Domestic tourists spent more than 1.25 billion baht on hotel bookings during the fifth phase of the "We Travel Together" scheme, snapping up 560,000 room nights within four days.
Chon Buri was the most popular destination, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
Total expenditure on the scheme, which includes a 40% subsidy from the government, was recorded at 2 billion baht, generated for 3,583 hotel partners.
TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the transaction data from Krungthai Bank updated at 12pm on March 10 had Chon Buri as the most popular destination for the current phase, with expenditure totalling 368 million baht.
Second on the list was Prachuap Khiri Khan (278 million baht), followed by Phetchaburi (167 million), Trat (137 million) and Phuket (132 million), with Rayong, Chanthaburi, Bangkok, Krabi and Phangnga rounding out the top 10.
He said most of the top provinces were beach destinations as the eligible period runs until April 30, which is the summer holiday for domestic travellers.
The fifth phase of the programme opened for booking on March 7. Every room night privilege also receives a 600-baht e-voucher to spend at restaurants, spas or shops that join the programme.
The current phase removed airfare subsidies and the number of room nights were slashed to less than a million.
Mr Yuthasak said if tourists and tourism operators want this subsidy scheme to continue, spurring domestic consumption amid a sluggish economy, the agency will likely propose a new phase to the next government after the general election, which has been tentatively set for May 7.
However, some conditions should be improved to help propel income for secondary tourism destinations and small and medium-sized enterprises, he said. An effort should also be made to persuade tourists to travel more during the weekdays to avoid congestion, said Mr Yuthasak.
The fifth phase was allocated a budget of 2 billion baht and is expected to generate direct income tallying 9.2 billion baht.
The overall economic impact from all phases of the scheme is estimated at 58.6 billion baht. The government initiated the domestic subsidy in July 2020 in a bid to stimulate domestic consumption.
