Tour bus incentive by TAT hoped to spur domestic tourism

In their latest effort at pumping up domestic tourism numbers, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is teaming up with bus operators to send out convoys of coaches around the country. The TAT hopes commissioning over 500 tour buses will not only put to work bus drivers and other associated workers but also spur interest for Thai people to hop on a coach and go explore different regions of the country.

The plan is the latest in many by the TAT to try to grow domestic tourism while international travellers are still slowly returning to Thailand after the Covid-19 global pandemic. The tour buses have received financial incentives from the TAT to operate tour routes in the north, south, east, and centre of the country, according to the Deputy Governor for domestic marketing of the TAT.

Tour operators will receive 10,000 baht per day for each bus route they operate. These routes should take Thai tourists on at least an overnight journey, with a minimum requirement of one night and two days per trip. The TAT did set some limits though, offering a maximum of 40,000 baht per bus.

The plan has already been put into action, and the first of these sponsored and incentivised bus trips took place on September 10. Some 208 buses out of the 500 available coaches have had tour programs already created and sold.

The Thai Transportation Operators Association president commented that about 15,000 vehicles have now gone back into service after the pandemic. This represents about 40% of the fleet that usually operates irregular services like tours and custom trips.

He applauded the efforts of the TAT for helping bus operators, saying that the pandemic had pushed them into economic hardship for years. Now he hopes that tour buses will once again become a common sight on highways and roads throughout Thailand, especially with many high-profile upcoming festivals.

SOURCE: Thai News Agency MCOT