Tourism committee urges explanation from Sorawong on "Half-Half Thai Travel" delays
The Senate Tourism Committee calls for urgent clarification from the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Sorawong Thienthong, as the "Half-Half Thai Travel" scheme faces significant delays and issues.
Phisut Rattanawong, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tourism and Sports, chaired a meeting on Tuesday (July 15) to find solutions to the ongoing problems with the 'Half-Half Thai Travel' scheme, which has been facing unresolved issues for nearly two weeks.
The "Half-Half Thai Travel" project is a government-backed tourism stimulus initiative aimed at revitalizing domestic travel in Thailand.
Launched on July 1, 2025, the program offers Thai nationals substantial subsidies for accommodation and travel-related expenses.
One major point of contention raised was why the government has not reintroduced the successful "Paotang" application, which had been instrumental in the "We Travel Together" scheme.
Despite resolving previous issues, the government opted to hire a new company to run the current scheme, causing significant delays and problems.
Committee spokesperson Chamlong Anantasuk expressed concern, stating that the "Paotang" app, which had been fine-tuned and functioned well in the past, could easily resolve the current issues.
He questioned why the government did not bring back the app and instead chose to hire a new company to manage the 'Half-Half Thai Travel' project.
He added, “This is a question we need to ask the government – why not just use the existing app? Nearly two weeks have passed, and the problem is still not resolved. If it's not fixed, why not just use the 'Paotang' app?”
The committee also highlighted the direct impact of the ongoing issues on hotel operators across the country. Data shows that since the "We Travel Together" project’s funds have not been processed, there are concerns that the new project will face a similar lack of participation.
Some hotel owners have expressed reluctance to register for the new scheme, not only due to concerns over the unreleased funds from the previous project but also due to worries about tax issues.
Furthermore, the committee noted that the project’s execution did not align with government policies and could have been more effective.
The difficulty in filling out the necessary forms and data input, along with the lack of promotion or public awareness campaigns, has led to confusion among both operators and tourists during the registration process.
In response to these ongoing issues, the committee plans to urgently invite the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Sorawong Thienthong, to provide clarification. The committee stressed that the issue, which has now persisted for over two weeks, is severely affecting the country’s tourism industry.
