Thailand may delay 4bn-baht travel scheme to April 2027

Thailand’s 4-billion-baht Thai Tiew Thai Plus domestic tourism scheme is likely to be postponed until around April 2027, Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said on Wednesday (September 16, 2026). The government is considering moving the programme to the low season rather than proceeding with its planned late-2026 rollout.

Surasak said funding for one million entitlements had already been set aside and the proposed benefits remained unchanged. However, further consultations with tourism businesses were needed before the start and end dates could be settled and the proposal submitted for Cabinet approval.

Thai Tiew Thai Plus could shift to the low season

Surasak said discussions at Cabinet level, within the ministry and with other ministers had produced agreement on the need for domestic tourism stimulus, but raised objections to deploying the funding during the high season from late 2026 into early 2027.

Surasak said tourists would already be travelling and hotels would normally be full during that period, limiting the additional economic activity generated by government subsidies. Moving the programme to the low season was intended to make more effective use of the budget, he said.

Thai Tiew Thai Plus had originally been scheduled to launch on October 1, 2026, with the travel period running from November 2026 to February 2027. The proposed timetable included a blackout period from December 15, 2026 to January 15, 2027, when benefits would not be available over the New Year holiday period, according to Surasak.

Surasak said that interruption could prompt criticism that the stimulus lacked continuity. Most ministers consulted favoured running the programme in a single period after the New Year rather than dividing it into separate phases, while retaining the existing budget.

Thai Tiew Thai Plus benefits would remain unchanged

The proposed Thai Tiew Thai Plus benefits would continue to include government accommodation support of 1,500 baht per night for up to five nights, Surasak said.

Thai Tiew Thai Plus participants would also receive digital coupons operating on a 50:50 co-payment basis, with daily values of 1,500 baht in major tourism cities and 2,000 baht in secondary tourism cities, according to Surasak.

Surasak said the scheme’s principles, conditions, details and budget framework had received preliminary agreement. Approximately 4 billion baht had been earmarked from the first available tranche of funding under the 400-billion-baht emergency borrowing decree, with the proposed change affecting the implementation period rather than the allocation.

Thais Help Thais Plus could support year-end spending

Surasak said a planned extension of the separate Thais Help Thais Plus scheme could support spending and travel for another two to three months through the final quarter of 2026, from October to December.

Surasak said the tourism-specific Thai Tiew Thai Plus programme could follow during the low season, coinciding with school holidays and giving families more opportunities to travel with their children.

Tourism businesses divided over subsidy timing

Surasak said some tourism operators, particularly hotels, supported avoiding a high-season launch because their rooms were already full and visitors had made travel plans. Other views raised in consultations pointed to businesses that still had vacant rooms or capacity to accommodate more tourists.

Surasak said the ministry would consult the private sector again to reach a conclusion that took those differing circumstances into account. There was no need to rush the proposal to the Cabinet in September 2026, as the details and firm start and end dates should be settled before approval was sought and the programme formally introduced.

Surasak said postponement would not be an obstacle, provided the scheme went ahead and delivered the greatest possible benefit to the economy.

Source: Thansettakij