Sustainability

How mobility data can improve public policymaking for tourism promotion in second-tier provinces

The transition into a digital society has rapidly changed the social landscape, with the private sector actively using big data for commercial purposes. Many governments are discussing how to apply big data in a similar manner for the formulation of public policies. According to Asst. Prof. Dr. Nattapong Punnoi, a lecturer at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Architecture, there are widespread debates on the use of big data for policy formulation in many countries. Norway, Sweden, France, and Slovakia, for example, use mobility data to analyze travel patterns to develop tourism strategies. Likewise, the collaboration between dtac, Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Architecture, and Boonmee Lab also reveals the potential of mobility data in public-policy formulation. When compared with data from surveys, mobility data is much more extensive and the process of data collection is much more cost and time efficient. If used in policymaking, mobility data can drive massive impacts and innovations for sustainable economic, social and environmental development. “Access to mobility data does not just allow the public sector and researchers to better understand social circumstances in a timely manner, but it also enables civil society, communities, and small-scale business owners to…

Mobility data reveals second-tier provinces with potential to develop overnight tourism

Another tourism-promotion strategy that came out of the study on movement patterns and concentration of Thai tourists during COVID-19 outbreak based on mobility data focuses on developing experience-based overnight tourism. Asst. Prof. Dr. Nattapong Punnoi, Urban and Regional Planning Department, Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University, said, “Overnight stay is an indicator of tourism success. Cities with many overnight tourists are considered successful because overnight tourism can generate higher revenue and economic value than same-day tourism.” Overnight tourism also creates higher positive social impacts as tourists have more opportunities to interact and engage with local communities. The longer the visit, the higher chance they are exposed to a cultural exchange experience. The aim of experience-based overnight tourism development is to build a “fanbase” of a city, which leads to quality tourism and repeat visits. Also, tourists will continue to purchase products from those areas even after they have returned to their hometown. This is the importance of experience-based overnight tourism development and how it can pave way for sustainable tourism economy. “Tourism can generate a positive economic and social impact to local community, especially in regards to experiences and cultural exchanges,” Asst. Prof. Dr. Nattapong added. Three Overnight-Tourism Trends The study…

How Micro-tourism Can Redefine and Sustain Thai-tourism in the Post Covid-19 era

Thailand has a long history of promoting “domestic tourism”. During the 1997 Financial Crisis and Bird Flu Crisis, Thais were seriously encouraged to explore Thai destinations. In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the government has also promoted domestic tourism via the “Rao Tiao Duai Kan” (We Travel Together) scheme. According to a study using mobility data on movement patterns and tourist concentrations during the Covid-19 pandemic, Thais managed to take day trips averaging approximately 150 kilometers. On one hand, tourists from neighboring provinces of Lamphun, Chiang Rai and Nakhon Si Thammarat made 40-60% of their total day trips to these provinces. On the other hand, only 14% of total day trips were made by tourists from neighboring province to other secondary provinces. Some provinces were able to attract tourists even though they required travelling as far as 200 kilometers, such as Mae Hong Son, Ranong, Nan, Phetchabun and Nakhon Phanom. In addition, other provinces were able to attract 3-5 times more day trippers than average, such as Nakhon Nayok, Ratchaburi, Suphanburi, Samut Songkhram and Ang Thong. When considered together, these factors show that up to 16 provinces have the potential to further develop day-trip tourism. These provinces are Nakhon Si…

Mobility Data Unveils Tourist Behavior and Policy Recommendations to Rebuild Thai Tourism, says a joint research by dtac, ONDE, Chula, and Boonmee Lab

The three key strategies include micro-tourism, experience-based overnight tourism and tourism cluster Sept 5, 2022 – A joint research among four parties - dtac, the National Digital Economy and Society Commission (ONDE), Chulalongkorn university and Boonmee lab – has proposed three key policy recommendations based on mobility data during Covid-19 pandemic, including micro-tourism, experience-based overnight tourism and tourism cluster. The parties also urge the authorities to revive the sector through an increase in promotion of tourism in second-tier provinces in a bid to make tourism sector more resilience and sustainable. Putchapong Nodthaisong, ONDE’s secretary general, said the government realized the important role of data, a foundation of digital economy, which will transform Thailand into the digital nation. Moreover, data in digital form offers various advantages that allows the government to more effectively address social causes, such as water and disaster management. Sharad Mehrotra, chief executive officer of Total Access Communication Plc or dtac, said the study of movement patterns and concentration of tourists in Thailand during the covid-19 outbreak is aimed at unlocking the potential of mobility data for public policymaking and addressing social challenges, specifically on Thai tourism, which had been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic for more…

Former Drug Addict Finds His Calling with a Cricket Farm and Online Chili Paste Business

23 August 2022 - We all yearn for a home and a sense of belonging. But it’s not so easy to find. Many may have a roof over their heads but lack the warmth of a safe home. Others may be surrounded by people but miss out on a nurturing community that brings out the best in them. For Anek “Ped” Kaeopha, the 42-year-old owner of Numprig Baanchan, finding his true home and community has been a long and winding journey, involving a life of crime, time in prison, redemption and an exciting new career. Born in Bangkok, he grew up in a broken home in Bang Phlat Nai Community. He was first exposed to illicit drugs at the tender age of 10, when he had a job accompanying a sand truck driver from his neighborhood to a sand yard in Bang Bua Thong. It was a job that paid just 2 baht per trip, and while riding in the truck, Anek saw the driver take amphetamine pills (nicknamed “pills for workaholics” in Thai). Anek was too young to realize back then that the pills were illegal and dangerous. Anek himself became a drug abuser when he was in Mathayom…

