How the Thailand creator programme works: tiers, eligibility and limits

Who qualifies?

You need to be at least 18, run a primary channel (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or an equivalent blog audience) and own a blog or website. The website requirement applies to every applicant, Spotlight included, because the blog post with a link back to the experience is one of the deliverables that lasts longest. A link-in-bio page or a social profile does not count.

Tiers are decided by the primary channel alone. Followers spread across several platforms are not added together; tell us which channel carries your audience and we assess that one.

How many followers do I need?

Hosted tiers start at 150,000 followers. Rising, Established, Signature and Authority step up in nights, hotel class and how many activities are planned. The tier cards on this page list the exact inclusions for Thailand; they are read from the same data the agreement uses, so what you see is what gets written into your deal.

What we check before anything is confirmed

• Reach: follower count on the primary channel and whether it has grown in a believable way.
• Engagement quality: real comments from real accounts, not just totals.
• Audience geography: where your viewers are. It decides the disclosure rules you follow and how well Thailand fits your audience.
• Niche fit: whether what you want to film here matches what your channel is known for.
• Content quality: recent work, not your best post from three years ago.
• Your own website: that it is live and belongs to you.

What ends the conversation

Bought followers, engagement pods and past sponsorships that were not disclosed. Any one of these ends an application, whatever the follower count. We would rather host a smaller creator whose numbers are honest.

Under 150k: the Spotlight path

Below 150,000 followers we still reply, and we look case by case. When it works, Spotlight is normally a single activity or tour, such as a Bangkok evening food walk or a day on the water from Phuket or Krabi, without hotel or transfers. The deliverables, disclosure and website requirement are the same as for hosted tiers.

Over five million: Bespoke

Above five million followers we build the trip individually: length, hotels and itinerary are agreed with you, and the trip can cover more than one country in Asia where Explera operates.

What Explera provides, and what it never does

Explera provides hotel, transfers and activities on the ground in Thailand, according to your tier. It never provides flights, international or domestic, cash fees, visas or travel insurance. Insurance is mandatory and you upload proof before you travel. Personal extras, such as extra drinks, spa add-ons, souvenirs or upgrades nobody agreed, are paid by you.

Capacity and seasonality

We host a limited number of collaborations in Thailand each month, so good applications can still be scheduled for a later month. The dry season on the Andaman coast, roughly November to April, is also peak season for hotels and boats, and the weeks around New Year, Chinese New Year and Songkran fill early. Applying at least three weeks before travel is the minimum; more notice gives you better options.

Is it exclusive, and do you approve my content?

No to both. The collaboration is non-exclusive. We do not script or pre-approve your content. We check only the agreed tags, links and disclosure, and we may ask for a factual correction, for example a wrong price or a safety detail.

A value-of-hospitality letter, on request

If you need it for your own tax records, we can issue a letter stating the value of the hospitality provided. We do not give tax advice; ask your own adviser how hosted travel is treated where you are tax-resident.

Paid campaigns and commissioned content are a different thing and run through Explera's separate brand-collaboration desk, not this programme.