Minister Kobkarn hopes Pokemon Go will save Thailand's tourism industry

[webfact]

Minister hopes Pokemon Go will save Thailand's tourism industry

 

Image: Sanook

 

BANGKOK: -- The Thai tourism minister is promoting Pokémon Go to increase tourism confidence in the wake of last week's bombs.

 

Kobkarn Wattanawarangun has come up with the idea of a booklet for master Pokémon players - it will tell them how to excel at the game and where to find the best places to play, reported Sanook.

 

Not only this - Kobkarn is talking to the game makers in Japan to increase the numbers of rare Pokémon as well as Pokestops and gyms used for playing the game. 

 

She wants to see the cartoon characters inhabit tourist areas and appropriate places.

 

Maps and information called "Infographic" have been produced to inspire the tourists and help them forget all about the outrages of last Thursday and Friday in Hua Hin and other southern towns.

 

It is all part of an "Expat for Fun" initiative encouraging visitors to seek out Thai culture, shopping, tours and various food festivals.

 

Source: Sanook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-08-17

[rkidlad]

#tourismsaved

 

not good to be this reliant on tourism. 

[Sphere]

Quote

She wants to see the cartoon characters inhabit tourist areas and appropriate places.

 

I'm pretty sure, I already seen Hello Kitty in Nana.....

 

[Thailand]

I literally just spilt my coffee! 

[shirtless]

It amazes me they could have such poor politicians, fix the issues would be a good start

[JAG]

Desperation setting in?

[NongKhaiKid]

Words Fail   !

About time the people in white lab coats carrying a huge butterfly net came for this lady.

[Eligius]

How pathetic! If a peanut had a brain, it would be bigger than hers!

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

OMG

[Pattaya28]

Where shall we go on holiday ?

 

Ahh Thailand has a booklet for master Pokémon players.

 

Yes. Let's go there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

49 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

 

[huanga]

To save tourism industry - get this minister out of the office would be a first step in the right direction. Concrete plan with bold points on steps necessary (more lax visa rules, better infrastructure, harsh penalty for scams/cheats, etc) to attract tourists, and not marketing propaganda (inviting only the rich, clamp-down on the red light district and now the Pokémon)

 

Hot air and nothing will get done except for her probably going to temple everyday and asking the Oh Mighty Buddha to realize some achievement for her for doing absolutely nada to improve the tourism.   

 

[NongKhaiKid]

Imagine somewhere in the world people are planning a holiday and preferably they're the much vaunted quality tourists with cash to flash.

They could go to any of the world's great cities with sights,   history and the highest of high end shopping or to countries with the most pristine of beaches.

NO,  they'll come to LoS to chase Pokemon because despite having it in their own country this is Thai Pokemon so it must be special   !

[Somtamnication]

Like Democracy GO! Impossible to catch all of it. 

[Borzandy]

Sure. because it's well known Pokemon Go was invented by Thais.

[bartender100]

They really don't have a clue, do they?

[PatOngo]

Innovative idea!.......the three Pikachus she has found equal her IQ. Can't wait for the book!

[Inn Between]

I swear there's some weird contest going on in the junta gov't to see who can say the most ridiculously outrageous thing. She may have just taken the lead.

[AlphMichaels]

This is just too funny!!

[Pattaya28]

And just a  week ago there was talk of "Banning" Pokemon Go in Thailand.

[Crossy]

But I thought it was going to be banned (IMHO it ought to be).

 

Just what's needed, hoards of tourists (of a certain nationality), who seem to have zero spacial awareness anyway, wandering around with their heads in their phones.

 

EDIT Great minds think alike P28

[konfuzed]

If she's talking to a company in Japan, then she's looking the wrong way.  Niantic, the makers of the game, are a Californian company.  

 

Way at to save Thailand!!!

[NongKhaiKid]

4 minutes ago, Inn Between said:

I swear there's some weird contest going on in the junta gov't to see who can say the most ridiculously outrageous thing. She may have just taken the lead.

As a commentator might say   "  they're turning into the home straight and no one's going to catch her !  "

[Colabamumbai]

Ghosts don't work, let's try Pokemon.

[Brer Fox]

This new tourism promotion gimmick is almost but not quite as innovative as her earlier tourism promo brainchild that being to eliminate prostitution in Thailand.

[LennyW]

[yellowboat]

4 minutes ago, Crossy said:

But I thought it was going to be banned (IMHO it ought to be).

 

Just what's needed, hoards of tourists (of a certain nationality), who seem to have zero spacial awareness anyway, wandering around with their heads in their phones.

 

EDIT Great minds think alike P28

Yeah,  I was just looking for the link:   http://tech.thaivisa.com/thai-government-threatens-to-ban-pokemon-go/16757/

 

Interesting how the current military lead government can change their mind so fast.  The only way to change Thailand, it seems, is from the outside. 

[huanga]

Pokémon Go in Thailand will probably go like this - catch, jump, catch.....oh crap, it's an actual bomb. Pokemon Go-to-pieces

[PatOngo]

And the next big attraction!......Come and see wayward hoon street racers and fighting tech college students...the possibilities are endless!

[canuckamuck]

 

To the makers of Pokemon. Please put more Pokemon at all of the recent bomb locations  in Thailand. We would like to attract more people to these locations. 

 

[Misterwhisper]

Perhaps Thailand should develop its own version of that wretched game, because they surely do have very strange creatures popping up everywhere all the time - including Kobkarn.