BANGKOK (NNT) – Campaigns to stimulate the domestic economy and tourism were launched today – Monday (Nov 11). They follow the government’s Chim, Shop, Chai (Taste, Shop, Use) campaign which has been very well received by the general public. The campaign has put tens of billions of baht into the economy.
Meanwhile. the government has launched the second phase of the Chim, Shop, Chai campaign to further stimulate the Thai economy in the final months of the year, while the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has introduced the “Time to Tour Thailand” project, which has two campaigns to boost tourism spending. They are “Travel Thailand with 100 Baht’’ and “Shocking Prices on Weekdays”
The “Travel Thailand with 100 Baht’’ campaign covers five product categories: accommodation, airlines, spa services, entertainment venues and tour packages. The campaign offers 40,000 products and services at the price of 100 baht each. People can register with the campaign on November 11 and 12 and December 11 and 12, at www.tourismthailand.org or www.ร้อยเดียวเที่ยวทั่วไทย.com, from 6 a.m. to midnight. The quota is capped at 10,000 applicants per day. Today, the first day of registration, the 10,000-member quota was reached at 6:32 a.m.
The “Shocking Prices on Weekdays”campaign offers products and services compliant with international standards at prices discounted by up to 80%. The campaign covers nine product categories. They are accommodation, airline travel, shopping malls, spa services, hospitals, restaurants, jewelry stores, amusement parks and tourism services. People can register with the campaign at www.tourismthailand.org or www.ร้อยเดียวเที่ยวทั่วไทย.com until December 31 this year. After registration, applicants are required to select one of the nine categories and they will receive a coupon. Their privileges will be revoked, if they fail to use the coupon within five days as required.
The “Time to Tour Thailand” project is intended to encourage people with spending power to spend money on travel experiences, such as accommodation and spa services, by the end of the year. The project is expected to inject 400 million baht into the economy and raise tourism revenue to 3.1 trillion baht this year.
Although China and the US reached a preliminary trade agreement on October 10-11, 2019, the ongoing trade war should still drag on, pressuring export growth throughout the remainder of the year. Hence, EIC maintains its -2.5% export growth forecast for 2019.
As for 2020, various factors will continue to suppress export growth, for example, sluggish key trade partners’ economic growth, ongoing and prolonged trade war, and the strong baht. Therefore, EIC views that in 2020, export growth should slightly increase by 0.2%.
Key points
The value of Thai exports (in USD basis) fell by -1.4%YOY in September 2019, however, if excluding gold, the figure dropped to -2.8%YOY.
During the first 9 months of 2019, the value of exports (excluding military arms and weapons shipment in February) shrank by -3.1%YOY, and if excluding gold the figure declined to -5.0%YOY.
The export contraction slowed, supported by automotive exports low-base during the same period in the prior year, in addition to continued high growth in gold exports
September 2019 was the first month that the US’ import tariff increment on Chinese imports equivalent to 15% took effect, which impacted a new spectrum of Chinese consumer goods worth USD 104 billion and stalled global trade figures. However, Thai export growth fell at slower rate due to low-base of automotive exports (5.4%YOY in September 2019 vs -7.5%YOY in September 2018). Furthermore, Thai export growth was supported by satisfactory growth in gold exports from increasing gold prices (110.6%YOY in September 2019 vs -78.7%YOY in September 2018).
Products that were part of China’s supply chain for exports…
London –The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is leading a contingent of 42 exhibitors at the World Travel Market 2019, one of the world’s leading travel trade shows, which is being held in London, during 4-6 November, 2019. Of those, a total of 27 are first-timers, mostly exclusive boutique properties, villas and tour operators specialising in niche markets.
Exhibiting at the WTM for 39 consecutive years, the Thailand presence includes 31 hotel and resorts, five tour operators, five other tourism-related agencies, and one health and wellness company. The line-up of first timers includes 20 hotels and resorts from Bangkok and beach destinations nationwide.
Other specialist exhibitors include the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Co., Ltd., the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat Co., Ltd., Chiang Mai Night Safari and the Thai Elephant Alliance Association (TEAA).
H.E. Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Tourism and Sports, officially opened the Thailand Pavilion at the WTM 2019
The Thai pavilion has been designed in line with the concept of “Open to the New Shades of Thailand” under the campaign “Amazing Thailand”. Visitors can enjoy various cultural activities and live demonstrations of art and culture, including displays of Thai textiles, fabric, arts and crafts by the Queen Sirikit Institute, set up to recognise and celebrate the wonderful work being done under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother.
The pavilion highlights many creative and innovative products and services of high potential tourist attractions in emerging cities of Thailand that are well suited to the travel behaviour and preferences of UK and European visitors, especially repeat visitors seeking to learn more about the ways of life in local communities.
The lotus pink colour of the pavilion reflects the natural beauty of destinations; such as, Thale Noi Waterfowl Reserve in Phatthalung, Red Lotus Lake in Udon Thani. etc. The entire pavilion has a very strong environmental focus in line with TAT’s policy to align the future of tourism with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
It is made entirely of recyclable and non-polluting materials. All the wood is from renewable sources. All the waste generated in the pavilion is to be deposited in separate disposal bins. And all visitors and the Thai delegation members are requested not to use plastic containers for food and beverages.
