Thailand Wants You Back—And They’re Paying for Your Flight

If you're an avid traveler, then Thailand would definitely be one of the places on your bucket list. The pretty beaches of Phuket or maybe the glittering temples of Bangkok—Thailand sure has its charm.

You want the best time to travel Thailand? It's definitely the cool season, around November. But if you wanna travel for free? It's definitely between—

Wait, what? Did I just say traveling for free? In this economy?

Haven’t you heard about Thailand's new tourism campaign? They've just announced 200,000 free domestic flights for international visitors arriving between September and November 2025. I'm not kidding. You see, Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry was pretty bored with foreign travelers always visiting the big three destinations, and it didn’t generate a lot of revenue for them, especially during the low season. So they came up with this incredible plan to nudge travelers into lesser-known gems like Ayutthaya, Isaan, and Sukhothai.

So how exactly does this work?
First, you have to show proof of your international flight into Thailand. (Sorry, boat and bus travelers, you sadly don’t qualify.) The government will then cover up to 1,750 baht (about $53) for one-way flights and 3,500 baht ($107) for round-trips. Pretty sweet, huh? But it gets even better. Every free ticket includes 20kg of baggage allowance, which means you're going to have plenty of room for souvenirs.

Don't worry, this offer isn't limited to one or two airlines. In fact, six airlines—Thai Airways, Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air, and Thai Vietjet—are all taking part. So many airlines will guarantee that you get on one of the flights to these exotic places.

Honestly, it’s a total win-win. You get to travel, and the government cashes in big time. How big, you ask? Well, they’ve put THB 700 million (about $21 million) on the table to fuel this scheme. In return, they’re expecting at least THB 8.8 billion ($271 million) in tourism revenue. Yep, that’s a 12x return. And if you count the indirect perks? We’re talking up to THB 21 billion.
In short, everyone’s luggage comes back heavier—yours with souvenirs, theirs with cash.

Well… not everyone’s luggage. This scheme is strictly for foreigners and international bookings. Thai citizens and residents, sorry—they'll have to sit this one out. Still, free trips are pretty generous.

But Thailand didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to be generous, there was a reason. Tourism numbers have hit a bit of turbulence, which led the Bank of Thailand to cut its 2025 forecast from 39 million visitors to 33 million. So their fix is a free-flight plan in hopes of smoothing out that landing and bringing more travelers back onboard. I think they're in the right direction. Free trips? Who wouldn't sign up for that?

I don’t know about you, but free airfare and endless adventure? That feels like Thailand’s way of saying: “Come on over.” And honestly…I’ve already started packing my bags.