Mr.Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of The Tourism Authority of Thailand, said "Thailand's tourism industry continues to grow strongly. In the first half of 2018, foreign tourist segment continues to grow in terms of both quantity and revenue. It is expected that there will be 19.6 million foreign visitors this year, a 13% increase in numbers but a 16% increase in terms of revenue to 1.16 trillion baht. For this segment, we expect total revenue of 2 trillion baht by year end, with visitors from other Asian countries as main target. For local tourist segment, first half of the year sees 71.6 million visitors, a 3.8% increase, while revenue rises 7% to 489 billion baht. Total revenue from both local and international markets should pass 3 trillion baht this year and Rattanakosin Guide application should help boost the tourism industry in our country to reach that goal. This is not to mention how the application was created under collaboration between government and private sectors which led to how it benefits startups in Rattanakosin area, allowing them to offer valuable services and be more competitive not only locally but globally.
Associate Professor Gasinee Witoonchart, Chancellor of Thammasat University, said "Thammasat is part of the Rattanakosin community. Therefore, it is our duty and commitment to preserve legacy of this community for our country. And as tourism industry is one big industry that drives Thailand's economy, to help boost tourism in this area is something we would like to be a part of. When Siam Commercial Bank saw the potential of boosting tourism through the making of "Rattanakosin Guide" application which would allow entrepreneurs to have digital storefront while tourists would have easier access to information, Thammasat was more than happy to support. We sent our lecturers and students to collect information, evaluate business problems, conduct trainings and give consult to entrepreneurs who needed it. The information we have gathered was genuinely beneficial to the development of this application we have done in collaboration with Siam Commercial Bank and The Tourism Authority of Thailand."
Mrs.Pikun Srimahunt, Senior Executive Vice President, Head of SME segment, Siam Commercial Bank, said "Rattanakosin Island is a historic area of Bangkok where there are a number of Thai and foreign tourists visiting every day. In this digital age where every dimension of products and services are digitalized, SCB sees how we can help bring more competitiveness to entrepreneurs in the area by applying our know-how to their businesses. This led to a collaboration where SCB, which has a business knowledge center located inside Thammasat University, has assigned our own Digital Ventures to develop a digital platform to help them. Rattanakosin Guide application, as a result, was created to provide digital storefront allowing buyers and sellers to connect easier online. Users of the application can also use it as a map to guide their way to interesting shops or places in Rattanakosin area. All promotions offered by stores or hotels in the area, which currently have 250 stores on app, can also be found here. Any entrepreneur that is interested to join the app can reach out to SCB to gain benefits from it."
"Rattanakosin Guide" application was created with an aim to raise the bar in Thai tourism especially in the area of Rattanakosin Island. Its main focus is to add competitiveness digitally to entrepreneurs, allowing them to connect their offline and online world together seamlessly while building a digitalized experience for tourists who come visit. Interesting features on the app include: Online Storefront for stores, hotels and tourist destinations inside Rattanakosin area; Digital Map that can lead users to where they want to go in the area very accurately with information about interesting places provided; and Suggested Trip where users can create and plan their own trip all around the area. Stores can also offer promotions through the app to boost sales in real-time. In the future, app users can buy trips or tickets to selected destinations in the area directly through the application as well.
And to help make it easier for entrepreneurs to manage information, update details about their products and promotions, SCB has also come up with Super Seller application as a channel to manage it.
Feel free to download "Rattanakosin Guide" application on iOS and Android, available now in Thai, English and Chinese.