Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry has announced a new incentive programme offering free domestic flight tickets to 200,000 foreign arrivals in an effort to stimulate nationwide tourism during a three-month operational window. The initiative, titled Buy International, Free Thailand Domestic Flights, forms part of a broader strategy to disperse visitor traffic to secondary destinations and strengthen tourism revenue across multiple regions.
The ministry forecasts approximately 8.8 billion baht in tourism revenue from a central budget request of 700 million baht. The proposal awaits cabinet consideration and approval. Under the programme, international visitors holding confirmed inbound flight tickets will be eligible to receive one complimentary round-trip domestic air ticket, inclusive of a 20-kilogramme baggage allowance. The scheme will be implemented through six participating carriers: Thai Airways, Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and Thai Vietjet. Complimentary tickets will be provided through bookings made directly with airlines or through online travel agencies.
The operational period is set from September to November, with a government subsidy of 1,750 baht per one-way flight or 3,500 baht per round-trip flight allocated for each tourist. The mechanism follows a similar model adopted in Japan earlier in the year, where complimentary domestic flights were offered to support regional travel growth.
Tourism industry representatives have expressed mixed expectations regarding the campaign’s impact. The Chiang Mai (เชียงใหม่) Chamber of Commerce noted potential benefits for the northern region but emphasised that stronger effects might be realised during the low-season period when inbound traffic typically softens. Concerns were also raised regarding persistently high domestic airfare prices, which continue to impede travel decisions among both domestic and international tourists.
The Thai Hotels Association’s lower northeastern chapter observed that provinces within the northeastern region may see limited advantages from the programme due to lower foreign-tourist concentration, despite available domestic flight connections to major urban centres such as Buri Ram (บุรีรัมย์) and Ubon Ratchathani (อุบลราชธานี). Stakeholders have encouraged supplementary marketing campaigns tailored to regional strengths, including sports-related tourism in Buri Ram, Mekong-river attractions in Ubon Ratchathani, nature-based tourism in the North and beach-focused tourism in the South.
Tourism safety communication remains a priority amid ongoing Thailand–Cambodia border tensions. As of Aug 17, Thailand recorded 20.8 million foreign tourist arrivals, reflecting a 7% year-on-year decline. China remained the largest source market with 2.9 million arrivals.
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