How a mother of three used the internet to launch a profitable healthy food subscription service

As the saying goes, “You are what you eat.” Our food choices impact our health, and not just physically. Many studies confirm that a healthy, well-balanced diet can also help prevent anxiety and depression. Healthy food is what helped 60-year-old Natsuda Srisawat from Chon Buri brave the unexpected storms in her life, and in the lives of her family members. Children with Chronic Health Issues Her journey began with her three children, who all happened to suffer from chronic health challenges. At the age of one, her eldest child developed respiratory disorders. Her second child began suffering from asthma since he was eight months old. And her youngest child has had the biggest problems of all. He is allergic to many food types since birth, so much so that it made it challenging to get key nutrients. For example, he cannot consume cow’s milk, eggs, or vegetables. As a result, he had to rely heavily on breast milk, rice, and soy sauce. What’s more, overwork, little rest, and the responsibilities of caring for her children also caused Ms. Natsuda’s health to deteriorate, to the point that she even developed septicemia. And as luck would have it, by the time she…

How Veteran Tour Guides-Turned-Entrepreneurs Went Online and Revived a Traditional Craft

In 2019, tourism accounted for 20 percent of Thailand’s GDP. At the height of the tourism boom, the industry employed some three million people. But in early 2020, in the face of an intensifying COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of countries, including Thailand, closed their borders to all but essential travel. Thai tourism plunged into turmoil. The business impact was devastating, and a huge number of people lost their jobs. Chiang Mai-based veteran tour guide, Ms. Nawaporn Chaijan, was among them. COVID-19 Dooms People in Tourism Industry “Before the COVID-19 outbreak, I made a lot of money because I worked almost every day. As soon as one trip ended, another trip began,” Ms. Nawaporn recalls. “But when COVID-19 emerged, it was the end.” The 52-year-old freelance tour guide had worked in her field for well over two decades, with Spanish, Portuguese and South American tourists as her main customer groups. She had seen the ups and downs of tourism several times before, pulling through Black May, the bird flu crisis, and also Thailand’s political unrest. None of these compared to COVID-19, which has dragged on for more than two years now. Thanks to her savings, Ms. Nawaporn fortunately had enough money to…

How a housewife from Chon Buri revived a disappearing heritage dish and built a successful online business in the process

Food doesn’t just fill the stomach. When made with care and soul, it can lift the spirit and delight the heart. It’s no wonder that even in this age of haute cuisine and quick-service restaurant culture, people continue to yearn for time-honored comfort food – flavors that remind them of family and transport them back home. Chon Buri is well-known as one of Thailand’s most important port cities – but it also has a proud culinary heritage. Stretching over dozens of kilometers, its shoreline has been home of hundreds of fishermen villages, and many unique dishes trace their origins back to this way of life. As the world changes and communities relocate, however, these beloved dishes – the iconic “sauteed pork” among them – are slowly fading from cultural memory. A Recipe Passed From Generation to Generation Chon Buri resident and mother of three, Palita “Pan” Wattakavanich, 51, is passionate about this quintessential dish and its history. She explains that the preparation for sauteed pork came about at a time when food preservation technology was quite rudimentary. When the fishermen’s catch was particularly huge, some of the fish would be sun-dried and preserved as “salty fish”, which could be kept…

Fight Cyberbullying with Bully Fighter – a Board Game Based on Self-Respect and Self-Love

Due to their underdeveloped emotional maturity, children are far more impacted by cyberbullying than adults. As such, young people are the target group requiring the most vigilant protection and remedy. At the same time, educating children needs to be fun and age-appropriate. These concerns led to the development of Bully Fighter. A creative and fun board game, it plays similarly to Monopoly with game play progressing via dice-rolling and obstacles. In this game, the obstacles involve bullying scenarios where players have to explain how they would get themselves out of those situations. The role-playing component encourages players to understand and learn how to handle cyberbullying, yet still enjoy themselves while playing a game. Bully Fighter is the brainchild of four students - Pich Paholpak, Nanpawin Teeranangsu, Sanhanat Phanichnantanakul and Jeerun Wechapinan. – who participated in the Young Safe Internet Leader Cyber Camp Season 3 back in 2021. It was organized by dtac Safe Internet and Telenor Group in collaboration with Plan International (Thailand). These students had previously participated in the Paper Ranger volunteer project which upcycled partially-used A4 paper into handmade notebooks for underprivileged children upcountry. The project mascot, “Paper Ranger”, was a hero similar to superheroes in pop culture.…

How Data Privacy is Coded into dtac’s corporate DNA

As of June 1, 2022, the long-awaited Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 or PDPA has finally come into effect after a two-year delay. The Cabinet had postponed the PDPA’s enforcement twice when the outbreak of Covid-19 made it difficult for enterprises to make adequate preparations to comply with this new law. Despite its postponement, dtac began internal preparations in 2018 to comply with the PDPA given the importance it places on customers' privacy. dtac started its preparations by referring in part to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Privacy as Fundamental Right Montri Stapornkul, an expert in personal-data management and dtac’s Data Privacy Officer (DPO), said dtac puts the principles of good governance and human rights at the heart of its business operations. Privacy, as a fundamental human right, has received a lot of attention from many countries because it underpins many other rights and freedoms. PDPA is rooted in the idea of “restoring a fundamental right” of Thais. This right has to do with privacy, which is protected under the Thai constitution. Privacy is a broad concept, covering bodily privacy, communication privacy, territorial privacy, and information privacy. The three core elements of PDPA are: Transparency: Enterprises…

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