Thai Tourism Ministry considers collecting tourism fees

[newcomer71]

Just when you think they reached the bottom, they relentlessly start to dig further...

[terminatorchiangmai]

i am considering also a fee for looking on my website first , then another fee for booking online.

What a wonderful world we living in.

[elgenon]

So the government, in its quest to increase tourism, has the idea to give more people the option to arrive without a visa. But they also have the idea of a fee for each tourist. Can you say "split personality"? Maybe a fee on tour packages would be less obvious. Though would not cover all tourists.

If the tourists are not worth having, just block tourism and be happy.

[NemoH]

Thailand has no clue on their tourism competitors. One next door coming up - Vietnam. Tourist should all go Vietnam or Okinawa for beach sun and drinks.

[Magenta408]

The retarded province of Alberta,Canada imposed a hotel tax; upfront and in your face. I wonder who gets that money? The same would apply with a "tourism tax" if you can call it that. Where would the money collected end up at?

[SupermarineS6B]

I wonder when they'll come up with the idea of using all those 800,000 bht retirement funds laid in Thai banks along with all that other Farang money in Thai banks....... "For the good of the country and the benefit of tourists".............  You just watch....... 

[emptypockets]

1 hour ago, Tracyb said:

“They have also requested more details of the plan to use fees collected for attraction renovation and insurance benefits.“

 

So they’ll drop the requirement for Non-IMM OA insurance?

Why would they do that? Old coffin dodgers living on the cheap should have insurance. Or go home.

[FalangJaiDee]

i think thailand is banking on the idea that their largest cohort of tourists (short term mongers) don't care what the price is because they're only staying for 2-3 weeks at a time. Considering the situation with women in the western world, I feel like farang are willing to pay any price for "Stream entry into the dharma". I could be wrong though. I don't thing any other neighboring SEA country has the infastructure and culture to rival Thailand. If someone can vouch for alternatives id LOVE to hear it.

[Thomas Hannah]

Stop crying about thailand.Do what i did and avoid the place,Spread the word to those who are thinking to go.Its not long before the chinese and indians find it to expencive.

[emptypockets]

50 minutes ago, faraday said:

Great idea!

 

But surely they should impose an 'Expat Financial Tariff' too?

 

I must admit, I didn't envisage anything as sensible as this from the gubmint.

 

 

 

 

You think an Expat Financial Tariff is sensible?

Major delusion apparent.

[Gracas]

They had better have a talk with the Health Minister first as he wants to kick all the farangs out, that would mean lost income for this next brilliant plan. Come on guys get your act together.

[Miami007]

Perfect time to suggest this.

 

[emptypockets]

40 minutes ago, waders123 said:

They have smaller/narrower sweeping/cleaning vehicles in Holland for use on the narrow streets there.  Perfect for the Soi. and tight to get places.  

Thanks for sharing.

[faraday]

2 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

You think an Expat Financial Tariff is sensible?

Major delusion apparent.

Oh Pockets, my dear man, do you not recognise sarcasm?

 

 

[Vacuum]

12 minutes ago, Magenta408 said:

Where would the money collected end up at?

Downpayment for another sub?

[waders123]

5 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Thanks for sharing.

You're welcome emptypockets....glad to be of service!

[emptypockets]

16 minutes ago, terminatorchiangmai said:

i am considering also a fee for looking on my website first , then another fee for booking online.

What a wonderful world we living in.

The same as most online services then.

[Skallywag]

4 hours ago, bendejo said:

 I guess after washing down Walking Street in Pattaya the question came up "now who is going to pay for it?"

Obviously a 10,000,000 baht project, at least, to pay for all those brooms. 

 

 

 

They need this all along beach road and second road also.  Cleaning and fixing all the sidewalk bricks and making it safe to walk and push strollers along the beach road promenade and sidewalks. 

Second, city managers need to get rid of the speed boat hawkers on the beach road promenade. Do not need the scruffy, fat, unprofessional speed boat hawkers and their messy ways getting in everyone's faces.  Blocking the promenade with their cheap plastic chairs and drinking lao kao and chang and eating meals on the benches reserved for sitting on on makeshift tables they threw together.    These guys are a nuisance and just look like <deleted>. Some actually sit on the empty plastic gas containers smoking .

Simple solution, have the beach chair vendors incorporate speed boat trips at their establishments. 

Third, put in more benches, I mean really, how much can that cost.  The lovely ladies at night have to stand for hours, so by the time they get a customer, their legs are too tired to perform  555 

Peace✌️

[Surelynot]

Genius has its limits, but stupidity knows no bounds.

[ThailandRyan]

Just spoke to two American Ex-Pat friends of mine who reside here in BKK.  Seems this is the final straw, they had been both looking at Panama before today, but now have decided to make the move the beginning of next month. They also indicated on a visit there in December they were welcomed very warmly and felt the place was safer by far, as well as being the same type of weather, yet closer to their children in the US.

