TOT joins hands with Grab supporting “Tourism Smart Data”

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), in partnership with Grab Thailand, pour 40 million baht into Tourism Smart Data project promoting quality tourism in 55 second-tier provinces.

TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the partnership agreement to use big data with Grab Thailand will enable TAT to strengthen the tourism industry, understand tourists’ behavior and their preference for sustainable tourism plan. “This will have the tourists to revisit Thailand and we can expand to a new group visitors,” he said.

The TAT will provide special rewards for Grabdrivers who receive good reviews from tourist passengers. This will help to boost the image of transport in Thailand, long hindered by dishonest tuk-tuk and taxi drivers.

Mr Yuthasak earlier disclosed the TAT’s goal in 2019 to raise the travel industry’s value to 3.4 trillion baht and increase foreign visitor growth to 10%.

Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, deputy governor for digital R&D at the TAT said that starting last year the TATspent 40 million baht on the Tourism Smart Data scheme by using data from the Immigration Bureau, National Statistical Office, Expedia.com and the Thai Meteorological Department.

This year Thailand is expected to gain 15% of tourism revenue from secondary provinces and 85% from major cities after gaining 90% from major cities and 10% from second-tier cities in the last two years. Some 70% of tourists go to major cities and 30% to second-tier cities.

Tarin Thaniyavarn, country head of Grab Thailand, said tourism service is accounted for one fourth of GDP of Thailand. At present, tourists account for 20% of Grab’s passengers in Thailand and it has services in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines that are supported by Alipay, which is highly popular with Chinese tourists.

Tourism makes up 20% of Thailand’s GDP. Grab will transfer know-how from its Singapore data science team to the TAT and plans to increase driver supply in secondary provinces. Grab Thailand operates in 16 provinces and 18 cities.