Surachak revealed that the "Thai Teaw Thai Plus" scheme will be submitted to the Cabinet on 22 September, offering 1 million rights to support accommodation costs and product purchases, with strict controls to prevent hotels from opportunistically raising prices. Registration will be in October, and rights can be used from November 2026 to 28 February 2027.
At 10:55 a.m. on 11 September 2026 at the Government House, Surachak Phanjaroenworakul, Minister of Tourism and Sports, spoke about progress on the "Thai Teaw Thai Plus" project, which aims to stimulate the economy in Q4 this year and Q1 next year. The government will support domestic travel by subsidizing accommodation costs, providing up to 2,000 baht per right, paid as a flat rate. If accommodation prices exceed this, the government covers only 2,000 baht; the remainder is paid by travelers. If accommodation costs less, reimbursement is for the actual amount.
Surachak added that another component is coupons valued at 1,500 baht per right in major cities and 2,000 baht in secondary cities. These function like the Co-payment program, with the government covering 50% and tourists paying 50%. The coupons extend to more tourism operators beyond restaurants, including spas, souvenir shops, massage services, and tourism packages like diving and boat trips. This phase will offer 1 million rights, with each person able to use a maximum of 5 rights.
Surachak said registration will be in October, with usage from November 2026 until 15 December 2026. Use will be suspended during the New Year for one month and resume from 16 January 2027 through 28 February 2027, totaling a three-month period.
Surachak expects the project to be presented to the Cabinet on 22 September, using a loan budget of 4 billion baht, and anticipates it will stimulate over 20 billion baht in economic circulation.
When asked about measures to monitor and prevent opportunistic accommodation price increases, Surachak said the Ministry of Finance has designed a system to prevent such price hikes. Previous tourism stimulus schemes provided up to 3,000 baht per right as lump-sum payments, which led to complaints about price inflation. This program continues from prior phases under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's government, which has blacklisted about 1,000 operators and tourists for abuse. The latest phase found 4 offenders, indicating reduced fraud.
Surachak added that anti-fraud measures include requiring accommodation operators to submit price verification documents upon registration. Prices differ between low and high seasons; November, the program's start month, is high season, and prices must not exceed those of the previous year. Operators must display prices to prevent hikes during the program. Tourism police will respond to reports of price increases. The Ministry of Finance believes the flat-rate subsidy discourages price hikes, serving as an effective deterrent during the program.