Visa -a PATA Premier Partner- has teamed up with some 335 merchants across Thailand to offer attractive Visa cardholder promotions. It's a move designed to help boost local tourism revenues. The Visa Preferred Merchants programme offers discounts to cardholders when they use their cards at participating restaurants, shopping malls, spas and tour operators. The programme targets goods and services most commonly used by travellers and offers discounts of 10-50 percent off purchases made at participating merchants. Visa cardholders arriving at Bangkok can enjoy special promotional rates at hotels with possible savings of up to 50 percent off the hotel rack rates. These promotions will run until 14 November 2009.

Somboon Krobteeranon, country manager, Thailand, Visa said, "People want value when they travel and never more so than when times are uncertain. In the current economic climate, travel is often one of the areas where people cut back or look for cheaper alternatives while on holiday. With the Visa Preferred Merchants programme we're working together to help further stretch cardholders' budgets."