News Forum - Apply now: TAT offers 500,000 baht to travel Thailand for 4 months

[Thaiger]

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is recruiting one lucky explorer to travel around Thailand for four months and document their adventures. The chosen “Tourist of Thailand” will receive 504,000 baht in spending money for their trip, travel vouchers, and other prizes. The TAT’s job advertisement reads… “Do you want to travel all over Thailand …

The story Apply now: TAT offers 500,000 baht to travel Thailand for 4 months as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Henry]

I was surprised to see the first requirement being the fact you must be a Thai citizen. Whilst tourism in Thailand isn’t limited to foreigners they are the ones who bring in foreign hard currency to swell the nation’s coffers. Look what happened when they stopped coming.

I love Thailand to bits as a regular foreign visitor but it often frustrates me seeing Thai businesses missing out  through a lack of understanding of exactly what the non native traveller is looking for. It would often take just a few simple steps to increase revenue dramatically. Let me give you an example:

You see “Sale”, “Discount” or “Price reduction” signs plastered outside a retail outlet, but any reference to what they sell is in Thai so foreign people just carry on by. Everyone’s got a sale on but if I”m looking to buy some shoes or sun cream I want to know that your shop will sell those items. We’ll worry about the cost later in the transaction.

Similarly from a tourism perspective the country needs reporters who understand what the foreign visitor is actually looking for and who can capture images that appeal to and entice foreign travellers. There are often quite specific needs and assurances which the foreign traveller needs addressing before committing to a visit.

I totally subscribe to the notion of going off the beaten path in an attempt to discover Thailand and find the country very receptive to people doing this. I always drive myself because it promotes discovery - I wonder what’s down there?

In reality I use a variety of resources when planning my trips and adventures but what I think TAT needs, in my humble opinion, is a body of work created by foreign eyes and fingers in association with local Thai knowledge. Were I doing that assignment I’d be tempted to take a translator on my travels but that could come in the form of technology. Google translate has oiled the path on many occasions when faced with a Thai only menu or an otherwise unknown sign or notice.

[Skip]

This puts into perspective TAT's point of view concerning tourism... they think that Thai tourists are their bread and butter and only a Thai's perspective on tourism is relevant. 

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Skip said:

This puts into perspective TAT's point of view concerning tourism... they think that Thai tourists are their bread and butter and only a Thai's perspective on tourism is relevant. 

I'd counter that and say farang way overvalue themselves and are outnumbered by Thai tourists 100x

 

But of course most Farang think the only Thais are the ones that serve them

[Marc26]

17 hours ago, Henry said:

I was surprised to see the first requirement being the fact you must be a Thai citizen. Whilst tourism in Thailand isn’t limited to foreigners they are the ones who bring in foreign hard currency to swell the nation’s coffers. Look what happened when they stopped coming.

I love Thailand to bits as a regular foreign visitor but it often frustrates me seeing Thai businesses missing out  through a lack of understanding of exactly what the non native traveller is looking for. It would often take just a few simple steps to increase revenue dramatically. Let me give you an example:

You see “Sale”, “Discount” or “Price reduction” signs plastered outside a retail outlet, but any reference to what they sell is in Thai so foreign people just carry on by. Everyone’s got a sale on but if I”m looking to buy some shoes or sun cream I want to know that your shop will sell those items. We’ll worry about the cost later in the transaction.

Similarly from a tourism perspective the country needs reporters who understand what the foreign visitor is actually looking for and who can capture images that appeal to and entice foreign travellers. There are often quite specific needs and assurances which the foreign traveller needs addressing before committing to a visit.

I totally subscribe to the notion of going off the beaten path in an attempt to discover Thailand and find the country very receptive to people doing this. I always drive myself because it promotes discovery - I wonder what’s down there?

In reality I use a variety of resources when planning my trips and adventures but what I think TAT needs, in my humble opinion, is a body of work created by foreign eyes and fingers in association with local Thai knowledge. Were I doing that assignment I’d be tempted to take a translator on my travels but that could come in the form of technology. Google translate has oiled the path on many occasions when faced with a Thai only menu or an otherwise unknown sign or notice.

