Happy Paradise plan to welcome tourists, encourage spending
In an attempt to boost revenues and welcome more tourists to the Phuket Sandbox and beyond, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched a “Happy Paradise” programme. The plan aims at creating activities and excitement for Sandbox travellers and has kicked off with 1,000 Happy Paradise Welcome Kits.
The program helps to invigorate not just Phuket arrivals, but also travellers to the Samui Plus scheme as well as the new 7+7 Extention programme which allows travellers after 7 days in Phuket to go to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao in the east, and select locations in Krabi and Phang Nga neighbouring Phuket.
TAT hopes the project will generate revenue for Phuket and all the other Sandbox reopening communities by encouraging travellers to get out and explore and patronise local businesses. To that end, the Happy Paradise Welcome Kits given out between August 12 and 14 at Phuket Airport included special badges that included privileges around the area they can use during their trip.
The Happy Paradise kits were chock-full of gifts and trinkets that were also distributed to SHA Plus hotels to give to their customers. The gifts include regional and cultural Thai items like rubberwood photo and phone holders made in Trang province, Toei Panan phone bags from Krabi, Pate cloth notebook covers from Phuket, and Manohra bead keychains from Phatthalung province.
Travellers who receive these gifts can also participate in a big of a scavenger hunt-style game where posting selfies at certain check-in points around Phuket showing off the Happy Paradise souvenirs with the #ThailandHappyParadise hashtag could win them additional prizes.
The plan hopes to share Thai culture with international Sandbox travellers while also encouraging them to explore the island, with the hopes that tourists will pick up some happy memories, and drop some much-needed cash into the local economies as they explore. Manora and mineral pan dance performances are also scheduled at a few hotels from August 18 to 23 to further show Thailand’s local culture.
SOURCE: TAT Newsroom
