TAT plans emergency budget for year-end foreign markets and flights
Thailand’s tourism authority plans to use emergency funds to support overseas markets, commercial and charter flights, and year-end events including EDC Phuket.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) plans to use part of its emergency budget to stimulate foreign markets and support flights during the final two months of 2026, as the conflict in the Middle East continues to affect travel sentiment.
TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said airlines were cutting flights to the Middle East, indicating that the situation remained unresolved. The agency plans to support all foreign markets and help maintain commercial and charter services.
The subsidy programme is expected to start in November after the latest meeting of the National Tourism Policy Committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Suphajee Suthumpun. It will set criteria similar to the previous Thailand Summer Blast scheme, including minimum load factors and whether routes are new.
The support could complement year-end events aimed at foreign tourists, including Vijit Chaophraya, Tomorrowland and EDC Phuket.
Thapanee said increasing services from short-haul markets would be easier because travellers could decide to visit Thailand more quickly. Chiravadee Khunsub, TAT deputy governor for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, said long-haul airlines faced greater difficulty adding capacity at short notice because most flights had been scheduled well in advance.
The TAT will assess the number of unbooked seats remaining on long-haul flights and work with airlines on joint promotions and deals for that capacity, Chiravadee said.
Thailand recorded 25.5 million foreign arrivals as of 31 October, down 4.6% from the same period a year earlier. The TAT’s target for 2026 is 33 million arrivals, leaving it needing more than 7 million additional visitors in less than two months.
