Brilliant: Tourism Minister Sorawong Thienthong Proposes THB 700 Million Budget for Free Domestic Flights
Plan seeks to attract 200,000 foreign visitors with subsidised flights to regional destinations across Thailand between September and November 2025.
Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong has proposed a budget of seven-hundred million baht for a programme offering free domestic flights to international visitors.
The proposal will be submitted to the Cabinet next week and, if approved, will run from August to December 2025, with travel scheduled between September and November.
The initiative, named “Buy International, Free Thailand Domestic Flights,” is designed to subsidise one-way domestic fares at one-thousand seven-hundred fifty baht and round trips at three-thousand five-hundred baht.
Six carriers—Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Thai Airways International, Thai Lion Air, and Thai VietJet—are participating in the scheme.
Each ticket will include up to twenty kilograms of baggage.
The programme targets at least two-hundred thousand foreign tourists and emphasises travel beyond Thailand’s primary hubs, including UNESCO World Heritage cities and key secondary destinations.
According to projections, it is expected to generate direct tourism revenue of more than eight-point eight billion baht, with a total economic impact estimated at twenty-one-point eight billion baht.
Eligible international visitors will receive one free round-trip or one-way domestic ticket upon purchasing international flights to Thailand through participating airlines, online booking platforms, or multi-city booking options.
The project forms part of the broader “Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025” campaign, complementing other government-backed tourism stimulus measures.
The proposal will be submitted to the Cabinet next week and, if approved, will run from August to December 2025, with travel scheduled between September and November.
The initiative, named “Buy International, Free Thailand Domestic Flights,” is designed to subsidise one-way domestic fares at one-thousand seven-hundred fifty baht and round trips at three-thousand five-hundred baht.
Six carriers—Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Thai Airways International, Thai Lion Air, and Thai VietJet—are participating in the scheme.
Each ticket will include up to twenty kilograms of baggage.
The programme targets at least two-hundred thousand foreign tourists and emphasises travel beyond Thailand’s primary hubs, including UNESCO World Heritage cities and key secondary destinations.
According to projections, it is expected to generate direct tourism revenue of more than eight-point eight billion baht, with a total economic impact estimated at twenty-one-point eight billion baht.
Eligible international visitors will receive one free round-trip or one-way domestic ticket upon purchasing international flights to Thailand through participating airlines, online booking platforms, or multi-city booking options.
The project forms part of the broader “Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025” campaign, complementing other government-backed tourism stimulus measures.
