Thailand has become the first country in the world to roll out Visa’s Destinations programme on a national scale, part of a push to make paying easier for tourists and to draw more small businesses into the cashless economy.
Developed with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Visa Destinations Thailand is designed to support the country’s long-term tourism goals by attracting visitors, improving their experience and opening up opportunities for local businesses and communities.
Visa has run Destinations programmes elsewhere at city level, but Thailand is the first market in the Asia Pacific to adopt it, and the first anywhere to do so as a whole country.
The programme aims to smooth every stage of a trip, from planning and booking to spending on the ground. It spans transport, dining, shopping, accommodation, wellness and everyday experiences across eight key destinations: Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Udon Thani, Samui, Hua Hin and Hat Yai.
It is built on four pillars, namely payment innovation, insights drawn from Visa’s global VisaNet network, partnerships across the tourism industry, and expanding the number of merchants that accept digital payments.
Some of that groundwork is already visible. Visa has signed up more than 50 merchants in Bangkok’s historic Song Wat riverside district, and says it wants to bring digital payment acceptance to 56,000 small businesses nationwide. The programme is open to all Visa cardholders.
Visa identified Thailand as a natural fit for the launch as tourism is one of the pillars of its economy, and its biggest inbound spenders come from long-haul, higher-spending markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France and the United Arab Emirates.
Anthony Watson, country manager for Visa Thailand, said the programme helps Thai merchants of all sizes capture more value from global travellers, while making the experience more seamless and trusted for visitors and businesses alike.
For travellers, the practical upshot is fewer cash headaches and more places, including small local shops, able to take a card or a QR payment. For Thailand, it fits a broader shift towards cashless tourism and a strategy of chasing higher-value, more sustainable visitors rather than simply bigger numbers.
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