Sputtering Growth Blunts Thai Efforts to Revive Domestic Tourism

The Star Clipper sailing cruise ship in Ko Kradan.Photographer: Sergio Pitamitz/VWPics/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

The southern Thailand coastal province of Trang boasts lush islands and an emerald cave but has long been overshadowed by neighboring foreign tourist hotspots Phuket and Krabi.

The government, as part of an effort to stimulate the economy, wants to change that, by providing tax incentives to jumpstart domestic travel, particularly to second-tier provinces.