Thailand’s tourism authority is preparing emergency measures to protect the industry from disruption linked to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, while also launching initiatives to boost domestic travel. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is coordinating with the private sector to establish a crisis “war room” and accelerate programmes aimed at sustaining visitor numbers. Officials say the strategy will combine airline support, domestic tourism incentives and new international marketing efforts. Get today's headlines by email TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said the agency is setting up a special task force to monitor and manage the situation closely. The task force will develop a Tourism Intelligence Dashboard to track indicators such as flights, oil prices, airline operating costs, load factors, seat management and market sentiment. These metrics will help authorities assess the potential impact on Thailand’s tourism sector. The agency is also preparing contingency plans in case the Middle East conflict continues for an extended period. Possible measures include soft loans for tourism operators who may face financial pressure if visitor numbers decline. Discussions have already taken place with Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) about reallocating flight slots returned by some airlines to other carriers interested in operating direct services to Thailand. According to Thapanee, Thailand is also attempting to position Suvarnabhumi Airport as a transit hub for flights from Europe that would normally pass through the Middle East. The strategy aims to help Thailand compete with major aviation hubs such as Shanghai while attracting additional international passengers. Authorities hope this will partially offset any loss of visitors from affected markets. To rebalance demand, TAT will increase focus on replacement markets, particularly short-haul destinations and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Additional emphasis will be placed on southern China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. The agency also plans to adopt a two-way tourism marketing strategy with partner countries to encourage travel in both directions. TAT intends to use remaining central budget funds from the Thailand Summer Blast scheme to support inbound flights and promote both major and secondary cities. At the same time, the authority plans to revive a “buy one, get one” campaign under which international tourists who purchase overseas travel packages to Thailand would receive a domestic trip funded by the government. The proposal will be resubmitted to the Cabinet for consideration. For the domestic market, TAT is exploring ways to link tourism incentives with the government’s “Let’s go halves Plus” programme. Officials say the aim is to ensure that the additional benefits directly support the tourism and service sectors during the current uncertainty. The Nation reported that Thapanee said early monitoring suggests some key markets remain stable despite the geopolitical tensions. “From our market sentiment monitoring, we have found that key markets such as the UK have been barely affected. Travellers still want to visit and view Thailand as a safe country,” she said. “If we have enough flight slots to support them, these tourists are ready to travel immediately,” she added. Picture courtesy of The Nation Join the discussion? Already a member? Adapted by ASEAN Now Nation 15 Mar 2026
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