The Thai tourism information counter is open all through the show providing news and updated information about Thailand’s tourism attractions in the primary and emerging cities.
The Responsible Thailand Awards 2019 are to be presented at the World Travel Market (WTM) on 4 November in a ceremony presided over by the Minister of Tourism and Sports, H.E. Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.
Organised by TAT in cooperation with the UK publishing company Wanderlust Travel Media, the Awards “recognise and celebrate organisations have made an outstanding contribution to sustainable tourism developments, help protect the country whilst engaging and educating tourists on local environmental issues.”
Four Thai hotels and resorts, an elephant sanctuary and a non-governmental organisation promoting community-based tourism are to be conferred the Responsible Thailand Awards 2019 in recognition of their commitment to sustainable and responsible tourism.
Exhibitors at the Thai Pavilion
TAT’s market research for the UK indicates a rise in demand for Responsible Tourism and wellness holidays. TAT is also working with local tour operators on specific marketing campaigns designed to target both these markets.
Because Thailand is already a well-established destination amongst UK travellers, it is important to showcase Thailand’s secondary cities, and new products to the UK consumer. As such, there is a rising interest in destinations; such as, Ko Lipe, Khao Sok and Chiang Rai.
One new market segment for the 2019-2020 financial year is the EATHAI VISITHAI segment. This is a group of people that classify themselves as ‘foodies’. They enjoy trying different cuisines around the world, and the main attraction in Thailand is the different food experiences, ranging from food carts and street vendors, to the locals-only (gastro) pubs, dramatic wineries, or one-of-a-kind restaurants.
In 2018, European visitors were up 3.86% to 6.76 million, generating an estimated 501 billion Baht. Russia retained its status as the largest source market from Europe with arrivals of 1.47 million. The United Kingdom was the second highest source market with a total of 987,000 followed by Germany 889,000, and France 749,000. Visitors also grew from East Europe (+9%).
In January-September 2019, Thailand recorded 4,698,239 European visitors, generating an estimated 324.758 billion Baht. This year, TAT has set a growth target of 11.53% in tourism revenue from the European market.
The United Kingdom is now Thailand’s second largest market out of Europe. Thailand welcomed more than 719,599 UK visitors during January – September 2019.
In 2018, UK visitors had an average length of stay 17.71 days per person per visit, well above the 9.2 day average of all visitors to Thailand. In the same period, UK visitors had an average daily expenditure of 4,286 Baht. This generated a total of about 72.458 billion Baht in foreign exchange revenue.
DA LAT, 8 November 2019 – A 2-day inception workshop to plan for the comparative study on laws and policies on the management of migrant workers in the ASEAN region was concluded today in Da Lat, Viet Nam.
Focal points of the Senior Labour Officials Meeting’s Working Group on Progressive Labour Practices to Enhance the Competitiveness of ASEAN (SLOM-WG) and Chairs of the eight ASEAN Committees in charge of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangements participated in the workshop. Participants discussed their respective country’s regulatory and policy challenges, ASEAN frameworks related to labour mobility, as well as opportunities to better manage labour mobility within ASEAN.
The comparative study is a project planned in the SLOM-WG Work Plan 2016-2020 under the coordination of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of Viet Nam with the support of the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI) and the ASEAN Secretariat.
The study will explore the barriers to mobility of migrant workers within the ASEAN region and develop strategies to gradually overcome these hurdles. All skill levels and occupations including those under the eight ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangements will be covered by the comparative study, which will also include recommended actions for improvement. During the workshop, ASEAN Member States’ policymakers provided feedback on the objectives, methodology, outline and direction of the study.
The comparative study will also look into the experiences and practices of the European Union (EU) in managing labour migration. The EU’s labour mobility governance has positively impacted the social and economic growth of both sending and receiving countries, and contributes to regional development.
Mobility of migrant workers in ASEAN is high. According to the projection of International Labour Organisation, there were nearly 7 million ASEAN migrant workers in the region between 1990 – 2015 and this number has now grown significantly. Migrant workers contribute to the economies of ASEAN Member States individually and the ASEAN Community as a whole.
The outcomes of this comparative study are therefore expected to provide useful guidance to ASEAN in governing the mobility of migrant workers in accordance with the ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers that was signed by the ASEAN Heads of State in 2017.
KANCHANABURI(NNT) – An anti-drought water resource development project in five districts of Kanchanaburi province will be submitted to a roving cabinet meeting in the province scheduled for November 12.
Kanchanaburi province’s geography is mostly fertile but its northeastern part is all hills and valleys. The province has nearly 1.7 million rai of farmland which requires 1.29 billion cubic meters of water but only 105 million cubic meters of water is available.
