The project, titled the ‘Tourism Data Intelligence Sandbox’, was first announced by TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn at the Thailand Tourism Congress 2022 held at the Beyond Resort Kata Beach last month.
The cooperation agreement was signed by five parties at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Wichit on Tuesday (July 5).
Among the signatories were Nithee Seeprae, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Deputy Governor for Digital Research and Development, and Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) President Chamnan Srisawat, who also serves as President of the Thai Federation of Provincial Tourist Associations.
Representing Phuket were Phuket Tourist Association President Bhummikitti Ruktaengam and Vachira Phuket Hospital Director Dr Weerasak Lorthongkham.
“The pilot project builds on the Phuket Sandbox and Phuket Must Win projects and aims to develop big data of the tourism industry with the hope of creating a tourism information infrastructure to help business operators to evolve beyond the COVID-19 era,” Mr Nithee said.
“It will be a good starting point for building Tourism Big Data of Thailand as Phuket is strong in both the public and private sectors and has a DEPA team [Digital Economy Promotion Agency] that truly understands the tourism industry, as seen from the success of Phuket Sandbox project,” he added.
Mr Bhummikitti noted, “Phuket has learned the importance of having clear, accurate and quick information in order to manage the situation, especially during the opening of Phuket during the Phuket Sandbox period.
“We have learned that the most important infrastructure in tourism management is having information related to tourism that is up to date so we can use the data to analyse the problem and predict the future more effectively,” he added.
“It is especially important to create an advantage against competition in the tourism industry with other countries. It is imperative to have information both inside and outside the country that can be analysed to assess the situation and forecast demand that is precise, pertinent and meets the needs of rapidly changing customer groups,” Mr Bhummikitti said.
“In this regard, the start of the big gata development project in tourism in Phuket as pilot project will be an important initiative in Thailand’s tourism industry that can be used to expand the results of using the information for maximum benefit both for policymakers and business operators, as well as create a new cooperation framework for sharing information between agencies for the ability to manage work effectively,” he concluded.
Vachira Phuket Hospital Director Dr Weerasak noted how well the Phuket Must Win system worked as a vaccination reservation system, and how well the government and private sector worked together for the opening of Phuket Sandbox scheme, including RT-PCR test results data
“It was found that the ‘health data’ system set up can be used to manage a public health crisis well. If we can do big data in this part together with tourism operators, this will improve the quality of life and develop a public health system in Phuket to become a quality tourist destination. This is in line with the proposal to host the Specialised Expo in 2028 as well,” he said.
Kurt | 11 July 2022 - 10:11:39