Thailand Plans Free Domestic Flights For Two Lakh Foreign Tourists To Boost Travel Beyond Bangkok And Phuket: Here’s What Travelers Should Know

Published on September 16, 2025

Thailand is taking a large measurement to fortify its tourism manufacture by offering free home flights to overseas visitors. The caller campaign, called “Buy International, Free Thailand Domestic Flights,” intends to bring astatine slightest 200,000 world travelers to research destinations beyond Bangkok, Phuket, and different awesome hubs. The inaugural will tally betwixt September and November, pinch a fund of 700 cardinal baht group speech by nan Ministry of Tourism and Sports. By encouraging visitors to link pinch taste towns, UNESCO practice sites, and secondary destinations, Thailand hopes to summation recreation spending and dispersed economical benefits crossed nan country.

With projections estimating much than 8.81 cardinal baht successful nonstop gross and full economical benefits reaching complete 21.8 cardinal baht, this programme is designed to reenforce tourism arsenic a cardinal driver of nan Thai system successful nan run-up to nan Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025.

Government’s Flight Giveaway Plan

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is preparing to allocate 700 cardinal baht to nan Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). This money will beryllium utilized to subsidize free home flights for overseas visitors who acquisition modular world tickets to Thailand.

Six airlines person collaborated pinch nan program:

• Thai Airways International
• Bangkok Airways
• Thai AirAsia
• Nok Air
• Thai Lion Air
• Thai VietJet

Each traveler will beryllium eligible for a free round-trip home summons pinch a 20kg baggage allowance. The subsidy will screen summons prices astatine 1,750 baht for one-way and 3,500 baht for return flights.

Focus connected Cultural and Secondary Destinations

While cities for illustration Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket stay popular, nan run focuses connected sending visitors to lesser-known yet culturally rich | places. The scheme highlights UNESCO-listed cities and destinations pinch historical, cultural, aliases earthy value.

Among nan cities expected to use are:

• Ayutthaya – a UNESCO World Heritage tract showcasing ancient temples.
• Sukhothai – Thailand’s first capital, known for its historical ruins.
• Chiang Rai – location to nan White Temple and scenic highlands.
• Khon Kaen – a hub successful nan northeast, often overlooked by tourists.

By doing so, nan authorities wants to dispersed economical activity and easiness overcrowding successful celebrated formation towns and awesome cities.

Learning from Japan’s Example

The inaugural takes inspiration from Japan, which antecedently offered free home flights to promote world travelers to sojourn secondary cities alternatively of limiting themselves to Tokyo aliases Osaka. Thailand hopes to replicate this success, making judge that its smaller cities and location airports besides stock successful tourism growth.

Expected Tourism and Economic Impact

The authorities estimates that nan free formation programme will pull 200,000 further overseas visitors during its three-month run. This influx is expected to generate:

• 8.81 cardinal baht successful nonstop tourer spending.
• 21.8 cardinal baht successful wider economical benefits.

Tourism is 1 of Thailand’s biggest industries, contributing astir 20% of GDP. In 2024, Thailand welcomed complete 28 cardinal world visitors, and pinch campaigns for illustration this, nan authorities is pushing toward a target of 35 cardinal arrivals successful 2025.

A Boost for Airlines and Local Economies

The collaboration pinch six home airlines is expected to stimulate not conscionable nan tourism manufacture but besides Thailand’s aviation sector, which continues to retrieve from nan pandemic. Regional airports will spot higher rider traffic, while section businesses specified arsenic hotels, restaurants, and taste attractions guidelines to benefit.

This aligns pinch Thailand’s wider economical strategy, wherever tourism is positioned arsenic a starring unit for growth. The authorities is besides promoting sporting events, festivals, and eco-tourism to diversify recreation experiences.

What Travelers Can Expect

International visitors booking flights straight done airlines aliases online recreation agencies will automatically suffice for nan free home formation offer. The recreation play will beryllium restricted to September to November 2024, pinch bookings disposable from August onward.

Travelers tin look guardant to exploring Thailand beyond nan accustomed formation holidays, experiencing section festivals, practice sites, and authentic nutrient scenes successful smaller cities.

Looking Ahead – More Than Just Free Flights

The free home flights programme is only 1 of galore initiatives nether nan Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025 campaign. Thailand is besides expected to rotation retired packages focusing connected eco-tourism, wellness retreats, and escapade travel. This reflects a world displacement wherever visitors activity much meaningful and sustainable experiences.

As world recreation request rises, Thailand’s proactive attack could thief nan state enactment up arsenic 1 of nan astir visited destinations successful Asia.

A Fresh Journey Awaits

With this eager program, Thailand is not conscionable aiming to bring visitors successful but besides to nonstop them further into nan bosom of nan country. From nan ruins of Ayutthaya to nan highlands of Chiang Rai, travelers tin expect a richer, much divers experience. For Thailand, this is much than a subsidy — it’s an finance successful spreading nan magic of its culture, heritage, and landscapes to nan world.