I think any tourism board would be smart to employ foreigners or at least consult them for their perspective 

 

But I'm just fine with trying to get on without too much tourism saturation

Even if that comes with frustration at times 

 

I remember one of my friends complaining that a local Thai hotel only had Thai food for their free breakfast 

 

They are in Thailand 

[PD9075]

Just how naive are TAT?

So they want a Thai to travel around the country showing the delights of Thailand

I guess that it will be in "pigeon" Englishcee!

So it's the Temples, Petting drugged Lions, Alligator shows, Dolphins and whales in tanks, rabid monkeys, captive elephants etc.

Perhaps it will be down South and we can see some authentic shoot outs!

What a waste of money!

Sorry I know there are many places foreign tourists would like and spend money, but not really where a Thai would go.

 

[Marc26]

13 minutes ago, PD9075 said:

Just how naive are TAT?

So they want a Thai to travel around the country showing the delights of Thailand

I guess that it will be in "pigeon" Englishcee!

So it's the Temples, Petting drugged Lions, Alligator shows, Dolphins and whales in tanks, rabid monkeys, captive elephants etc.

Perhaps it will be down South and we can see some authentic shoot outs!

What a waste of money!

Sorry I know there are many places foreign tourists would like and spend money, but not really where a Thai would go.

It really is astonishing to me how you farangs think you are so important to Thailand 

 

There are millions of Thais who travel all throughout Thailand 

Most of them multiple times per year

 

TAT is using some of their budget to appeal to domestic tourism 

Which is a massive % of the Thai tourism economy

 

It's retarded that you guys think TAT should ignore them

 

 

 

 

[Pinetree]

500K for 4 months,  circa 29,500 a week, to travel and make a documentary for TAT; seems reasonable to me.  

[Richard61]

"only a Thai's perspective on tourism is relevant." I would say Thais believe only a Thai's perspective on anything is relevant.

[Marc26]

Every single person making an idiotic post about TAT comes from a country that puts a lot of their budget into promoting domestic travel

 

This forum is so farang stupid sometimes 

[Skip]

19 hours ago, Marc26 said:

 

It's retarded that you guys think TAT should ignore them

I do not believe that we guys feel like TAT should ignore Thai tourists... but to be exclusive to Thai's with this project is unbelievably insulting and disingenuous to the farang tourists who are part of the tourist industry.

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Skip said:

I do not believe that we guys feel like TAT should ignore Thai tourists... but to be exclusive to Thai's with this project is unbelievably insulting and disingenuous to the farang tourists who are part of the tourist industry.

Holy shit 

How is it "insulting "?

 

It's a program they are doing to attract domestic tourists!

 

Every country, including yours, does it

Believe it or not, Thais do travel within their own country

A lot of them!

 

Sorry to be harsh, but I honestly don't understand you guys sometimes 

[Skip]

23 hours ago, Marc26 said:

 

Sorry to be harsh, but I honestly don't understand you guys sometimes 

Take off you biased Thai colored glasses a moment and open your eyes... TAT continually talks about how important the foreign tourists are and designs massive incentives to build upon that base... yet here they are saying that in this case the foreign tourist is not important.  What happened?  Agencies like TAT should never be or design exclusive programs... it simply doesn't sit well.

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Skip said:

Take off you biased Thai colored glasses a moment and open your eyes... TAT continually talks about how important the foreign tourists are and designs massive incentives to build upon that base... yet here they are saying that in this case the foreign tourist is not important.  What happened?  Agencies like TAT should never be or design exclusive programs... it simply doesn't sit well.

Sorry this is one of the dumbest things ever posted on this forum, among a 1000 dumb posts on this fourm 

 

But it just shows you how unbelievably egotistical and honestly, insecure, farangs that live in frequent Thailand are

 

It's insulting that they are doing a domestic travel campaign????

You are insulted they are using some of  their budget to go after the domestic market?

 

Do you not understand how idiotic that is to say???

 

Where do you come from??

Let me know so I can post the 1000's of ads and campaigns your country has done to attract domestic tourism 

 

 

I swear Thailand is full of insecure man babies that really need to feel special for once in their life 

[Mazz11]

I have no problem TAT rolling out a program to attract domestic tourists.

If they want a volunteer for one to attract international tourists I'll put my hand up, I pay for my own trips usually twice a year but if they want to finance me, I'm in with bells and whistles or anything else they want me to wear