After alumni from Thailand’s leading universities set up an online marketplace on Facebook last week, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has also joined the platform with the launch of Amazing Market, a place where local entrepreneurs, farmers and craftsmen can promote and sell their goods.
To help support local communities and businesses by increasing their income amid the Covid-19 crisis, the group is showcasing a wide selection of creative products and services like traditional textiles with local designs, handmade decorative items, handmade fabric masks, keepsakes made from local materials, handicrafts, local delicacies, snacks, healthy beverages, seasonal fruits, herbs and vegetables from farms.
There are more than 25,000 members in the Facebook group at present. Besides finding bargain deals, online shoppers can review their favourite products and create posts if they are looking for specific items. Moreover, TAT’s marketplace also features 15 tags to help shoppers to browse the online market easily.
The highlights include a colourful collection of B3,500 hand-painted fabric from Phuket’s Yaya Baya brand and elaborated hand-woven cotton shawls from Suntree Pha Thai in Sukhothai. The Silathip brand offers a collection of durable tiffins, mortars with pestles, flowerpots, and accessories made from granite. There is also organic rice available from around the kingdom, seafood from beach towns, and durian and mangosteen from Rayong and Chanthaburi.
For those planning a holiday in the near future, hotels and resorts are now offering promotional vouchers with an expiry date of more than one year. There are also package tours and car rentals available for viewing but not for sale currently.
To create a harmonious atmosphere in the marketplace, members are encouraged to use polite language and refrain from controversial political comments, while dating posts and advertisement links to other online platforms are not allowed.
“To maintain standards, the admin team is monitoring for negative content, while illegal shops or products, as well as unqualified or misrepresented products, are not allowed to be sold on this platform. Online vendors must not undercut the prices either,” TAT explained.
“The Amazing Market is not responsible for the quality of products or accuracy of any information or any arguments regarding business negotiations.”
