The Tourism and Sports Ministry is proposing a 240-million-baht budget to the cabinet for holding Songkran celebrations in April, aiming to generate 40-50 billion baht in revenue based on a 10-20% uptick from 1.5 million visitors last year.
The ministry also plans to start collecting the 300-baht tourism tax during the high season in the final quarter.
Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong said with festivals and events spanning the whole year, the tourism industry should not have a low season.
The government announced on Wednesday the "Thailand Summer Festival", with festivals and events running from March until September to generate consistent revenue for the period.
Mr Sorawong said roughly 1.5 million tourists visited Thailand during the Songkran festival last year.
The ministry wants to increase the number of visitors by 10-20% to generate 40-50 billion baht during the holiday this year.
The government will host the Maha Songkran World Water Festival between April 11-15 in Bangkok. The cabinet would consider a 240-million-baht budget prepped for this project next week.
The Culture Ministry also will hold Songkran celebrations in 17 other provinces across the nation, banking on the festival's reputation as a Unesco intangible heritage.
For the yearly target, he said the government would like to draw 39 million foreign tourists with 3.5 trillion baht revenue.
The seven-month celebration includes pride events, cultural showcases, music festivals, sports, food and creative events, such as the River Pride of Bangkok 2025, MotoGP in Buri Ram, the International Kite Festival in Pattaya and the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship.
Earlier this week, Mr Sorawong attended the National Tourism Policy Committee meeting, in which they discussed the launch of the online TM6 immigration system in May.
This online system will be integrated with the 300-baht tourism tax, which the government plans to start in the fourth quarter, he said.
Mr Sorawong said the same tax rate should apply to all modes of transport -- air, land and sea -- but it might allow multiple entries for land and sea travellers with only a one-time payment.
He said the scheme should not impact tourism sentiment, and many ambassadors said they welcomed it as it offers insurance for tourists.
The ministry would also ask the cabinet for a central budget worth 3.5 billion baht to run the co-payment domestic tourism programme, subsidising 50% of travel expenses, such as on hotels and restaurants, for 1 million local tourists from May to September.
The programme might include online travel agents as well as direct bookings from hotels.
