Travel app in Thailand experiences chaos on its debut, leading to system failures and user inconvenience.
The much-anticipated "Tiew Thai Khon La Krueng 2025" (Half-Half Thai Travel) campaign, launched on July 1, 2025, aimed to invigorate domestic tourism by offering 500,000 co-payment subsidies for hotel stays. However, the campaign faced significant technical issues and disruptions from its opening day.
**Campaign Status**
Thai nationals aged 18 and over were eligible to register for the subsidies via the Amazing Thailand app and the official website. As of July 2, only a small fraction of the 500,000 entitlements had been claimed (about 1,959), leaving the vast majority of subsidies unclaimed. Registration and bookings have been heavily disrupted, with many leading hotels suspending participation and halting reservations under the scheme.
**Root Causes of the Technical Issues**
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) apologised for a technical failure that made the registration system inaccessible starting at 8 a.m. on launch day. Persistent technical faults affected the operator interface on the Amazing Thailand app, complicating hotel participation. A critical issue was discrepancies between room rates submitted by hotels and those actually displayed in the booking system, leading hotels such as Amari Hua Hin to suspend bookings while awaiting solutions. These pricing mismatches, combined with app glitches, caused several top hotels to temporarily pull out or suspend reservations, severely disrupting the scheme's implementation.
**Addressing the Issues**
Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong urged patience to the public. He confirmed that each registrant is entitled to five travel subsidies, totaling 500,000. The government subsidises travel expenses for the campaign, and the TAT states that registration is not capped. However, as of Tuesday evening, the system was still inaccessible with no clear timeline for restoration.
Mr. Sorawong did not mention any timeline for the restoration of the system, but he reassured the public that their entitlements to discounts and vouchers for low-season travel remain secure. The project had reportedly been in preparation since early this year, and the backend systems were ready by March.
**Public Response**
The "Tiew Thai Khon La Krueng" travel campaign site was flooded with registrations on its opening day on Tuesday. More than 700,000 users attempted to verify their identity via ThaID, which can handle 100 verifications per hour. Mr. Nataphol Tovichakchaikul, a People's Party MP for Chiang Mai, criticised the technical failures surrounding the campaign. He noted the inconvenience caused to the public due to the system's inaccessibility as of Tuesday evening.
The travel campaign was designed to spur domestic tourism and support the hotel business. Registrants can access the Thai website www.เที่ยวไทยคนละครึ่ง.com or the Amazing Thailand app to register for travel subsidies. The travel period for using the subsidies is from July 4 to October 31, 2025. Despite the initial setbacks, the TAT remains optimistic about the campaign's potential to boost domestic tourism and support the hotel industry.
- The technical issues and disruptions experienced by the "Tiew Thai Khon La Krueng 2025" campaign have raised concerns about the use of technology in general-news sectors, particularly in finance, such as online registration systems and app interfaces.
- The ongoing technical issues with the Amazing Thailand app and the campaign's website have also highlighted the importance of ensuring the smooth coordination between submitted room rates by hotels and the displayed prices in the booking system, as discrepancies can lead to disruptions and financial losses for both hotels and consumers.
