The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has joined hands with the private sector to establish a crisis room to address the impact of the Middle East situation on the tourism industry. At the same time, the 'Buy One, Get One Free' initiative is set to resume to stimulate inbound international travel. According to the plan, international visitors purchasing tickets to Thailand can receive a government-provided domestic flight ticket. As for domestic travel, TAT will support the 'Let's go halves Plus' program to encourage Thai nationals to travel domestically.
TAT Director Thapanee Kiatphaibool stated that the crisis room will establish a tourism intelligence dashboard to monitor key data such as flight schedules, oil prices, operating costs, passenger load factor, seat management, and market sentiment. Contingency measures for worst-case scenarios will also be formulated, including providing soft loans to industry operators.
TAT has discussed with Airports of Thailand (AOT) to reallocate time slots returned by some airlines to carriers interested in launching direct flights, with the aim of making Thailand—and in particular Suvarnabhumi Airport—a transit hub for European flights to attract more travelers and compete with aviation hubs like Shanghai.
At the same time, TAT will adjust its market strategy to focus on short-haul destinations and alternative markets such as CIS countries, Southern China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, promoting two-way tourism marketing strategies to foster exchanges.
For the domestic market, TAT plans to cooperate with the private sector to align tourism support with the 'Let's go halves Plus' program, ensuring that 'Plus' benefits directly support the service and tourism industries. Communication strategies will emphasize providing essential travel information, strengthening Thailand's image as a safe destination, and promoting market-stimulus activities.
According to Thapanee, market monitoring shows that major markets, including the UK, have been almost unaffected, and travelers still regard Thailand as a safe destination. As long as there are enough flight time slots, tourists can depart immediately.