In-flight OTOP product sales sky high in one month

BANGKOK, Aug 19 (TNA) -- The government spokesman said that the project to sell OTOP products on board planes has been well received by tourists, with sales reaching as high as 200,000 baht in only one month. Government Spokesperson Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the in-flight OTOP product sales on Thai Airways International or THAI flights during its trial run has been extremely successful, where up to 200,000 baht worth of income was generated in only one month of the trial period only. He said the government has now targeted to create up to 10 million baht worth in income for the project. The spokesman further noted that Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha has also expressed his pride that the Thai local products would become more well known to the world, as the catalog of the 128 OTOP products would be left on every seat of the 150 daily flights of the national flag carrier, both for domestic and international flights, and would be the first of such catalog in the world. The premier said the success is this project comes from the cooperation of all concerned agencies in helping to give support to local entrepreneurs to make a living, while suggesting to business owners to keep up with the world trend by producing and developing new local unmet demand items, like jasmine rice crackers or Thai silk wallpapers. The spokesman said that products selected for the catalog would be chosen from the most popular groups first, such as jewelry, textile,and handbags, noting the products selected for the second phase would be different from the first, and each category would be rotated to create a more attractive catalog. He said each product would be selected for its beauty and Thai traits, where tourists would be able to order the products straight through their smartphone without any extra fee by scanning the product's QR Code, after which they would get the option to pick up their purchase at the Suvarnbhimi airport or have it be delivered at home, for customers with Thai residents. Maj Gen Sansern stressed that both the local entrepreneurs and private sector must work together to implement the innovative technology and advanced knowledge in their works, at which the government is ready to give it full support. He noted that if a product could be creative developed to meet the demands of customers, it would help increase a leap in sales by up to 30-40 per cent. (END)