The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is partnering with famous dating app Tinder to promote domestic trips for single tourists.
"Tourism connects people, and some people might end up being lifetime partners. Tourists can also help support tourism and the economy during tough times," said Thapanee Kiatphaibool, TAT deputy governor for tourism products and business.
The Single Journeys campaign consist of nine tourism routes: Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lop Buri-Saraburi, Udon Thani-Loei, Chumphon-Surat Thani, Phuket, Pattaya and Ayutthaya.
During the pilot programme, the TAT will introduce three tourism campaigns in December and January.
Starting on Dec 20, single tourists who would like to pray for a relationship can join a river cruise trip to visit nine holy temples by the river and have dinner on board. This project is a partnership with the dating application Tinder and Facebook page called Sneak Out.
For solo travellers who prefer travelling alone, the agency is also offering a secret island party at Koh Khai in Phuket on Jan 9, 2021.
TAT is also partnering with the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) for a one-day trip by train under the "Rod Fai Loi Nam" programme to Pasak Jolasid dam in Lop Buri, scheduled for Jan 23, 2021.
The Single Journey campaigns targeting singles will help drive 7 million domestic trips, generating at least 100 million baht in tourism income during the first quarter of next year, she said.
The TAT expects to raise awareness of this campaign via social media to more than 70 million engagements in the next three months.
Mrs Thapanee said throughout next year, the TAT and partners that include airlines and tour operators will offer more than 20 tourism routes nationwide for solo travellers that will be available on Sneakoutdeal, an online tourism platform.
Mrs Thapanee said after Thailand reported new local cases and a rise in hazardous PM2.5 dust levels in Bangkok and the North, factors which directly affect tourism sentiment, tourism operators would have to focus more on niche markets while maintaining stringent public health practices such as social distancing.
The domestic travel activities targeting those who would like to find relationships are not new products in Asia. Last month, EVA air, the largest carrier in Taiwan, launched a similar campaign for singles who want to board its planes and join speed dating on specially arranged flights.