Phuket, Thailand, June 27, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Chamber of Commerce of Thailand (TCC) to launch the "Hug Thais" project. The aim is to boost spending by Thai and foreign tourists and thus revive the economy.

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His Excellency Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Tourism and Sports, stated: “The ‘Hug Thais’ project is the latest initiative of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Thai government, and partners such as the Thai Tourism Council (TCC) in the public and private sectors to revitalize Thailand’s tourism industry and the overall economy. This collaboration is crucial to Thailand’s efforts to regain its status as a preferred tourist destination.”

The "Hug Thais" project will launch in July 2021 with the pilot program "Hug Thais Hug Thais," coinciding with Phuket's long-awaited reopening to tourism under the "sandbox" model, which begins on July 1st. This will allow vaccinated foreign tourists to be welcomed to the island without quarantine requirements. Further destinations are expected to gradually reopen in the following months.

The “Hug Thais Hug Thais” initiatives offered to Thai and foreign tourists include discounts of up to 10% when they spend 1,000 Baht or more in retail stores, as well as cash vouchers worth 100 Baht that can be redeemed on their next visit to participating stores and branches.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the TAT, said: “The ‘Hug Thais Hug Thais’ project aims to revive Phuket’s tourism and service sector, paving the way for a similar revitalization of other destinations in Thailand.”

As the “Hug Thais” project is to be introduced in other Thai tourist destinations, the TAT will provide marketing and promotional support to boost travel and tourism spending by both Thai and foreign tourists by encouraging them to eat more local food (“Eat More”), travel more within Thailand (“Travel More”) and buy more Thai products in shops and outlets with the “Hug Thais” logo (“Shop More”).

The “Hug Thais” project is expected to generate over 100 billion baht for the Thai economy within the next six months.