Half-Price and Travel Together campaigns encourage spending
With the holidays coming up, it is highly recommended to take advantage of the ‘Travel Together’ campaign available to both Thai citizens and residents. Intending to boost travel within the country, the Thai Government will subsidise up to 40% of your accommodation with a maximum of ฿3,000/night (~USD 100).
In mid-December the government opened registrations for the second phase of the “Half-Price” – or 50:50 – campaign, which is geared towards reviving small businesses. Exclusively available to 10 million Thai citizens, the initiative offers a copay up to ฿150/day (~USD 5) for purchases made at approved vendors. The maximum subsidy is ฿3,000/month (~USD 116).
Register for Travel Together online or through the application
The ‘Travel Together’ Campaign will continue until 31st January 2021, and registration is still available via the Krungthai Bank-run application Paotang or on the website. It’s about time you stayed at that luxury resort that was just slightly out of budget.
Image credit: @thedewa
An expensive technical difficulty
Thai citizens could also register for the ‘Half Price’ initiative on Paotang, allowing them to enjoy local delicacies for half the price at any restaurant with the “50:50” sign. Unfortunately, the ‘Half Price’ initiative has closed registration for the time being.
On 16th December 2020, Thais rushed to register for the second phase of the Government’s “Half Half” campaign.
Image credit: @tawanmookata
After entering their information, users had to wait to receive a One Time Password (OTP) via SMS to complete their application. For a lot of applicants – myself included – the OTP came after 20 “refresh” clicks, a request to “try after ten minutes”, 20 more refresh clicks, and finally, an hour wait time. Apparently, this was considered a good outcome.
Matichon Online reported that 500,000 DTAC users were unable to register due to a collapse in the system. The company thus promised to provide those affected with ฿3,500 (~USD 116), as well as a commitment to improving their systems to prevent such a disaster from happening again.
Stay safe together
Visit an elephant sanctuary in Phuket
The economy has been so…. exciting to watch, and 2020 has just made it so much more fun. With the end of 2020 and the holiday season approaching, it’s important that we remember we be mindful of small businesses that are struggling, and do what we can to help them. It’s even more crucial, though, that we continue to practice safety measures.
Check out these articles for travel ideas in Thailand:
- Hotels & Resorts With Personal Outdoor Bathtubs For The Ultimate 2021 Retreat
- Khao Yai Hotels Under 2 Hours From BKK To Satisfy Your Wanderlust Without Leaving Thailand
- Secret Places In Thailand Even Most Locals Don’t Know About
- Ultra-Photogenic Places In Pattaya When You’ve Had Enough Vitamin Sea
- Thailand’s Ancient City Is A Super Photogenic Outdoor Museum Just 45 Mins From Bangkok
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