A total of a million people have registered to join the government’s Chim-Shop-Chai (Taste-Shop-Spend) program, under which each of them will receive a 1,000 baht giveaway to be spent between September 27th and November 30th, on the first day.
The government has set a target of ten million registered people as part of the economic stimulus package expected to drive the economic growth rate to 3.6% this year.
Once a person has registered via the website of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, he or she will get a text message within three days. The 1,000 baht handout will be wired into their bank accounts one hour after they spend at shops registered to join the program via the “Pao Tung” application.
The 1,000 baht must be spent within two weeks of registration confirmation by SMS text message.
Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana said today that public response to the program was beyond expectation. To cope with the overwhelming response, he said the deadline for shops interested in joining the program, currently numbering 150,000, has been extended from September 20th to October 15th.
An informed Finance Ministry source said that many people who registered misunderstood that they would get the 1,000 baht giveaway immediately after registration.
The Chim-Shop-Chai program is aimed at promoting domestic tourism.
