Pheu Thai Party To Bolster Tourism By Restoring OTOP Program

[webfact]

Pheu Thai Party to Bolster Tourism by Restoring OTOP Program

The economic gurus from the Pheu Thai Party intend to revitalize the 'OTOP' project by highlighting five major products such as food and herbs, to attract more foreign tourists.

A member of the Pheu Thai Party's economic team, Phuwanida Khunphalin, unveiled that her team has forwarded a proposed economic platform to the government as part of the government's policy address to Parliament.

Regarding tourism, she stated that her party will focus on an integrative approach and collaboration with other bodies such as the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

According to this plan, the Tourism Authority of Thailand will set up OTOP stores nationwide, including at PTT gas stations, which will attract attention from both local and overseas visitors.

Goods to be promoted include food, decorative household items, textiles, souvenirs and herbs for beauty products.

The pilot project will begin in Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai provinces, before spreading to seven other provinces by the first year, and to all 77 provinces within four years.

The initiative is expected to generate two trillion baht in revenue.

-- Tan Network 2011-08-19

[whybother]

I thought the OTOP program was still going. When was it stopped?

[PoorSucker]

Great idea.

The tourist will come for 20 shops selling the same thing.

[KhunBJ]

The OTOP was never stopped ... think they want to improve and expand it ....but 2 trillion in revenue is a lot...around 30.000 per person in the kingdom...;-) maybe the journalist or editor should check his/her notes again or maybe it's a translation glitch ...;-)

[pimay11]

I thought it was still going also. There is an OTOP shop in the Khon Kaen airport and also at Suvarnabhumi. On passing through which is often I never see any customers browsing.

[thaicbr]

Another dumb idea... It obvious that Otop makes money for politicians so lets ramp up the idea.

I think in most provinces they have failed Otop schemes. In Nakhon Pathom they have a lovely structure on the Petkasem rd just passed Makro that has been empty since they built it....Otop... more like ooops.

[mca]

.but 2 trillion in revenue is a lot...around 30.000 per person in the kingdom...;-)

If they used me as an example then those figures are right on the button. dam_n you durian chips! So delicious. And so frigging expensive.

[Soutpeel]

I can just picture it now......Mr & Mrs Farang tourist sitting in their suburban home in UK/US/Europe etc looking at travel brochures trying to decide where to spend their next summer holidays..."oh look darling Thailand has OTOP...oh whats that dear ?"

"They are shops at petrol stations which sell Thai food, decorative household items, textiles, souvenirs and herbs for beauty products".........

"WOW well that convinces me...lets spend all our holiday money in Thailand then..!!!"

[beano2274]

A better idea is to advertise it more on the Internet, and get people buying it through the Net, forget the thousands of shops that will spring up and then close again after a year or two.

[Deez]

I can just picture it now......Mr & Mrs Farang tourist sitting in their suburban home in UK/US/Europe etc looking at travel brochures trying to decide where to spend their next summer holidays..."oh look darling Thailand has OTOP...oh whats that dear ?"

"They are shops at petrol stations which sell Thai food, decorative household items, textiles, souvenirs and herbs for beauty products".........

"WOW well that convinces me...lets spend all our holiday money in Thailand then..!!!"

LOL...I didnt know PTT was such a tourist draw. Great minds they got working in govt now

[ginjag]

I can just picture it now......Mr & Mrs Farang tourist sitting in their suburban home in UK/US/Europe etc looking at travel brochures trying to decide where to spend their next summer holidays..."oh look darling Thailand has OTOP...oh whats that dear ?"

"They are shops at petrol stations which sell Thai food, decorative household items, textiles, souvenirs and herbs for beauty products".........

"WOW well that convinces me...lets spend all our holiday money in Thailand then..!!!"

My sense of humour, spot on. OTOP is up and running always has been, never been dropped. The shops are a good idea but to attract tourists - or to sway the undecided ones is a JOKE. T.A.T are a laugh a minute for their ideas to get tourists---their figures of arriving tourists-- what they dont do is get together with the government=police== and put an end to the scams at tourist resorts and places of interest.

These constant sick ideas to bolster tourism........there must be a hell of a lot of backward schools here.

[whybother]

A better idea is to advertise it more on the Internet, and get people buying it through the Net, forget the thousands of shops that will spring up and then close again after a year or two.

The idea of OTOP was to help the little people.

Selling stuff over the internet will most likely be taken over by bigger business.

[Soutpeel]

The OTOP was never stopped ... think they want to improve and expand it ....but 2 trillion in revenue is a lot...around 30.000 per person in the kingdom...;-) maybe the journalist or editor should check his/her notes again or maybe it's a translation glitch ...;-)

The numbers were calculated by the same goverment official who came up with income projections from the "Thai Elite card"

[OzMick]

A better idea is to advertise it more on the Internet, and get people buying it through the Net, forget the thousands of shops that will spring up and then close again after a year or two.

