BANGKOK: Due to registration system failures, Thailand has moved its 'Half-Half Thai Travel' scheme to a government app, with 1.4 million people already accessing their rights.
Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong on Friday (July 4) addressed the issues regarding the registration for the "Tiew Thai Khon La Krueng" (Half-Half Thai Travel) scheme during an appearance on Inside Thailand programme.
The scheme had faced multiple complaints about registration problems, leading to the decision to move the process to Thang Rath app.
Sorawong explained that, unlike previous phases of the travel co-payment scheme, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) had no access to a database of tourists or customers.
Past schemes used an app managed by Krungthai Bank, but this time, TAT developed a new app to collect data on Thai tourists for future initiatives.
The registration was initially set up through ThaiID, managed by the Ministry of the Interior, but faced major issues from the first day of registration (July 1, 2025), as users experienced access problems.
To address the issue, TAT decided to bypass the ThaiID system, allowing direct registration through TAT.
However, complications arose when people tried to book hotels, as registration required identity verification.
As of now, approximately 1.4 million people have successfully accessed the system, and over 20,000 bookings have been confirmed.
This new scheme differs from previous ones, as rights will only be activated once bookings are made and paid for.
Sorawong mentioned that, due to confusion among both operators and the public, the system may need to be temporarily suspended.
TAT may also switch to the Thang Rath app for identity verification, which would speed up the process.
“We plan to suspend the registration from today and will have TAT issue a public announcement,” Sorawong stated.
“However, this will not affect those who have already completed their registration. Our priority is transparency, as we acknowledge past issues with fraudulent registrations in previous schemes, and we apologise to the public. We will work to resolve this as quickly as possible.”
The registration platform, including the Amazing Thailand app, will be temporarily closed, and those wishing to claim their rights will have to do so via the Thang Rath app.
New registrations will not be accepted until the system is fully transferred, but those who have already registered and wish to book hotels can continue as planned. - The Nation/ANN
