Thai Hotels Shift Focus To Direct Thai Price Promotions Amid Travel: Thailand’s Half-half Issues

Friday, July 25, 2025

Thailand’s tourism manufacture has ever been captious to nan country’s economy, particularly successful times of slack request for accommodation. The government’s latest effort to promote home travel, nan “Travel Thailand Half-Half” program, was launched connected July 1, 2025, pinch precocious hopes. However, nan connection to subsidize 40-50% of hotels and motels for home travelers was greeted pinch utmost uncertainty by some hotels and tourists. With sustained method difficulties, slow registration, and debased subordinate numbers, galore hotels had to propulsion retired of nan program. Instead, they take to person their ain nonstop promotions nether nan “Thai Price” scheme, offering much straightforward and charismatic deals to Thai tourists.

Slow Start and Unstable Systems

The “Travel Thailand Half-Half” program, designed to tally from July to October 2025, has faced galore challenges. Although it was hoped that nan programme would kickstart nan tourism assemblage by offering important discounts to home travelers, it has struggled to summation momentum. Hotel operators person expressed concerns complete nan predominant method glitches successful nan booking system, which person near travelers incapable to make reservations aliases complete payments. Notably, nan system’s request for rate payments, excluding paper transactions, has made nan process moreover much cumbersome for imaginable customers.

Furthermore, nan complexity of nan registration process and nan deficiency of clear connection from nan Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) person near galore hotels emotion insecure astir their participation. There are concerns that hotels whitethorn not beryllium capable to declare reimbursements from nan government, moreover if travelers book nether nan scheme. This uncertainty has prompted respective hotels to suspend their engagement until nan strategy becomes much reliable.

Limited Budget for nan Stimulus Scheme

Another cardinal rumor that has contributed to nan program’s underperformance is nan constricted fund allocated for nan scheme. With only astir 300-400 cardinal baht disposable per month, nan costs are seen arsenic insufficient to thrust important maturation successful occupancy rates aliases make meaningful request for home tourism. This has further discouraged hotels from participating successful nan program, particularly arsenic galore person recovered that bookings done authorities channels are not yielding capable gross to screen nan anticipated subsidies.

Shift to “Thai Price” Campaigns

In consequence to nan challenges faced by nan “Travel Thailand Half-Half” program, galore hotels, particularly successful celebrated tourer destinations specified arsenic Pattaya, Koh Samui, Rayong, and Khao Yai, are opting for their ain nonstop promotions. These “Thai Price” campaigns, which are tailored to section tourists, connection simpler, much straightforward deals that do not trust connected nan analyzable booking strategy of nan authorities program.

While nan “Thai Price” deals whitethorn beryllium somewhat much costly than nan heavy subsidized rates disposable done nan authorities scheme, they connection clear advantages successful position of easiness of usage and certainty. For galore travelers, nan simplicity of booking straight pinch hotels done these promotions is acold much charismatic than navigating nan bureaucratic reddish portion of authorities subsidies. Hotels person recovered that this attack appeals to price-conscious travelers, moreover if nan costs quality is only a fewer 100 baht.

Consumer Behavior: A Preference for Third-Party Apps

Another cardinal improvement that has impacted nan occurrence of nan authorities programme is nan displacement successful user behaviour toward utilizing third-party apps for booking accommodations. Most visitors now for illustration platforms specified arsenic Agoda and Booking.com complete government-run schemes. Reports from various edifice managers bespeak that a important information of bookings, up to 70-80%, are made via these apps.

Despite nan government’s 500-baht recreation coupons, third-party app deals often supply amended prices and connection a much streamlined booking experience. Many travelers are prioritizing convenience and worth complete analyzable authorities programs. This inclination reflects a broader displacement successful nan measurement travelers prosecute pinch nan tourism industry, highlighting nan increasing power of integer platforms successful nan sector.

Key Destinations See Some Uptake

Despite nan challenges faced by nan “Travel Thailand Half-Half” scheme, definite destinations person shown amended results successful position of bookings. According to information from TAT, arsenic of July 19, Chonburi (Pattaya) has been nan astir celebrated destination nether nan program, followed by Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, and Nakhon Ratchasima. These destinations person seen a comparatively higher uptake of authorities subsidies, though they still relationship for a mini fraction of nan full entitlements available.

However, nan programme still has astir 50% of its 500,000 entitlements near unclaimed, which has led to calls from officials urging nan nationalist to return advantage of nan remaining opportunities.

Government Plans to Simplify nan Process

In an effort to salvage nan programme and summation participation, nan authorities has pledged to simplify nan registration and booking processes. Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong emphasized that nan authorities is committed to supporting nan tourism manufacture and providing affordable recreation opportunities for home tourists.

As portion of this effort, nan Ministry of Tourism and Sports is moving connected respective further tourism stimulus projects. These see initiatives targeting nan overseas market, collaborations pinch online booking platforms, and image-building campaigns featuring personage endorsements. The full fund for these caller initiatives is expected to beryllium astir 3.96 cardinal baht.

The authorities has besides planned to rotation retired tourism campaigns successful cardinal cities and emerging destinations, specified arsenic nan Chiang Mai–Lamphun Night Market, pinch nan purpose of further boosting nan country’s tourism industry.

The Road Ahead for Thailand’s Tourism

Though it was difficult for nan “Travel Thailand Half-Half” program, it alternatively illustrated really tourism is changing. At last, galore group opt for mobile booking apps arsenic being quicker, easier, and simpler than utilizing their smartphones via nan accepted route. With customers making this prime betwixt convenience and amended value, it has had a profound effect connected some edifice owners and travelers themselves.

As nan argumentation comes nether expanding fire, governments must accommodate to nan evolving business and make judge questions are answered that group for illustration travelers aliases those moving successful nan tourer manufacture ask. Future stimulus projects will beryllium limited connected simplifying processes truthful customers cognize what they are getting and taking nan tourism assemblage done a integer transformation.