membership (14%) and Elite Family Excursion (9.6%).

Mr Somchai said the company may close the 2020 fiscal year on Sept 30 with a cumulative loss of 300-320 million baht, less than the 519 million baht loss from the same period last year.

 

Edited September 24, 20205 yr by donnacha

Make line TAT! That one maybe get good service!

 

There was yet another boneheaded proposal that I haven't seen in TVF: For those in Thailand Elite, invest 1M$ and get the whopping benefit of getting a work permit. Yeah, sure.

 

I think they should switch to better quality of weed.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

TAT turning to the "super wealthy" to boost domestic tourism

Just in time for the Pollution-Apocalypse of November to April.  Im sure the wealth tourists travel to suck up some burn forest and field. 

Not sure if the super wealthy wanna go to a dump.

38 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Hookers that pretend they love you?

Isn't that what Thailand always offered to foreigners?

Super wealthy don't go for this Thai hooker quality.

 

Eastern European ones will call you "darling" all day long as long as you buy them shoes.

 

It's just the pricing is different, but that is not a concern for this demographic.

I believe that post-Covid taxes, all over the world, are the key to all this.

Over the next year or so, a lot of countries are going to be in serious economic trouble. As they turn the screws on their tax-payers, a lot of people will seek an exit.
 

We are used to people from China doing this but I suspect that European countries, which never really bounced back from the 2008 crash, are going to be in a very difficult position. Income, property, and VAT taxes are already very high. Increasing income tax to, say, 70% is going to make people very unhappy but, after spending so much on Covid and with many sectors that will take the rest of the decade to recover, the governments won't have much choice.

So, Thailand could be positioning itself to catch hundreds of thousands of high net worth individuals escaping crazy taxes in their own countries. Digital Nomads have spent years complaining that Thailand should recognize their potential value to the economy and provide a visa that would allow you to stay here. Well, now, as the world is about to go remote, here it is!
 

A million dollars isn't so much for most people working online. At the most basic level, it is a small block of apartments that you could rent out per night and market the hell out of. There are also plenty of already active businesses for sale all over Thailand and, as the current situation worsens, it is likely that some real bargains will pop up. The main advantage, however, will be that your real business doesn't get hit by mega-taxes in your home country.

4 minutes ago, donnacha said:

I believe that post-Covid taxes, all over the world, are the key to all this.

Over the next year or so, a lot of countries are going to be in serious economic trouble. As they turn the screws on their tax-payers, a lot of people will seek an exit.
 

We are used to people from China doing this but I suspect that European countries, which never really bounced back from the 2008 crash, are going to be in a very difficult position. Income, property, and VAT taxes are already very high. Increasing income tax to, say, 70% is going to make people very unhappy but, after spending so much on Covid and with many sectors that will take the rest of the decade to recover, the governments won't have much choice.

So, Thailand could be positioning itself to catch hundreds of thousands of high net worth individuals escaping crazy taxes in their own countries. Digital Nomads have spent years complaining that Thailand should recognize their potential value to the economy and provide a visa that would allow you to stay here. Well, now, as the world is about to go remote, here it is!
 

A million dollars isn't so much for most people working online. At the most basic level, it is a small block of apartments that you could rent out per night and market the hell out of. There are also plenty of already active businesses for sale all over Thailand and, as the current situation worsens, it is likely that some real bargains will pop up. The main advantage, however, will be that your real business doesn't get hit by mega-taxes in your home country.

Taxes are one part of it. Another part is the ability to trust you can stay in the country. Thailand's flipflopping with immigration rules and difficulty in getting permanent residency will let the competitors gain an edge. Plenty of small hungry countries will offer better deals.

Edited September 24, 20205 yr by DrTuner