The Royal Irrigation Department has conducted a study on the transfer of water from Sri Nakharin dam to solve persistent drought problems. The solution will be submitted to the roving cabinet meeting on November 12 in an effort to eliminate recurring droughts in the five districts of Kanchanaburi. If approved, along with a budget, nine water resources, consisting of eight weirs and a reservoir, will be built within a one-year time frame. About 4,800 rai of land and 915 households will then be provided with water for farming and consumption.
Though the Mae Klong River, covering the western region of Thailand, has never run dry, the five districts of Kanchanaburi are faced with persistent drought and are called ’’Isaan of Kanchanaburi,’’ becuase Isaan or the northeast of Thailand is the region that has always faced the most severe droughts in Thailand. The roving cabinet meeting in Kanchanaburi is expected to provide the budget to resolve the matter.
BANGKOK (NNT) – The Department of Trade Negotiation (DTN) has announced success in advancing the world’s biggest Free Trade Agreement despite hiccups, while urging businesses to prepare for greater competition.
With the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal underway for signing next year, and introduction soon after, DTN Director-General Auramon Supthaweethum today urged all entrepreneurs to look at the situation as both an opportunity and a threat.
Businesses especially SMEs must step up innovation and use of technology to add value to their products, as the country has been promoting the Industry 4.0 and 4IRs initiatives, to increase their competitiveness and product value to be able to compete with incoming products and services from foreign countries.
The RCEP pact comprises all countries in ASEAN as well as China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and despite being without India, the agreement will still be the world’s biggest business FTA with a combined population of 2.2 billion (30% of the world’s population), contributing 28.96% of the world’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) or 24.5 trillion USD. Thailand currently generates 141 billion USDs exporting products to RCEP members or 55.79% of the country’s exports.
According to the Director-General, once the RCEP deal comes into effect, Thai entrepreneurs will able to invest more in a wide range of countries as listed in the pact, while businesses in the fields of construction, retail, and health, along with production houses and entertainment would most likely do well and contribute to the region as these are areas in which the country has been excelling. Meanwhile, the country will also benefit from in coming businesses especially in the fields of machinery, electronic parts, plastics and chemicals, tires and car parts, fibre, textiles and fashion, Cassava flour related products and paper.
ASEAN leaders and dialogue partners during the ASEAN Summit organized at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, on November 3-4, 2019, resolved to conclude the text negotiations of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal, as well as the market access negotiations, despite uncertainty about India’s participation. The official overseers of the 15 participating countries will now proceed with the legal scrubbing of the deal to allow the whole package of agreements to be ready for signing in 2020.
BANGKOK(NNT) – Due to the lower-than-expected performance of the economy, slowdowns in the export sector affected by trade wars, which pose consequences for domestic employment and consumption, the Monetary Policy Committee have agreed to reduce the policy rate by 0.25 percent to 1.25 percent to help boost the economy.
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has agreed by 5 to 2 votes to lower the country’s policy rate by 0.25 percent, to the lowest rate in recent history. The decision was made due to lower than expected economic growth and a struggling export sector, which affect domestic employment and demand. These factors have prompted the MPC to review and amend economic projections at their December meeting.
The committee says its decision to reduce the policy rate, effective immediately, is a more relaxed monetary policy which will help promote economic expansion and push the inflation rate to reach the target. The committee will be following up on the outcomes of the government’s economic stimulation measures and expenditures, investments in key infrastructure projects and their continued effects on private investments.
Thailand’s export sector is also suffering from an appreciating Thai Baht currency, which is the strongest compared to other currencies in the region. The Bank of Thailand has today announced amendments in capital transfer regulations to allow more outgoing cash flow, relieving pressure on the currency.
The new regulations will be effective tomorrow (8 November 2019). They will allow exporters generating less than 200,000 US dollar per single export permit to deposit their money abroad for an unlimited period, allow individual investors to invest in foreign assets by themselves at up to 200,000 US dollar per year, allow more outgoing international money transfers, except for a few restricted categories, allow transfers for foreign real estate purchases at up to 50 million US dollar per year, waive documentation requirements for international transfers up to 200,000 US dollars per transaction, and allow Thai clients investing in gold with authorized brokers to make purchases using foreign currencies.
CHIANG RAI(NNT) – The issue of land ownership is still affecting a number of villagers, including those living in national parks and the northern region. The Deputy Interior Minister, Nipon Boonyamanee yesterday visited Chiang Rai to attend an event to celebrate World Habitat Day and carry out land development projects in the northern province.
The Deputy Interior Minister presided over the opening of an event to celebrate World Habitat Day at the International Convention and Exhibition Center in Chiang Rai. The event was held to raise public awareness about land ownership and the quality of life of low-income earners. The government, the private sector and communities in Chiang Rai have set up a fund to support low-income earners facing land ownership problems. Previously, a network of community organizations in the northern region collaborated with relevant agencies at the provincial level to survey areas, known to have land ownership problems. The study will be used to support the Community Organizations Development Institute’s low-cost Baan Mankong and Sufficiency housing projects.
The United Nations (UN) designated the first Monday of October of every year World Habitat Day, to reflect on the state of people’s towns and cities and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter.
