On 3 December 2025, the ThaiCI Fund, under collaboration between GIZ and the Environmental Fund of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), joined forces with partner agencies including the Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE), Thailand Travel Authority (TTA) and Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion (OSMEP) to transform the tourism business towards sustainability and support Thailand’s national greenhouse gas reduction targets. This was marked by the launch of the second phase of the call for proposals for hotels (SMEs); the press conference was held at the Century Hotel.

Timo Menniken, Director of GIZ Thailand, congratulated Thailand on advancing its greenhouse gas reduction targets and its commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, and expressed pride that GIZ had been a long-term partner of Thailand in driving decarbonisation efforts and advancing a nature-positive pathway. The launch of the second phase of the call for proposals for hotel SMEs, implemented under the ThaiCI Fund in collaboration with ONEP’s Environmental Fund, focuses on greenhouse gas reduction measures aligned with ‘Thailand Taxonomy’ and the Green Hotel Plus standard. This fund is an important source of green finance that promotes sustainability across the economy, and will play a crucial role in the development of future climate finance mechanisms, with potential for further expansion to support biodiversity conservation in the future.

Bannarak Sermthong, Secretary-General of ONEP, added that the climate has changed significantly, resulting in widespread negative impacts on lives and property, as well as economic downturns. These challenges require measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, along with the restoration of natural resources and forest ecosystems to enhance greenhouse gas absorption – objectives that are already central to the mandate of ONEP. In this regard, access to international sources of finance such as the ThaiCI Fund, implemented under the Environmental Fund of ONEP, will play a key role in promoting greenhouse gas emission reductions across multiple sectors in Thailand. The current initiative focuses on the hotels sector (SMEs), with the aim of promoting sustainable tourism in Thailand. Financial support will be provided at a rate of up to 50% (capped at 1 million baht per hotel) to encourage an increase in green or eco-friendly hotels and to build confidence among tourists that their accommodation is environmentally responsible.

The launch event also featured a panel discussion entitled ‘Opportunities and Challenges toward Green Hotel Standards’, moderated by Pimkarn Kattiyavong from GIZ. Panellists included representatives from the DCCE, ONEP, TAT, OSMEP, Thai Hotels Association, and Advanced Energy Plus Co., Ltd. In addition, the event exhibitions were presented by relevant public agencies, including the DEDE, OSMEP and TAT, as well as private sector technology providers for energy efficiency in hotels. These technologies included heat pumps, waste heat recovery from air-conditioning systems for hot water production, building energy management systems, and eco-friendly technologies for organic waste treatment from hotels.

The second phase of the call for proposals is open until 30 January 2026 and aims to provide grant support of 50%, up to a maximum of 1 million baht per hotel. The scope of activities eligible under the call for proposals includes energy measures such as the installation of solar panels, solar water heating systems and the replacement of refrigerators or minibar units, as well as waste management measures such as waste segregation for recycling and the conversion of organic waste into compost. For further information or enquiries regarding proposal submission, please contact the Environmental Fund Division, ONEP via https://shorturl.asia/YLFuQ.