Concept & Pilot Development — This page describes the proposed Phuket Local Value Passport. There are no live points, wallet, rewards or confirmed partners.
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3-minute interactive demo — nothing is saved.
Live connector (read-only)
Phuket BiodiverCity × iNaturalist — real public data
See live project summaries and recent public observations straight from the iNaturalist API. Demo points remain illustrative only.
- Public project data — connected now.
- Public username matching — not account-ownership verification.
- OAuth verified account link — planned, activates after registering an iNaturalist application.
The problem
Visitor numbers do not automatically equal local benefit.
- • Commissions and cross-border platforms can move part of tourism revenue outside the destination.
- • Direct transactions can still be opaque if operators are not properly registered or licensed.
- • Many responsible local businesses are hard for visitors to identify.
- • Destinations rarely have shared evidence showing where value actually circulates.
PLC's approach is not to attack people or nationalities. It is to create a transparent, positive-choice system that helps visitors recognise and support verified local value.
The proposed model
The visitor journey in seven steps.
- 1. Join a PLC activity or open your Local Value Passport.
- 2. Discover eligible local operators and experiences.
- 3. Book directly through the operator's website, LINE, phone or approved channel. PLC does not take payment.
- 4. Use the service and verify the visit through a partner QR, booking reference or minimum proof.
- 5. Receive non-cash Local Value Points for the verified choice.
- 6. Redeem points for local privileges or experiences across participating businesses.
- 7. Direct points toward a community or nature mission — a sponsor provides the real support.
The mechanics above are proposed. They are not live.
What could earn points
Illustrative pilot design.
Illustrative pilot design — final rules not yet approved.
| Action | Points (illustrative) |
|---|---|
| Join a PLC or citizen-science activity | 50 |
| Direct booking with an eligible licensed accommodation | 100 |
| Use an eligible licensed tour operator or guide | 80 |
| Purchase from a verified community enterprise | 60 |
| Use a verified local restaurant, shop or service | 20–40 |
| Submit a Local Signal that passes review | 30 |
| Refer a participant who actually checks in | 20 |
Points reward the verified decision, not the amount spent. Spending more money should not automatically create proportionally more points.
What the rewards should be
Three initial reward categories.
Welcome drink, local snack, late checkout, workshop discount, priority access, or a locally made gift.
Local walks, community workshops, nature activities and behind-the-scenes encounters with local people.
Direct points to a published mission; a sponsor funds the real item or support when the threshold is reached.
Rewards would initially be in-kind only, not cash.
Verified Local Value Business
Eligibility is based on legal operation and local value — not nationality.
PLC will not simply label businesses as 'Thai-owned' or 'foreign-owned'. Eligibility focuses on verified legal operation and demonstrated local value.
- Active business registration, or appropriate individual registration.
- A real operating location in Phuket.
- Required sector licence where applicable.
- Payment or receipt traceable to an eligible operator.
- Evidence of local employment, local purchasing or community participation where available.
- Acceptance of PLC community and environmental principles.
- No known official suspension or revocation at the time of review.
Entry verification
How each entry would be verified
Awarding points for an entry requires passing three independent layers. There is no live government-data integration yet.
An identifiable operator with a real Phuket location, checked against the applicable register (DBD, DOPA/provincial hotel licensing, Department of Tourism, guide register, SMCE, or tax/commercial registration).
A one-time or time-bound artefact linking a pseudonymous participant to a specific service instance — e.g. a one-time QR, booking reference, receipt, or event check-in.
The entry meets the category rules, is not a duplicate, is within daily/trip caps, and passes manual review where required.
The three-ID model
PLC Passport ID + PLC Merchant ID + Unique Service Proof ID
A live system connects a pseudonymous participant, an eligible merchant and a unique proof for each service — without a traveller's national ID or passport number.
| Category | Accepted proof |
|---|---|
| Accommodation | One-time merchant QR after checkout · completed-stay confirmation + direct booking source · receipt + booking reference |
| Tour / guide | One-time merchant QR after service · completed-tour confirmation · receipt + booking reference |
| Community enterprise | One-time merchant QR after purchase · receipt/tax invoice · merchant-confirmed transaction ID |
| Local restaurant / shop / service | One-time merchant QR after visit · receipt · merchant-confirmed transaction ID |
| Citizen science | Event check-in + observation ID · facilitator-confirmed participation |
| Local Signal | PLC case ID + reviewed status |
This section describes design intent. There is no real-time integration with government data or licence registers yet.
Citizen-science participation
How citizen-science participation could earn points
Citizen science does not use a merchant or a receipt. Points would depend on linking a participant's own iNaturalist account to a Phuket BiodiverCity mission and to reviewable observations.
- 1One mission check-in per mission (illustrative +20).
- 2Each accepted observation +5, counted for the first 10 observations per mission.
- 3Additional +5 Research Grade bonus, only for observations already inside the cap.
- 4Evidence: PLC Passport ID + iNaturalist User ID + Observation ID + Mission/Event ID.
Point values and caps are illustrative pilot design and not yet approved. A live implementation should let each participant use their own iNaturalist account, and Research Grade depends on iNaturalist community identification and should not be required before basic participation points.
AI-assisted merchant matching
How AI-assisted merchant matching could work
AI reduces friction when searching and matching merchant names, but does not certify that a business is legal. Final status must rely on official records, merchant documents and entry-specific service proof.
- 1Search by trading name, Thai/English spelling, area or category.
- 2Match candidates against likely legal operators.
- 3The user confirms which candidate is correct.
- 4Check applicable official sources (DBD / Revenue / provincial / sector).
- 5Check sector-specific licences where required.
- 6PLC reviews rules, duplicates, caps and service proof.
Warning: AI does not certify a business as legal.
AI matches are only suggestions to help users and PLC reviewers surface likely candidates. Actual status must come from official records and human review.
Official reference links (reference only)
- DBD DataWarehouse+ — juristic search
- Open-DBD — open datasets
- Revenue Department — TIN Service
- Revenue Department — Web/Joint Services
- Phuket Provincial Commercial Affairs Office
These are reference links only. The PLC demo does not integrate with any API and does not display verified based solely on an outbound link.
Safe points design
Points · Passport · Privileges — not a coin or wallet.
What PLC could measure
Proposed evidence dashboard metrics.
- Number of verified direct-booking choices.
- Number of eligible participating businesses.
- Verified transaction/visit records with no personal data exposure.
- Distribution across accommodation, food, transport, tours, community enterprises and activities.
- Cross-business reward redemption.
- Local partner and community participation.
- Repeat participation and geographic distribution.
- Community missions unlocked.
PLC will distinguish activity and output records from verified economic or environmental outcomes.
Why this matters to Green Tourism 2030
One practical mechanism for local value and responsible choice.
- • Local economic value retention
- • Responsible visitor choice
- • Legal and transparent operator participation
- • Local supply-chain visibility
- • Community benefit
- • Measurable destination learning
Linking to national policy directions does not imply endorsement by any authority.
90-day pilot design
Sized for a one-person core team.
- • 5 eligible hotels/accommodations.
- • 3 tour operators, DMCs or guides.
- • 5 restaurants and local services.
- • 3 community enterprises.
- • 3 nature or culture activities.
- • 100–200 test users.
- • In-kind rewards only.
- • Partner QR and manual document review before onboarding.
- • No payment handling and no wallet.
- • Weekly data-quality review.
The above is a proposed pilot design — not confirmed partners or commitments.
Development phases
Start from concept; test in small, honest steps.
Legal review, partner criteria and privacy design.
Pilot page, partner recruitment and manual verification.
QR check-in, points ledger and reward catalogue.
Local-value dashboard and public-safe evidence reporting.
Adapting the model in other provinces under their local context.
No claim is made that a live system exists.
Trust boundary
What the Passport is — and is not.
- • A behaviour-change and destination-participation mechanism.
- • Encouragement of direct booking with eligible legally operating operators.
- • A cross-business local privilege network.
- • A place-based evidence model of verified local choices.
- • A provincial model that can be adapted elsewhere.
- • Not an OTA.
- • Not a wallet or e-money.
- • Not a cryptocurrency or token.
- • Not a cash-back system.
- • Not a booking intermediary.
- • Not a legal-enforcement blacklist.
- • Not a claim that all money stays in Phuket.
- • Not a certification of business sustainability.
The purpose is not to tell visitors who is right or wrong. It is to make choices that create value for the place easier to see — and more honestly measurable.
Working principle: hard on problems, soft on people.
Frequently asked questions
Direct answers for partners and visitors.
▸Is the Local Value Passport live now?
No. This page describes a concept and pilot in development by PLC. There is no live points system, wallet or reward engine yet.
▸Is it a wallet, e-money or cryptocurrency?
No. Local Value Points are a non-cash record used only for local privileges. They are not money, not e-money, not tokens, and cannot be purchased, topped up or redeemed for cash.
▸Does PLC take bookings or payments?
No. PLC is not a booking intermediary and does not receive payments. Visitors book and pay eligible operators directly.
▸How would businesses become eligible?
Through review of active business registration, a real Phuket operating location, any required sector licence, and acceptance of PLC's community principles. This is not a sustainability certification.
▸Are foreign-owned businesses excluded?
No. PLC does not use nationality-based eligibility. The criteria are legal operation, a real Phuket presence and demonstrated local value.
▸Can points be exchanged for cash?
No. Local Value Points are usable only for published privileges, experiences or directing to community missions.
▸How would PLC protect personal data?
The pilot design follows PDPA principles: minimum necessary data, personal data separated from public reporting, and methods opened for review before any live launch.
▸Can this model be used in other provinces?
In principle, yes — but each province must set its own ecological, cultural, legal and governance context. Phuket serves as the provincial living lab.
Join the pilot design conversation.
If you are a legally operating Phuket business, a local community or a potential partner, let's shape this pilot together.
This page is concept communication only — not an open call for applications or a contractual commitment.