Why Is Thailand Funding 50% of Domestic Trips, and What’s at Stake?
Photo Credit: Tourists in Old Town Night Market in Phuket, Thailand. Adobe Stock / pierrick
Skift Take
What may have been a bold move to jumpstart the tourism sector, the Half-Half Thai Travel scheme now feels more like a lifeline, as Thailand comes to grips with the uncertainties shaping global travel.
Thailand’s highly-anticipated domestic tourism program, the "Travel Thailand Half-Half" scheme, has been pushed back to July 1.
A surge in demand caused the system to crash during the initial rollout this week, prompting the government to delay public registration until July 1.
The scheme, designed to boost domestic tourism during the off-season, is launching at a time when Thailand is scaling back its broader ambitions for international tourism in 2025. The government now expects to generate THB 2 trillion ($60 billion) from foreign tourists next year, down from an earlier target of THB 2.3 trillion ($69 billion).
What the Scheme Offers?The Half-Half campaign targets domestic travelers and offers 500,000 entitlements. Each eligible Thai citizen can register for up to five rooms or five nights per person, with at least two nights in secondary cities.
Only Thai nationals aged 18 and up can register starting July 1. ID
