Tourism minister's cash to tourists plan recalls predecessors' mocked ideas and failings

[webfact]

Tourism minister's cash to tourists plan recalls predecessors' mocked ideas and failings

 

Thai caption: Eat shop spend - more deliberations needed

Picture: TNN

 

Tourism minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan's plan to hand out millions of baht to tourists in spending vouchers to boost tourism has come in for huge criticism.

 

But it is only the latest idea to come from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports that has been ridiculed. 

 

Several years ago then tourism supremo Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul - now chairwoman of a development agency - suggested that the sex trade in Thailand should be shut down so that more people would come, especially to "sex towns" like Pattaya. 

 

This was followed by the idea that promoting the hunt for Pokemon Go characters was the way to attract visitors. 

 

Then the idea was mooted to promote unusual foods - Durian flavored Kit-Kat chocolate bars was widely mocked.

 

These proved to be the final straw for PM Prayut Chan-ocha who sacked Kobkarn after her short tenure at the helm and replaced her with Harvard graduate Weerasak Kowsurat.

 

His tenure was marked by the Phoenix boat tragedy in Phuket that killed more than three dozen Chinese tourists. Predecessor Kobkarn had vowed to make Thailand safer and Weerasak - a former chairman of the much maligned Tourism Authority of Thailand - hoped to improve on her record. 

 

Weerasak was also removed and replaced with Pipat who along with his wife are among the richest members of parliament with declared assets running into billions of baht each. 

 

One of Pipat's early gaffes was to suggest in program notes at a sporting event that Thailand  was "completely safe" for tourists. 

 

Many point to dangers on the roads and street crime in tourist resorts such as Pattaya as rendering such statements as wide of the mark and out of step with reality, notes Thaivisa. 

 

TNN reported that  to Pipat's plan to hand out "free money" in the form of vouchers to tourists was not yet totally rejected by the Finance Ministry. 

 

Finance Minister Uttama Savanayan said he needed more details and more discussion was needed before coming to any conclusions about the plan. 

 

He mentioned that his ministry has already proposed tax breaks.

 

His diplomatic remarks were not consistent with reaction from many other quarters with the handout plan widely slammed. 

 

"Eat (or try), Shop, Spend" was a popular scheme that involved handing out 1,000 baht to Thais in a bid to boost domestic spending last year. 

 

But expanding the idea to the tourism sector idea, hoping that it would actually mean more tourists would come to Thailand, has faced much criticism.

 

Source: TNN

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-01-27

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[RotBenz8888]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

Several years ago then tourism supremo Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul - now chairwoman of a development agency - suggested that the sex trade in Thailand should be shut down so that more people would come, especially to "sex towns" like Pattaya. 

If that had been implemented, Pattaya would have been dead and buried now.

[Creasy]

Incompetent, stumbling bumbling and very rich fools running Thailand 

[Beggar]

I am waiting for the day that we here on retirement visas will get paid for not leaving ????

[HOAX]

What a ridiculous idea. Why not spend those millions somewhere it is actually needed.

 

What you could do instead to attract more foreigners is to lower the Baht to increase more tourists and begin changing laws to a fair and equal opportunities for foreign investors as well as foreigners who live in the country, whether it is pensioners or younger people who wants to build a life here.

[Beggar]

20 minutes ago, RotBenz8888 said:

If that had been implemented, Pattaya would have been dead and buried now.

I think Pattaya's sex business might be history anyway sooner or later. The sex tourists I know look for their service staff in shopping malls or on the Beach Road or online on the internet. They don't want to pay barfines. And I also think this seedy image of Pattaya keeps many not sex tourists away. There are many alternatives in the meantime where you don't have sex and bar noise at every corner. 

[SteveK]

25 minutes ago, HOAX said:

to attract more foreigners is to lower the Baht to increase more tourists 

I think everyone knows that, but remember the top bods have billions in the bank, it even mentions it in this article. Hence they would rather come up with laughable ideas like durian Kit Kats, Pokemon Go, and vouchers at the airport instead of focusing on something that would affect their personal wealth.

 

Also, a lot of tourists only visited Pattaya for the sex trade, it's not exactly the cleanest, nicest destination for a holiday. Why would someone think that removing a city's main draw would increase tourism? Surely it would do the exact opposite?

 

It's a bit like suggesting removing gambling from Las Vegas to increase the number of tourists because gambling may have been putting people off coming. Ridiculous.

Edited January 27, 2020 by SteveK

[kidneyw]

Something to chew on, "Durian chewing gum!"

[yokat]

Maybe they are so exposed to corruption that they think a small cash donation can solve any problem

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, HOAX said:

What a ridiculous idea. Why not spend those millions somewhere it is actually needed.

 

What you could do instead to attract more foreigners is to lower the Baht to increase more tourists and begin changing laws to a fair and equal opportunities for foreign investors as well as foreigners who live in the country, whether it is pensioners or younger people who wants to build a life here.

You forget that Thailand does not want foreign people living here, they want you to visit, "eat-shop-spend- and sod-off" to allow the next batch to come in.

And it's not embarrassed to say that's the way it is!

[Andycoops]

Suggest he uses some if his own dosh to finance the scheme!