Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry has proposed giving away domestic plane tickets to 200,000 international travellers flying into the country between September and November
Thailand’s officials are attempting to ease the country’s overtourism problems by handing out thousands of free flights.
In a novel approach to the issue of overcrowding, Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry has proposed giving away domestic plane tickets to 200,000 international travellers flying into the country between September and November.
The idea is to encourage holidaymakers to visit the Southeast Asian country during the low season and to head to parts of Thailand that are less well populated by tourists. To qualify, you’ll need an international flight ticket (arrivals by boat or bus don’t count). In return, the government will cover one-way domestic flights up to 1,750 baht (£40) and round-trips up to 3,500 baht (£80).
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The ‘Buy International, Free Thailand Domestic Flights’ campaign is designed to spread tourist numbers out, moving them from Bangkok and Chiang Mai to less well-trodden areas such as the northeastern Isaan region, historical sites like Sukhothai and Lampang, the northern lake town of Phayao, and less-developed islands such as Koh Kood and Koh Jum.
So far, six airlines have signed up to the scheme. They are Thai Airways, Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air, and Thai Vietjet. Each free ticket even comes with 20kg of baggage, meaning you won’t be stung by add-ons and you can bring back plenty of souvenirs.
The scheme is yet to be approved by the Thai government’s cabinet, although it is expected that this will happen soon. If you’ve already booked a flight to the country, you won’t be able to claim the free ticket, so it may be worth holding off until the policy is completely in place.
When it comes to the impact of overtourism, often the total number of visitors to a country is less of an issue than how they are distributed and what they end up doing on their holiday.
Noel Josephides, chairman of family‑owned tour operator Sunvil, recently told me how he sees all-inclusive resorts as one of the biggest threats to the sun-drenched destinations so loved by British holidaymakers.
Mr Josephides refuses to work with all‑inclusives “on principle” and argues that they suck money out of local communities and funnel it towards large multinationals. Local, independent business owners simply can’t compete with the buying power of the big chains, which encourage holidaymakers to stay on‑site rather than going out into the community to spend their cash.
This is not only a major cause of resentment among locals, but it keeps holidaymakers from truly experiencing the destination they’re in, Mr Josephides argues. “It’s a product that doesn’t really encourage access to local facilities. We know in places like Cyprus and Greece, restaurants have shut down because of all‑inclusives,” he said.