The idea of OTOP was to help the little people.

Selling stuff over the internet will most likely be taken over by bigger business.

They have "little people" here too? Bejesus, and there was me thinkin' they was only in Ireland.

[Soutpeel]

A better idea is to advertise it more on the Internet, and get people buying it through the Net, forget the thousands of shops that will spring up and then close again after a year or two.

The idea of OTOP was to help the little people.

Selling stuff over the internet will most likely be taken over by bigger business.

Why should that be the new goverment has promised free wifi and internet to everyone and a free I-pad for all Children, so should be easy for the little people to get on line...

[timekeeper]

aaah OTOP

i remember the irisistable draw it created globally years ago

so many of my friends in the UK could not resist the urge to come to Thailand to view OTOP products

especially those on offer in the cultural centre of Pattaya.

many could not contain their excitement, it almost exceeded the urge to visit temples and local beauty spots

such a shame it faded away and fell out of fashion

now please remind me, where was OTOP anyway?

where exactly on walking street was it?

Edited August 19, 2011 by timekeeper

[Misterwhisper]

I thought the OTOP program was still going. When was it stopped?

I was under the same impression. Have been to several OTOP shops when traveling in the provinces over the past few months.

Anyhow, great to see another grandiose plan that is going to be put into action, because I need to mention that during my visits (more or less being dragged there by accompanying Thais), I didn't see a SINGLE foreign tourist at any of those places.

With the idea now being revived, I already can envision busloads of cash-laden foreigners flocking to PTT gas stations to stock up on wonderful products like local foods and dried herbs. Returning from a visit to Thailand without having emptied an OTOP store is like never having been to Thailand at all.

The question is: Since OTOP stores weren't particularly popular with foreign tourists in the past, why should that change all of a sudden?

[Ricardo]

I might conceivably visit an OTOP shop, and even consider buying something, if it comes with a free Thailand-Elite card !

Until then, I will regard it as a minor marketing-ploy, intended to try to sell local-products of variable-quality, to gullible domestic/international-tourists at treble the going-rate.

The idea that any foreign-tourist might come here, just because of the OTOP-scheme, shows that the new government has yet to eliminate stupidity from the civil-service, or indeed from within its own ranks.

As for the PTT link-up, I'm reminded of the short-lived eat-for-10B food-trolleys, another TRT/PPP/PTP stroke-of-genius !

[pomchop]

A better idea is to advertise it more on the Internet, and get people buying it through the Net, forget the thousands of shops that will spring up and then close again after a year or two.

The idea of OTOP was to help the little people.

Selling stuff over the internet will most likely be taken over by bigger business.

Why should that be the new goverment has promised free wifi and internet to everyone and a free I-pad for all Children, so should be easy for the little people to get on line...

Actually what the govt promised is a tablet computer to kids in grades 1 to 6....not an I pad and not for all children.

[Soutpeel]

A better idea is to advertise it more on the Internet, and get people buying it through the Net, forget the thousands of shops that will spring up and then close again after a year or two.

The idea of OTOP was to help the little people.

Selling stuff over the internet will most likely be taken over by bigger business.

Why should that be the new goverment has promised free wifi and internet to everyone and a free I-pad for all Children, so should be easy for the little people to get on line...

Actually what the govt promised is a tablet computer to kids in grades 1 to 6....not an I pad and not for all children.

Arent we a pedantic one ?.....tablet computer/ I-pad same same but different...it dont matter anyway because they are going to get them anyway....

[arrowsdawdle]

I can just picture it now......Mr & Mrs Farang tourist sitting in their suburban home in UK/US/Europe etc looking at travel brochures trying to decide where to spend their next summer holidays..."oh look darling Thailand has OTOP...oh whats that dear ?"

"They are shops at petrol stations which sell Thai food, decorative household items, textiles, souvenirs and herbs for beauty products".........

"WOW well that convinces me...lets spend all our holiday money in Thailand then..!!!"

Nice to see somebody thinking, Soutpeel. This OTOP scheme is what happens in bureacracies where people buy their degrees instead of getting educated and where they have zero business experience or skills. They make stuff up and try to be convincing or they copy what has failed before. Market research is not in the vocabulary here, but the number of the fortune teller is always handy. The idea that anybody would even consider spending airfare from Europe, N. America, or the Middle East to come shop for kitsch in a trinket store is as ludicrous as Soutpeel depicts above. Similarly, the idea of building bullet trains to spur tourism is plain crazy. When was the last time anybody spent good money to travel a dozen+ hours by air to ride a train? OK, maybe the Orient Express, but as with all trains, they don't draw tourists and they do not contribute significantly to the economy. You only ride a train because you have to.

