With Bitcoin soaring to record highs, Thailand’s Tourism Authority said it will target cryptocurrency spenders to visit the country this year.
TAT Gov. Yuthasak Supasorn said Feb. 19 the agency met with the Technology Promotion Association of Thailand & Japan to bring Japanese tourists holding digital assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum to visit Thailand because Japan leads the world in the percentage of the population holding cryptocurrencies at 11 percent.
Those people are a new generation with high purchasing power, so they fit the “quality tourist’ category TAT is targeting.
“Many restaurants and hotels in Japan accept cryptocurrency for buying goods. For example, a ramen shop in Japan takes only cryptocurrency. Now, as cryptocurrency continuously increases, the shop can gain high profits from exchanging Japanese yen. If Thailand can open for cryptocurrency, we will be the first country of the world able to accept cryptocurrency for staying in hotels and touring. The billionaire, Elon Musk may look at Thailand and may want to visit after the Covid-19 pandemic,” Yuthasak said.
The TAT governor said that to be in accordance with National Economics and Social Development Council strategies focusing on catching “big fish” to attract quality tourists, TAT will quickly have to create a feasibility study and confer with hotel and restaurant enterprises and the Bank of Thailand for the possibility of tourists holding cryptocurrency visiting Thailand.
Yuthasak said Pipat Ratchakitprakan, minister of Tourism and Sports, has revised down the number of tourists expected to visit Thailand in 2021 due to the latest outbreak.
The ministry now forecasts 8 million visitors this year and 428 billion baht in tourism revenue, down from 10 million tourists and a half-billion baht.
TAT Deputy Gov. Siripakorn Cheawsamoot said the agency also has stepped up targeting golfers, particularly for the newly begun “golf quarantine” packages.
In charge of Europe, Africa, Middle East and American markets, Siripakorn said TAT’s Seoul office arranged 41 South Korean golfers to play golf during quarantine at Artitaya Golf and Resort in Nakhon Nayok. So far, six golf resorts have signed up for the program.
