PATTAYA, Thailand – The Thai Hotels Association (THA) has called on the government to urgently launch the “Half-Half Travel Thailand” scheme and ensure that the full quota of one million subsidies is preserved and utilized. THA President Thienprasith Chaiphattranant expressed concern that the rollout of the scheme—set to offer a 50% subsidy on travel expenses in secondary cities and 40% in major cities—is already significantly delayed and should have begun earlier in May. The program is now expected to begin in July.
He urged authorities to formally confirm the implementation date and open the registration system for both operators and travelers in advance to avoid further delays. He also emphasized the importance of maintaining the original allocation of one million rights without reduction, so the scheme can deliver tangible economic impact across the tourism sector.
“There’s concern among operators that the budget earmarked for the Half-Half Travel Thailand scheme could be diverted to other projects,” Thienprasith said. He added that previous schemes like “We Travel Together” had proven effective in boosting domestic tourism and that a swift rollout is crucial.
Regarding the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ proposed 800-million-baht budget to subsidize online travel agent (OTA) platforms, Thienprasith called for greater transparency. He questioned why such a large sum is being funneled into OTA subsidies, noting that similar efforts in 2024 yielded little impact. He said the private sector had already voiced strong opposition to such an approach.
Thienprasith further noted that the budget proposed for this OTA subsidy is far greater than the 320-million-baht request submitted by the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) to promote Chinese tourism, which he said had clear objectives and measurable outcomes. He raised concerns over foreign dominance in Thailand’s OTA market and questioned how selection criteria would ensure fairness and transparency. He called on the ministry to reassess its tourism stimulus strategy to better reflect industry needs and deliver measurable results.
