Bangkok (Thailand) – December 4, 2014 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), together with Visa and the Ratchaprasong Square Trade Association (RSTA), is launching the second “Thailand Spectacular Year-end” shopping campaign to offer visitors to Bangkok special benefits, privileges and gifts during the festive period from November 22, 2014 to January 31, 2015.

Ms. Vilaiwan Twichasri, Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and Economy of the TAT, said: “The spectacular end-of-year shopping celebration will take place in the Ratchaprasong district, as it is a preferred place for both foreign visitors and locals to shop and count down to the new year.”

The two-month shopping event offers foreign Visa cardholders exclusive discounts and benefits at hotels, restaurants, and shops in the Ratchaprasong district, Bangkok's shopping hub. Room rates are also discounted when booked through the respective hotel websites. The same benefits apply to many of the top-notch restaurants within these hotels.

Eligible customers also receive rewards, including Thai silk scarves, silk ties, passport holders, mini iPads, mobile phones, and watches. Visa cardholders who purchase goods and services worth 5,000 baht or more at one of the numerous shopping malls in the Ratchaprasong district can redeem their rewards at two end-of-year promotional booths. These are located at the entrance of the Gaysorn shopping mall near the Chit Lom BTS Skytrain station and in close proximity to the Erawan Bangkok shopping mall.

Thailand-Spectacular-End-of-Year-1 Mr. Somboon Krobteeranon, Visa's Country Manager for Thailand, said: "This campaign is a great example of how Visa can connect millions of its cardholders traveling to Thailand with businesses in a mutually beneficial way. Thanks to Visa's deep understanding of cross-border travel, we consider the entire customer journey and have put together special benefits that will delight visitors – starting with booking their accommodation. We expect a 15 percent increase in Visa card spending in the region during this festive period."

Visa is promoting the campaign to its cardholders in Thailand's main source countries, including the USA, UK, Japan and Australia, as well as in growing source markets such as Russia, China and Southeast Asian countries.

Ms. Nattaporn Chevamongkol, spokeswoman for the RSTA, said: “The spectacular end-of-year shopping celebration of 2014 will take place alongside the ‘Ratchaprasong Winter Sale 2014’ campaign for locals and will offer discounts of up to 80 percent on over 100,000 goods and services, including specialties from leading hotels and restaurants in the Ratchaprasong region.”

Ratchaprasong is a hub for lifestyle, business, and culture, attracting over 500,000 tourists daily. Shopping malls in the area include Gaysorn, Erawan Bangkok, Amarin Plaza, CentralWorld, and Platinum Fashion Mall. Within a radius of approximately 2.6 square kilometers, you'll find hotels such as the Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt Erawan, St. Regis, Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong, InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Centara Grand at CentralWorld, and Novotel Platinum Pratunam.

In addition, RSTA, TAT and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will transform the Skywalk from the BTS Sky Train Station Chit Lom to CentralWorld into a selfie-enhancing “Hanging Light Garden” from December 5, 2014 to January 5, 2015, to reinforce the area’s reputation as a place to count down to the new year.

This year, the "Bangkok Countdown" will take place in the Ratchaprasong district at the event grounds in front of CentralWorld and Amarin Plaza. Hotels in the area are also organizing their own countdown celebrations.

Contact information: International Public Relations Department, Tourism Authority of Thailand, 1600 New Petchaburi Road, Makkasan, Ratchathevi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand, Tel.: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48, Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419, E-mail: [email protected], Website: www.TATnews.org, Facebook: TAT Newsroom, Twitter: TAT Newsroom