Thailand Wants You to Wander: 200,000 Free Domestic Flights Up for Grabs
Beyond Free Flights: A Catalogue of Incentives
Dreaming of white-sand beaches, neon-lit night markets, or a hammock strung somewhere between the jungle and the sea? Thailand thinks you should dream bigger — and they’re putting free plane tickets on the table to make it happen.
This autumn, the Thai government plans to hand out 200,000 free domestic flights to international visitors, in a bid to push travellers beyond the “usual suspects” of Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. The campaign — with the working title Buy International, Free Thailand Domestic Flights — could launch as early as September and run until November, pending cabinet approval.
The deal is fairly straightforward: book your international ticket to Thailand through an airline or travel agency, and you may qualify for a free domestic round-trip inside the country. Each ticket would be subsidised by the state up to THB 1,750 (€40) one-way or THB 3,500 (€80) return, and yes, that includes a 20kg checked bag. In other words, enough to bring both your beachwear and your hiking boots.
Six carriers — Thai Airways, Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air, and Thai Vietjet — are already on board. The tourism ministry is betting that this will steer curious visitors into the lesser-visited provinces, where temples outnumber tour buses, food markets hum with local rhythm, and the beaches don’t yet come with a fight for a deckchair.
The Numbers Behind the Give-Away
The government is spending THB 700 million (€16 million) to bankroll the scheme, with hopes of generating THB 8.8 billion (€200 million) in return. That’s a 12-to-1 bet on tourists not just flying, but also eating, shopping, and spending along the way.
Of course, there are caveats: only travellers arriving by plane qualify (sorry to those crossing by land or boat), and existing bookings made before the programme’s official launch won’t count.
Why Now?
Tourism has long been the economic engine of Thailand. In 2019, nearly 40 million foreign visitors poured in — a record. Since then, things haven’t quite bounced back. For 2025, the government had set its sights on 39 million arrivals. But the Bank of Thailand has already trimmed expectations to 33 million, down from its earlier forecast of 37.5 million. As of now, arrivals stand at 20.8 million — actually 7% fewer than the same period last year.
Part of the challenge is perception. Recent violent incidents in Bangkok have made global headlines. A border flare-up with Cambodia last month didn’t help either. Add to this the Tourism Authority’s somewhat contradictory messaging — calling for “quality over quantity” while once touting a sky-high target of 68.5 million arrivals by 2028 — and you get a muddled brand story at best.
Beyond Free Flights: A Catalogue of Incentives
The flight scheme isn’t happening in isolation. Thailand has been throwing plenty of carrots at the market:
Entry fees delayed (so one less line at the airport for now).
Visa restrictions lifted for Chinese visitors, its biggest single source of arrivals.
Digital nomad visas to lure the laptop-toting crowd.
Even murmurs about casinos — because why not, if it keeps people coming.
But of all these initiatives, free flights might be the most headline-grabbing. It’s not hard to imagine the appeal: land in Bangkok, grab your free ticket, and within hours you could be in Udon Thani, Trang, or somewhere you’d otherwise never consider.
The Fine Print (and the Waiting Game)
Before you rush to Skyscanner, one important note: the scheme still needs the cabinet’s green light. If approved, it will roll out between September and November. If not, well, that hammock in the jungle will have to wait for another budget initiative.
For now, Thailand is making a clear statement: it doesn’t just want tourists, it wants them to scatter across the map, pump cash into local economies, and fall in love with places that rarely make it to the Instagram reels.
It’s tourism as both stimulus and storytelling. And if it works, the next headline might not be about giveaways — but about travellers bragging they were first to “discover” Thailand’s less obvious corners.