Thailand puts EV road trips at the centre of a new tourism campaign

Thailand is turning the road trip itself into a tourism attraction. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and ZEEKR Thailand have launched a six-month campaign called "Amazing Thailand in ZEEKR Luxury Way," which runs from August 2026 to February 2027. It is the first time the national tourism body has built a campaign of this kind together with an electric vehicle company, and the idea is simple: show travellers how much of the country opens up when the route between places becomes part of the trip.

The campaign is organised around a content series named "Travel the ZEEKR Way." Instead of presenting electric cars through test drives or technical demonstrations, the series places them inside full travel journeys that link transport, accommodation, attractions, food and time spent with local communities. ZEEKR Thailand supplies the vehicles, while TAT selects the routes and experiences that reflect the character of each area. The stories will be published through Osotho magazine and TAT's own channels, with contributions from creator groups known as The Zecret Revealer, The Zecret Insider and The Zecret Visualizer.

Four themes shape the routes. Northern Escape looks at the mountains, waterways, Lanna architecture and craft traditions of the north, with Chiang Mai as a familiar starting point. Isaan Stories heads into the northeast, a region rich in festivals, food and community life that sees fewer visitors than Bangkok or Phuket. Southern Serenity uses the coastlines and islands of the south for slower, wellness-minded journeys. Urban Retreat stays closer to Bangkok, uncovering neighbourhoods and day trips that sit just outside the busiest districts.

The project fits TAT's "Value over Volume" direction, which measures success by the benefit tourism brings to travellers, communities and businesses rather than by arrival numbers alone. It also connects to the authority's "Travel with Care" approach and its Bio-Circular-Green Economy goals, since electric vehicles can lower emissions on the kind of overland trips the campaign promotes. Much of the expected value comes from spreading spending toward smaller towns, where visitors pay for local rooms, meals, guides, crafts and transport.

The numbers behind the effort are substantial. For 2026 Thailand is aiming for 202.42 million domestic trips and 1.07 trillion baht in domestic tourism revenue, part of a combined domestic and international target of 2.65 trillion baht. Road-based travel is a practical way to reach that goal, because it can move visitors beyond the airport-to-resort pattern and into places that rarely appear on a standard itinerary.

For independent travellers, a campaign like this is a reminder of how flexible a self-drive holiday in Thailand can be. This is where a service like Balm Rentals fits naturally alongside the wider effort. Balm is a marketplace for renting bikes, scooters and cars in Thailand, built for tourists who want clear pricing, deposits and terms shown before they pay, the app in their own language, and legal, vetted rental partners in one place across iOS and Android. The aim is to make the practical side of a road trip easier, so more of the trip can be spent on the road and in the destinations themselves.

TAT has not yet released full itineraries, charging stops or vehicle details, and says travellers should watch its official channels and Osotho for route maps as the series rolls out. What is already clear is the direction. Thailand is inviting visitors to slow down, drive between regions and treat the journey as part of the destination.