Thailand offers 200,000 free domestic flights tickets for foreign tourists

Thailand's Tourism and Sports Ministry is planning to offer free domestic flight tickets to 200,000 foreign arrivals to promote tourism nationwide over a three-month period.

Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong said the campaign was themed "Buy International, Free Thailand Domestic Flights" and is expected to take place from September to November, Bangkok Post reported.

Under the campaign, there will be a government subsidy of 1,750 baht (S$69) for a one-way ticket, or 3,500 baht (S$138) for a round-trip ticket per tourist.

The plan encourages tourists to visit secondary destinations in Thailand.

Japan also launched a similar campaign offering free complimentary domestic flights to any destinations within Japan earlier this year.

The ministry plans to set aside 700 million baht (S$27.7 million) for the programme, pending cabinet approval.

They also projected a revenue of 8.8 billion baht (S$347 million) from the campaign.

How it works

Sorawong said that foreigners with an international flight ticket would be able to claim one round-trip domestic flight ticket with 20kg of check-in luggage for free on six Thai carriers, Bangkok Post reported.

The carriers are Thai Airways, Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air, and Thai Vietjet.

The free domestic flight tickets would be offered when tourists purchase international flights directly with the six  Thai airlines or with online travel agents.

According to Sorawong, this is an "exclusive campaign" for foreign travellers who have yet to book their tickets.

As of Aug. 17, Thailand saw 20.8 million foreign visitors this year— a decrease of 7 per cent year-on-year.

Visitors from China made up the largest market, with 2.9 million arrivals, according to Bangkok Post.

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