Thailand Approves Travel Tax Breaks to Boost Tourism

Thailand's cabinet approved five targeted measures to boost domestic tourism in the final quarter and help lift growth above 2.2% amid weaker accommodation and food services. The package runs Oct. 29–Dec. 15 and includes a personal income tax deduction for domestic travel of up to 20,000 baht with invoice rules and higher deduction multipliers for 55 designated secondary provinces, corporate tax deductions for seminars and training, front‑loaded budget disbursements for official meetings, tax incentives for hotel renovations, and an extended excise‑tax cut for entertainment venues. Officials said the measures aim to spur consumer spending, spread visitors to secondary destinations and create a positive spending atmosphere ahead of the holidays. The Bangkok Post estimated the personal‑travel scheme could benefit about 140,000 people and generate roughly 2.8 billion baht in spending, while other outlets cited potential gains around 5 billion baht. Finance permanent secretary Lavaron Sangsnit noted domestic tourism makes up about 24% of private consumption and 14% of GDP and warned it could contract this year without intervention.