The Tourism and Sports Ministry will use the smash-hit game Pokemon Go to promote tourism and restore tourists' confidence following multiple bombings and arson attacks in seven southern provinces late last week.
To promote tourism after the terror, the ministry will ask True Corporation to add PokeStops and Gyms to various popular and safe tourist destinations to attract travellers to catch rare Pokemon items and characters there.
True, through its subsidiary True Content and Media, won the rights to exclusively sell Pokemon items and develop a localised version of the game.
"The ministry will create an infographic map and user guide for Pokemon hunters, offering locations, tips, and does and don'ts for tourists," Mrs Kobkarn said.
The ministry reported that Thais made 1.96 million domestic trips during the Aug 12-14 holiday, up by 7.8% from the same period last year. The trips generated 8.4 billion baht worth of tourism-related income, up by 10.46% year-on-year.
During the long holiday, foreign tourist numbers and revenue both rose by 6% to 308,000 and 14.8 billion baht respectively.
"The data showed tourists travelled to other areas normally during the violent incidents," said Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul.