Tepid response to travel schemeTourists relax at Pattaya beach. Hotels have been warned not to increase room rates for the domestic tourism scheme. WICHAN CHAROENKIATPAKULThe domestic tourism stimulus scheme has registered a slow response from locals as limited supply and price gouging marked the first two days of booking, prompting the government to allowed non-licensed hotels to join the scheme this week. "It is too soon to say domestic tourism consumption is weaker because the 'We travel together' scheme just launched a few days ago," said Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the tourism and sports minister. The government will loosen the restrictions to three groups: hotels in the process of obtaining a licence; hotels that have an expired licence for less than one year; and small or boutique hotels that do not fit the hotel licence criteria.

Source: Bangkok Post July 20, 2020 23:14 UTC