Thailand
ADT eyes rejig of ‘Tour Teaw Thai’ rules
The Association of Domestic Travel (ADT) urges the government to ease some rules in the new “Tour Teaw Thai” tour package subsidy to attract more operators and boost domestic trips.
Tour operators have voiced concerns over complicated procedures to enrol in the package and provide services, leading to hesitation about participation, said ADT president Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn.
Tour Teaw Thai subsidises 40% of tour packages priced up to 5,000 baht with a quota of 1 million packages, commencing on Oct 15 and running until Jan 29, 2022.
He said the process of facial scan verification, which requires operators to scan tourists’ faces during the first day, should be conducted when reaching the destination rather that at airports since tourists already have their boarding pass as a form of evidence.
This adjustment would means tour operators wouldn’t have to send employees to different airports to conduct facial scans, while tourists — particularly small groups — wouldn’t have to bear the additional cost.
He said operators would also like the programme to allow a monthly price adjustment as operational costs could fluctuate from time to time, such as the fuel price or food prices which normally increase during high season.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, 436 tour operators have registered to take part in this programme, while 125 tour packages have been submitted for verification.
“Without more simplified procedures, this stimulus will not be able to attract 1 million people or generate sufficient demand in the last three months because locals prefer an easier way to travel,” Mr Thanapol said.
From January to August, locals made 25.9 million domestic trips, a decrease of 42.7% year-on-year, while tourism receipts plunged 54.9% to 127 billion baht year-on-year.
Meanwhile, the additional 2 mil- lion room nights under “We Travel Together”, a hotel and airfare subsidy scheme, will also resume on Oct 15.
The number of Thais and hoteliers who registered for the scheme stood at 436,813 people and 847 hotels, respectively.
Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association, said most local tourists chose Phuket during the previous phases of this programme, followed by Chon Buri, Chiang Mai and Krabi.
However, strict travel restrictions which require proof of vaccination and a negative test result might deter tourists from visiting other destinations instead.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2190455/adt-eyes-rejig-of-tour-teaw-thai-rules