Thailand tries to relaunch tourism with a bold move. The Bangkok government is considering giving 200 thousand national flights to foreign visitors who will arrive in the country between September and November 2025. An unprecedented initiative in Southeast Asia that aims to reverse the drop in tourist arrivals and to discover the less beaten destinations of the Kingdom of Siam.
A 19 million dollar plan
The Minister of Tourism and Sport, Sorawong Thienthong, presented the “Buy International, Free Thailand domestic Flights” project, and 700 million baht, approximately 19.5 million dollars, will be needed to make it. Money that the government will invest to cover the costs of internal airline tickets offered free of charge to tourists.
The idea is simple: whoever acquires an international flight to Thailand will receive a freezing ticket for an internal destination. The maximum gift value will be 90 euros and will also include a 20 -kilo baggage franchise. Travelers will be able to request free flight at the time of booking the international ticket, both through airlines and travel agencies.
Six companies ready to participate
The project has already collected the adhesion of six vectors, specifically Thai Airways International, Thai Airasia, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and Thai Vietjet, all ready to collaborate to take off the initiative that could change the fate of Thai tourism.
The stated goal is clear: to bring visitors outside the traditional circuits. Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang never attract most tourists, while other areas of the country remain in the shade. With free flights, the government hopes to better distribute tourist flows and make known less explored but equally fascinating places.
A response to the drop of visitors
The numbers speak clearly. In the first seven months of 2025, arrivals in Thailand decreased by 6% compared to the same period last year, a fact that worries operators in the sector, which has always been a pillar of the national economy. The campaign aims to attract at least 200 thousand extra travelers during the low autumn season, when appearances fall further.
Japan had already experimented with a similar strategy in 2020, with Japan Airlines that went away 50 thousand free tickets to promote the less tourist areas of the archipelago, an experiment that Bangkok seems to want to replicate on a higher scale.
The proposal now awaits the final go -ahead of the government. If approved, it could represent a turning point for Thai tourism and an unmissable opportunity for those who dream of visiting the land of the smile.
