Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports is planning a revolutionary program to boost local tourism. The initiative, which is part of the impending stimulus package, seeks to expand the local tourism subsidy to 50%, increasing domestic travel and stimulating the economy.
A crucial component of the strategy is a change of legislation for online travel agencies (OTAs), which would require them to register in Thailand in order to avoid income loss to overseas corporations.
Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong disclosed that the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is designing a new co-payment program to subsidise local travel expenses. The scheme is predicted to have a 5-10% higher economic impact than past subsidies, which generated an amazing 58.6 billion THB (1.7 billion USD). The new program is expected to commence during the low season, which runs from May to October next year, while an earlier start date of early 2025 is being examined.
Minister Sorawong emphasised the need to balance the roles of international OTAs and domestic firms. Previous initiatives had recognised foreign OTAs as official platforms, resulting in large commissions of up to 30% flowing abroad.
