A package of measures to stimulate domestic demand
The Thai government is actively developing a large-scale program to strengthen the national economy and tourism sector. One of the key areas is to increase domestic consumption among the country's citizens and foreign tourists.
To stimulate spending, it is proposed to introduce a range of tax and financial incentives for the purchase of certain categories of goods. These may include perfumes, cosmetics, clothing, footwear, accessories, and jewelry made in Thailand. It is planned to pay special attention to the promotion of local brands to increase their recognizability both among tourists and within the country.
Another option is to reduce excise taxes, which will make a whole range of goods and services more attractive in price. This applies to tourism and entertainment facilities as well as a wide range of consumer categories.
Restrictions on duty-free stores
Another proposal involves the introduction of significant restrictions on the operation of duty free stores (duty free) at airports, seaports and land border crossing points. The main goal is to encourage tourists to actively shop while inside Thailand, not just when they arrive in the country.
According to the plan, duty-free stores will remain only in airport departure areas and other points of exit abroad. At the same time, it is proposed to replace some shelves with imported goods with local products in order to increase their recognizability.
Expansion of entertainment and leisure infrastructure
Another of the key directions is the scaling up of tourist entertainment infrastructure, especially in the evening and night time. In particular, we are talking about increasing the opening hours of bars, restaurants, nightclubs, karaoke, as well as stores in popular tourist areas of Bangkok and resort areas of Pattaya, Phuket, Krabi.
It is expected that this will significantly increase tourist spending due to longer dwell time in recreational areas.
Author of the article: Ekaterina Antonova
