Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said that after meeting with Alibaba on Wednesday, the ministry would ask the company to use its website to inform its customers about quality services available in Thailand, particularly licensed hotels and business providers that meet local standards.
The ministry will also ask Alibaba to get more clarification from the Bank of Thailand on the legal obligations for the use of Alipay here. According to Alibaba, it has already had discussions on the issue with six commercial banks in Thailand.
The possibility of e-visa facilitation through Alipay will also be discussed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as such a system could be used to inspect the financial status of tourists.
Alibaba will also be asked to promote the “Amazing Thailand” campaign through all its online platforms, as many of its targets arrange their trips online.
Alibaba Group records more than 700 million users. Of these, 400 million are regular users.
In today’s discussion, the ministry plans to ask Alibaba to use its know-how to develop an application for the purchase and sale of tourism services for San Palang Pracha Rath Group. If it receives cooperation, Thailand’s small and medium-sized enterprises will be upgraded according to the direction of the government’s Pracha Rath programme.
“We’d like to have this negotiation for win-win cooperation. This meeting will provide clarity for Alibaba’s business expansion in Thailand,” Kobkarn said.
She said it was particularly important to ensure the company’s legal compliance, which would ease concerns over her ministry’s long-term work plan and protect Thai businesses from a new competitor.