Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong is set to request a 700 million baht (S$27.6 million) budget from the Cabinet for a domestic flight giveaway programme aimed at drawing at least 200,000 international tourists to destinations across the country.
Sorawong on Wednesday said the Ministry of Tourism and Sports plans to submit a proposal to the Cabinet next week for the budget allocation to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
The programme, titled “Buy International, Free Thailand Domestic Flights,” is designed to encourage foreign visitors to explore locations beyond Thailand’s main tourist cities.
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The TAT will work with six domestic airlines—Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Thai Airways International (Thai), Thai Lion Air, and Thai VietJet—on joint promotional campaigns to strengthen Thailand’s tourism sector as a key driver of economic growth.
“The government will support domestic flight tickets priced at 1,750 baht per one-way trip and 3,500 baht for round trips. The initiative aims to attract at least 200,000 foreign tourists, covering destinations across Thailand, with a particular focus on Unesco-designated cities, popular tourist spots, and key destinations nationwide,” Sorawong explained.
“The total budget for this project is 700 million baht, which will run from August to December, with travel to take place from September to November.”
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International visitors purchasing standard airfares to Thailand—either through airline websites, multi-city options from Thai and Bangkok Airways, or fly-thru/check-through services from Thai AirAsia, Thai Lion Air, and Thai, or via online travel agents (OTAs)—will receive free round-trip domestic tickets along with a 20kg luggage allowance.
The programme is expected to generate at least 8.81 billion baht in direct revenue from foreign tourist spending, with total economic benefits projected at 21.80 billion baht.
The initiative is inspired by Japan’s “free domestic flights” campaign, which seeks to spread tourist traffic from major cities to secondary destinations. It supports the Thai government’s designation of 2025 as the “Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year.”