Get more stuff to travel as desperate Thailand dangles new benefits

Travelers can get more money to fly and spend at more places under the latest boost of a domestic travel subsidy.

A raft of changes and new benefits were approved Wednesday to further sweeten the pot and get people traveling under a program that has so far failed to draw a lot of interest. 

Now, the rebate for airline tickets is THB3,000 instead of THB2,000 for travel to selected destinations, and daily vouchers are up to THB900 from THB600 and can be used for more than just food and entrance fees. Want to hit the spa, get a massage or rent a car or charter a boat? Their use varies from vendor to vendor – some accept it in full; others only cover a portion of the cost.

The program, approved earlier this year for Thais 20 and up, was given a budget of THB22.4 billion (US$740 million), of which only a fraction has been distributed. It was also extended another…