Thailand is trying to steer some tourism away from its capital.

Thailand received over 38 million visitors in 2018, and the country has been a popular destination for tourists for decades. Tourism is a major source of revenue for Thailand and many local businesses rely on the tourism industry. The only problem is that the country has had a hard time controlling the influx of visitors, who tend to congregate in a few places, primarily the already crowded capital, Bangkok.

Thailand is still keen to boost its tourism industry, and the methods by which they want to do it are interesting. Most people who visit Thailand don’t travel too far off the beaten path. This is why Thailand is now paying its own people to travel to different parts of the country. Forbes recently listed Bangkok as the most visited city in the world, although Thailand was the 9th most visited country in 2018. The fact of the matter is that Thailand has noted that too many visitors are only checking out Bangkok’s cultural landmarks and Bangkok’s nightlife. This has led to a concentration of wealth in certain areas, while much of the country could use more revenue from visitors.

The Thai government wants to change the current situation, and has set aside a $468,000 budget to change it. Details are still coming in, but it would seem that each person would get $50 to spend in any of the 55 cities listed on the proposal. The proposal applies to all Thai citizens aged 18 or older. The plan is set to kick in in July 2019. The stated purpose of this effort is to see to it that visitors spend money in more secluded parts of the country which lack the money that a big city like Bangkok has, and which have been going through bad droughts.