[Farangwithaplan]

2 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

Nobody should be surprised. That's Thai logic.

 

When I started to stay long time in Thailand ages ago, I lived in a nice small hotel for six month.

When I came back next time the place was sharply going down. Less clean, less staff, less maintenance -  but more expensive.

I asked the owner about that and he told me:

"Well, we have not so many customers now. so we had to increase our prices".

 

A year or so later the hotel was closed and for sale. I don't know what the owner made after that. He might have become an advisor to the Toursim Ministry.

That is a legitimate accounting method of pricing. You can use either bottom up or top down pricing models. This is not just a thai thing - it is an accounting thing. Both models have benefits and downsides.

 

https://www.mbaskool.com/business-concepts/marketing-and-strategy-terms/11864-bottom-up-pricing.html

 

 

As for the fee. If they need it, they need it. I just hope it is incurred seemlessly in a plane ticket or bus ticket and doesn't go back to the additional fee that needed to be paid separately at the airport as others have mentioned. That was tedious and upsets tourists. By burying it in another fee, noone really cares.

 

A 24000 baht ticket seems very close to a 24500 baht ticket for an airflight to another major region.

Edited February 10, 2020 by Farangwithaplan

[emptypockets]

5 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

They need this all along beach road and second road also.  Cleaning and fixing all the sidewalk bricks and making it safe to walk and push strollers along the beach road promenade and sidewalks. 

Second, city managers need to get rid of the speed boat hawkers on the beach road promenade. Do not need the scruffy, fat, unprofessional speed boat hawkers and their messy ways getting in everyone's faces.  Blocking the promenade with their cheap plastic chairs and drinking lao kao and chang and eating meals on the benches reserved for sitting on on makeshift tables they threw together.    These guys are a nuisance and just look like <deleted>. Some actually sit on the empty plastic gas containers smoking .

Simple solution, have the beach chair vendors incorporate speed boat trips at their establishments. 

Third, put in more benches, I mean really, how much can that cost.  The lovely ladies at night have to stand for hours, so by the time they get a customer, their legs are too tired to perform  555 

Peace✌️

Nothing more sad to see is an old bloke with a stroller. What were they thinking? I'm such a proud 70 year old with my new baby who, in all likelihood, I won't see finishing primary school. Very sad. And pathetic. Get a vasectomy.

[emptypockets]

4 minutes ago, faraday said:

Bit rude.

 

 

How so? Merely a statement.

Edited February 10, 2020 by emptypockets

[murikamba]

4 hours ago, bangkokfrog said:

Foreigners already pay "tourism fees" in the form of dual pricing.

Dual pricing where? Never paid any dual pricing. I live in Bangkok and almost every week go to RCA clubs to pick up Thai girls for a one-night-stand. Never paid any dual pricing.  Bought a car and the price I paid is the same as they advertised in Mall display, so assuming price is the same for Thais also.

[Gweiloman]

Many countries charge various types of taxes for various services. 
 

Italy charges a room tax of Euro3-5 pppn for foreigners. This is often paid on checkout and on top of the price of the room. They also charge an entrance tax for coaches going into the cities.

Austria charges a highway tax for non Austrian registered vehicles. 
 

From reading the article, the Ministry is reviewing the state of the industry and asking for ideas and opinions going forward. One of the ideas being proposed is some sort of tourist tax. Nothing wrong in proposing ideas, no matter how ridiculous they might sound at first. That’s just good management practice. SWOT, risk management and cost benefit analysis will be carried out and ideas and changes will be implemented ad befits the situation. 
 

Many posters here were not previously involved in running a country or in senior positions in multinationals. I can understand that they don’t realise what’s involved at the sharp end of the stick. 

[smedly]

35 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Except, of course, China has banned group tours.

nonsense 

[Skallywag]

1 minute ago, emptypockets said:

Nothing more sad to see is an old bloke with a stroller. What were they thinking? I'm such a proud 70 year old with my new baby who, in all likelihood, I won't see finishing primary school. Very sad. And pathetic. Get a vasectomy.

Have you been to Pattaya lately.  Many Russian, Indian, Chinese families in their 20-30's with babies strolling the beach road promenade.  Yes I do still see the occasional elder caucasian gentleman with a 30's thai wife and baby stroller also.  It is a "family" destination, haven't you heard? 555

[outsider]

3 hours ago, ukrules said:

<deleted>, these morons can't come up with anything better than this?

 

The whole country is literally going to sh@t and they are talking about charging more ????????????

 

LOL Typical mentality here, no? Business is bad - raise prices

 

[faraday]

2 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

How so? Merely a statement.

Of course it was.

 

You know that if you say 'Oranges' very slowly, it sounds like the word 'Gullible'?

 

Try it, I'm certain you'll understand.

 

Have a wonderful day.

[kevin612]

You better provide free medical  cost in return for those who are sick.