Bangkok Bank “TAT Card” released as a tourism stimulus

BANGKOK, 20 January 2010 (NNT) – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Bangkok Bank jointly launched Bangkok Bank “TAT Card” to provide exclusive holiday benefits to card holders.

Manager of the Bangkok Bank’s Credit Card Division, Choke Na Ranong said the card will provide discounts up to 50% for leading hotels, restaurants, spas and golf courses nationwide. The holders can receive up to 15,000 THB back to their account if purchased under the bank’s conditions. The Bangkok Bank expected 40,000 card holders on their first annual launch.

The manager added that the Credit card outlook for 2010 is bright, with a likely increase by 20-25% from a total of 950,000 activated cards. Travel stimulus type of credit cards are most registered by consumers.

Mr Choke continued to say that the Non Performing Loan (NPL) will have a slight increase at about 2% compared to last year, which is considered as an acceptable level.

Meanwhile, Deputy Governor, Vunsadej Thavarasukha claimed that Thailand’s tourism has shown a positive sign since the forth quarter of 2009. Mr Vunsadej believed that 16 million tourists would flock to Thailand with the total income of 600 billion THB.

Nevertheless, there were some negative factors that would impact the national tourism, such as domestic political uncertainty and the influenza A (H1N1) virus outbreak.