Frustrated hotels ditch glitchy travel scheme for DIY Thai deals
Low season stimulus falls flat as glitches, delays, and red tape drive hoteliers to go solo
Thai hotels are losing patience with the government’s troubled Half-Half travel scheme, ditching the red tape and launching their own “Thai Price” promotions after weeks of chaos and low results.
Launched on July 1, the highly touted campaign aimed to revive domestic tourism during the low season (July–October) by covering up to 50% of hotel room costs. But just three weeks in, hotels report system failures, unclear rules, and a lack of bookings. The clunky registration platform accepts only cash payments — a major turn-off in today’s digital world.
“Hotels are facing new problems every day — glitches, unclear instructions, and no guarantee we’ll get paid,” said Thienprasit Chaipatranand, President of the Thai Hotels Association (THA). “It’s too risky. Many of us are pulling out until the system works.”
Frustrated hoteliers in popular destinations like Pattaya, Rayong, Samui, and Khao Yai are pivoting to their promotions. Slightly pricier than government-subsidised stays, the new “Thai Price” packages are simpler — and more popular with locals.
One Surat Thani hotelier admitted: “We waited for bookings through the scheme. Nothing. Now we’ll just promote directly — no apps, no approvals, no mess.”
Many travellers are also skipping the scheme entirely, favouring easier deals on apps like Agoda and Booking.com.
“Even with the 500-baht coupons, people prefer app prices,” said a Hua Hin hotel operator. “It’s fast, easy, and usually cheaper.”
The numbers support this shift. Out of 500,000 entitlements, just 193,797 had been used as of July 19, with over 300,000 unclaimed. While 1.86 million people registered, system bugs and delays discouraged actual bookings, Pattaya Mail reported.
Top destinations so far include Chon Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, and Bangkok. But hoteliers say that without major fixes, the scheme is losing steam fast.
Tourism Minister Sorawong Thienthong insisted: “This is a great chance to travel cheaply and support local businesses.”
He added that six new stimulus campaigns worth nearly 4 billion baht are awaiting approval.
But unless future programmes address user frustrations and prioritise convenience, the tourism sector may keep going it alone — and thriving without the government’s help.
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