Thailand Travel Upgrade! Phuket Trials 'Cryptocurrency Payment', Making Foreign Tourists' Consumption More Convenient

Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said on Wednesday that the Thai government will launch a pilot program on Phuket this year to explore cryptocurrency as an alternative payment option to cash, allowing foreign tourists to directly use BTC for shopping and consumption, thus enhancing travel convenience and exploring new business opportunities.

According to the Nation Thailand, Pichai Chunhavajira said at a seminar on Wednesday that the Thai government's goal is to pilot cryptocurrency payments in tourist cities across the country, making it easier for foreign tourists to consume digital assets.

He revealed that the pilot project will be launched on Phuket Island this year, emphasizing that it will fully comply with the current legal framework to ensure everything is legal and compliant. He emphasized, 'We will not do anything illegal,' and pointed out that the existing laws already provide sufficient mechanisms to support this project, so there is no need for additional legislation.

Pichai Chunhavajira pointed out that the background of this pilot project mainly comes from the rapid popularity of Crypto Assets internationally, and the trial on Phuket Island this time is also to ensure that Thailand does not fall behind and miss business opportunities in the global competition.

In the pilot program, foreign tourists may need to register their BTC assets at a Thai Cryptocurrency exchange and complete identity verification in order to use BTC to pay for goods and services, with each BTC transaction subsequently being converted to Thai Baht.

Although the government's experiments are still in the early stages, a small community in Thailand, familiar with Cryptocurrency, has taken the lead in trying digital currency payments in their daily lives.

According to the documentary of the YouTube channel 'Right Shift', a village in Huay Phueng District, Kalasin has become the 'Thailand BTC Village' in the minds of cryptocurrency enthusiasts.

The documentary introduces a BTC advocate who opened a coffee shop locally to teach villagers how to use the smallest unit of BTC, 'Satoshi', and gradually promote cashless transactions.

Currently, more than 80 villagers have accepted BTC payments, and they conduct transactions through the Bitcoin Lightning Network, including businesses such as noodle stalls, market vendors, meatball snack stalls, and Didi car services, all of which have hung up the sign of 'accepting BTC payments'. Local residents even affectionately call the coffee shop owner the 'King of Huai Peng BTC'.

<Thailand Travel Upgrade! Phuket tests 'Cryptocurrency Payments', making it more convenient for foreign tourists to consume> This article was first published in 'Blockcast'.