Northern hoteliers urge govt to urgently disburse tourism stimulus subsidy

Under Rao Tiew Duay Kan, eligible travellers receive 40 per cent discount on hotel rooms and restaurants. They also receive an e-voucher when checking into a hotel as well as a 40-per-cent flight fare refund when they check out. The subsidy is capped at 2 million room nights, in which registrants must reserve a room at least 7 days in advance.

“We urge the government, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and the Tourism and Sports Ministry to look into the matter and disburse the subsidy as soon as possible, as hotel operators are shouldering operational costs while the number of tourists is yet to rise to the same level seen before the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.

La-Iad said that although the latest phase of the campaign has seen an underwhelming response, with 1.3 million rights claimed out of the 2 million available, hotel owners still need the subsidy promised by the government to keep their businesses afloat.

“We estimate that the total amount the government owes us could be more than 10 million baht,” she added.

A news source speculated that the reason why some hotels have not yet received the subsidy is because authorities are checking their business transparency. Some hotels are also reported to have ignored the campaign conditions by accepting more customers. One of the most-broken rules is letting travellers stay more than five days.