The Tourism Authority of Thailand and partners launched convoys of coaches in Bangkok to encourage Thai people to visit regions to support bus operators in the post-COVID era.
TAT deputy governor for domestic marketing Thapanee Kiatphaibool said that the project covered 500 tour coaches which would bring tourists to provinces in the North, the South, the Central Plains and the East and would run until the end of October.
TAT handed out 10,000 baht per day per coach, but limited to 40,000 baht per coach, to tour firms for each inter-provincial trip that takes at least two days and one night.
Of the 500 coaches, tour programs were sold for 208 coaches and some of them were already operated for such trips from Sept 10.
Wasuchet Sophonsathian, president of the Thai Transportation Operators Association, said that about 40% of buses for irregular services, or about 15,000 vehicles, resumed their services and he hoped more of them would return to highways from next month onwards thanks to festivals.
Tourism promotions from the government sector was very helpful to the bus operators who had suffered economic problems for a long time, he said. (TNA)