BANGKOK, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Ministry of Finance is set to roll out an incentive scheme to encourage Thai people to travel and spend domestically in a bid to revive the tourism industry and spur the economy hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
CCSA assistant spokesperson Dr. Pannapha Yongtrakul said on Tuesday that the incentives could be in the form of a coupon estimated at 3,000 baht (95 U.S. dollars) or cash starting in July, a month with several public holidays scheduled.
People receiving the cash or coupons can spend them during the long holidays to promote local tourism businesses, Pannapha said.
She also said that tourism operators such as hotels and food shops must participate in this scheme as well by offering special discounts on room rates and food prices.
Thailand, since the beginning of June, had relaxed many tourism-related businesses while other venue operators must wait and continue to follow guidelines issued by the Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said in the latest release.
In a recent interview with the media, Tourism Authority Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said his organization is working actively with many tourism partners and other industry partners to monitor and identify opportunities.
"TAT has formulated a strategy to support domestic tourism first and learn from experience, so that Thai tourists feel confident about their first travel choices around Thailand after the situation of the COVID-19 eases," the governor said.
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