Another post has the right idea. Put the trinkets in an online OTOP and trash the brick and mortar outlets. You never see anybody in the OTOP locations. There is plenty of warehouse space out by the DHL facility 5 minutes from Suvarnabhumi. People flying home can stop at dedicated OTOP kiosks before reaching their departure gate and order online till their heart's content, have it shipped and it will arrive a day after they do at home. People all over the world can buy the junk online.

How does PTT and tourism connect? They don't of course, because tourists rarely travel by car, oh, unless you mean locals (and the whole little country is local) going up to Isan to visit family. Locals are not tourism. Tourism is inbound arrivals from other countries. Local authorities (not) have it in their minds to convince the lay population that local travel is tourism, which of course it isn't. Why then would they spend public money promoting Thailand to Thai people? Because the authorities (not) are using tax baht to promote crony enterprises as though it were tourism.

[Gary A]

I guess that I'm the only farang who stops at them. The ones that sell dried fruit and candy have a pretty good variety of snacks for me to eat while I'm driving.

The basic idea is actually pretty good but they need some organization. Each store needs a variety of items to sell and not just a single product.

[dcutman]

The OTOP was a good idea back in the day. It just isnt that hip or edgy anymore.

I think the government ought to concentrate on ridding all the scams and criminals that take advantage of tourists. Better served I think.

Of course, I dont think there are going to be many tourist from the UK/Europe/USA any way. Recession's seem to dampen the vacation spirit. So don't waste a lot of that advert money in any of those countries.

[ballpoint]

I heard they're expanding this to OPOS, or One Province, One Scam. There was quite heated debate during the allocation process when Phuket and Chonburi both tried to claim the jetski one for themselves.

[moe666]

Require all Chinese tour buses to stop at an otop store since they are the largest group of tourist to Thailand now.

Edited August 19, 2011 by moe666

[ozzieman05]

The idea of OTOP was to help the little people.

Selling stuff over the internet will most likely be taken over by bigger business.

Why should that be the new goverment has promised free wifi and internet to everyone and a free I-pad for all Children, so should be easy for the little people to get on line...

Actually what the govt promised is a tablet computer to kids in grades 1 to 6....not an I pad and not for all children.

Arent we a pedantic one ?.....tablet computer/ I-pad same same but different...it dont matter anyway because they are going to get them anyway....

Saying an iPad and a PC Tablet are the same things

ha ha

Sorry Not an intelligent thing to say

[Soutpeel]

I guess that I'm the only farang who stops at them. The ones that sell dried fruit and candy have a pretty good variety of snacks for me to eat while I'm driving.

The basic idea is actually pretty good but they need some organization. Each store needs a variety of items to sell and not just a single product.

But your not a tourist are you ?.....also if the shop sold a variety of items its would kinda defeat the marketing strategy wouldnt it "OTOP"......and it stead of of being an OTOP shop we could just as easily call it 7/11 or Tesco's

[zydeco]

I can just picture it now......Mr & Mrs Farang tourist sitting in their suburban home in UK/US/Europe etc looking at travel brochures trying to decide where to spend their next summer holidays..."oh look darling Thailand has OTOP...oh whats that dear ?"

"They are shops at petrol stations which sell Thai food, decorative household items, textiles, souvenirs and herbs for beauty products".........

"WOW well that convinces me...lets spend all our holiday money in Thailand then..!!!"

If they want a real and effective improvement to attract more Western tourists, then they ought think about the other end of the equation, so to speak, and make sure that all these service stations have adequate amounts of toilet paper and think about making paper hand towels available. The magic and wonders of the squat toilet is is something nearly every Westerner I know seeks to avoid.

[geriatrickid]

If they want a real and effective improvement to attract more Western tourists, then they ought think about the other end of the equation, so to speak, and make sure that all these service stations have adequate amounts of toilet paper and think about making paper hand towels available. The magic and wonders of the squat toilet is is something nearly every Westerner I know seeks to avoid.

In your madness is brilliance. Clean toilets with sinks & soap dispenser with soap, a hand dryer, and toilet tissue that doesn't disintegrate , Every tourist from the developed world keeps an eye open for one. Set up these relief facilities adjacent to or in the OTOP stores and you'll have traffic. I have given up on finding a washroom where I can wash my hands. If one is able to hold his breath, they can be used to take a wiz. I feel sorry for women as who wants to use one of those stalls. OTOP and clean washrooms: An idea who's time has come!

Edited August 20, 2011 by geriatrickid

[Valentine]

Arent we a pedantic one ?.....tablet computer/ I-pad same same but different...it dont matter anyway because they are going to get them anyway....

I would say there is a vast difference between an iPad & a cheap Chinese tablet which is what the kids will get.

Perhaps if OTOP were to recruit some coyote dancers to peddle their wares they might attract some tourists & locals alike. There must be some good OTOP products which need to be identified & then a professional marketing promotion put in place with a view to export. Overseas & domestic tourists are not going to travel around Thailand because of OTOP. Getting rid of scams, making it safer, keeping a clean environment will help attract more tourists.