Hotels seek earlier Thai Tiew Thai Plus launch for low season

The Thai Hotels Association (THA) has urged the government to bring forward the launch of Thai Tiew Thai Plus to September 1, 2026, so the co-payment campaign can stimulate domestic tourism during the low season.

The Tourism and Sports Ministry is preparing to submit the campaign to the Cabinet for consideration in August and currently expects bookings to open on October 1.

Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, president of the THA, said the association wanted the government to accelerate the process and allow people to begin using the campaign for trips in September and October.

The earlier launch would provide greater support during the tourism industry’s quieter months, rather than overlapping with the beginning of the annual high season.

“If bookings open on October 1, the campaign will begin just as the country is moving into the high season, which normally runs from November to February,” Thienprasit said.

“Hotel room rates will rise, and Thai travellers may misunderstand the situation and accuse hotels of taking advantage of the government subsidy by charging higher prices. In reality, rates naturally increase during the high season, and in some areas they begin rising as early as October.”

THA calls for clear rules on hotel eligibility

The government is also considering excluding luxury or five-star hotels from Thai Tiew Thai Plus to ensure that more of the campaign’s benefits reach small and medium-sized businesses.

The THA said the government must clearly define the size of eligible businesses and establish consistent criteria for each category of hotel.

If the campaign is intended to use funding from the government’s 400-billion-baht emergency borrowing decree to assist SMEs, registered capital should be used as one of the criteria for determining the size of participating businesses, the association argued.

It also urged the government to require every hotel joining Thai Tiew Thai Plus to be legally registered.

Co-payment model retained

Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul chaired the second meeting of the ministry’s Joint Public and Private Sector Consultative Committee for Tourism in 2026 on August 10.

The meeting reviewed key measures before their submission to the government’s main Joint Public and Private Sector Consultative Committee for addressing economic problems.

The measures are intended to stimulate the tourism economy and provide practical assistance to small operators.

Following discussions with the Finance Ministry, the meeting reached three main conclusions on Thai Tiew Thai Plus.

First, the campaign will retain a co-payment model similar to those used in previous domestic tourism schemes, with the government covering part of eligible tourism expenses.

Second, the same subsidy ratio will apply nationwide. Whether the final proportion is set at 50:50 or 60:40, the rate will be the same in every province, without distinguishing between major and secondary tourism destinations.

The committee said a uniform rate would promote equality and simplify administration. The final arrangement will follow the Cabinet’s and Finance Ministry’s principal guidelines.

Third, the campaign will focus on assisting smaller operators and local tourism businesses by reducing their cost burdens and ensuring that tourism spending reaches the grassroots economy.

Campaign expected to generate THB32bn

The proposed budget for Thai Tiew Thai Plus is 1.75 billion baht, with the funding to be committed across the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years.

The programme is projected to generate 32.046 billion baht in economic circulation and more than 1.6 billion baht in tax revenue.

The Tourism and Sports Ministry is expected to submit the campaign to the Cabinet for budget approval during August.

Under the current proposal, benefits would become available through the Paotang application from October 1, although the THA is pressing for the date to be brought forward by one month to better support the tourism industry during the low season.

Source: Krungthep Turakij