5 hours ago, webfact said:

Every man, woman and child who enters Thailand from January 1st will have to pay 500 baht for the privilege.

He did the math in the BBN article saying that 1 million tourists would mean 500 million baht.

I am humbled. That man is a genius. Certified.

Wonder how long this plan will last. Will it make it to Friday?

 

Just the thing to discourage visitors and wipe out more of the tourist industry.

At the risk ofpointing out the bleedin' obvious, tourists come and they go. The same amount could be raised by increasing the departure tax instead. Too simple? 

500 baht per tourist is not going to get them out of their financial hole as nobody will becoming prior to the dropping of the silly regulation to get here !

 

I really do not have an issue with 500 baht, only about £10 to me and it wont break the bank. be honest I think they should make it 1000 baht and make all hospitals free for use on accidents and emergencies

 

 

On 9/16/2021 at 10:31 AM, Mac Mickmanus said:

Why did immigration suddenly notice her after all these years?

  Does someone want her "out the way" ?

How did her Husband die ?

What will happen to their business ?

Who will inherit it ?

 

5 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Gaining traction on some travel websites now also:

 

Thailand’s timing out on welcome tax

BANGKOK, 5 October 2021: The timing is out on Thailand’s announcement that it will impose an additional THB500 fee on foreigners entering the country sometime next year.

Someone has lost touch with the bellwether’s warning that travellers are fed up with the increased costs associated with a visit to Thailand. Yet it is about to add another cost, and it won’t go down well with leisure travellers keen to keep travel expenses down in the wake of Covid-19.

 

Thailand To Impose New Tourist Tax Next Year

The extra capital is also intended to help the country restructure its industry from mass tourism to a high-value economic model and environmentally concerned type of tourism. It’s also meant to help bankroll budget insurance offerings for foreign visitors and other development initiatives run by the government, rather than the private sector.

 

 

 

TAT pension plan.  

2 hours ago, placeholder said:

At current exchange rates that amounts to slighty less than US$15. It that's going to be an impediment to some people, they probably shouldn't be traveling at all.

 

There is this notion that everyone who doesn't agree with this is a cheap Charlie tourist or has their meals at 7/11.

 

One thing is for certain. 500 will not get going towards any improvements. If they were really serious they could start auctioning Joe Ferrari fleet and helping the tourist sector.

i think it is ok. I do not think i would charge kids but it is sure easier to count heads...really. Hate to ask for ID and age. The problem that they need to address is who, what , where, when the business get the money. I lived in Russia for 6 months. They did a similar thing. Distribution was problematic. The money went thru the political web and almost no one got the money (I mean not the right people got the money). actually, it was so 'difficult' that Putin personally got involved, selected distribution personnel (not political people or organizations), and made sure the people got the money. They DID!!!! A complete success as far as it was reported and Russian journalist are not easy pushovers.   

He did the math... May i borrow your calculator?

And discovered that 1 million  x 500 is 500 million

 

I for one am impressed!

Edited October 5, 20214 yr by ChrisKC
Typo

1 minute ago, ebean001 said:

i think it is ok. I do not think i would charge kids but it is sure easier to count heads...really. Hate to ask for ID and age. The problem that they need to address is who, what , where, when the business get the money. I lived in Russia for 6 months. They did a similar thing. Distribution was problematic. The money went thru the political web and almost no one got the money (I mean not the right people got the money). actually, it was so 'difficult' that Putin personally got involved, selected distribution personnel (not political people or organizations), and made sure the people got the money. They DID!!!! A complete success as far as it was reported and Russian journalist are not easy pushovers.   

 

Comparing Putin the legend to any Thai politician is useless. Long live USSR

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The money will be a fund to bail out tourism businesses hit by the pandemic. 

I own such a business and to this date, have not received any assistance what so ever in any shape or form. So does that mean i will be getting some from next year? 

aggh the golden goose stranglers are at it again!they have some gall....got plenty of money for Xis trains and subs but ....the biggest positive in their econ they wish to further dissolve,why not whatsapp southern germany and ask for a loan?

I see many people saying this will be built into the airline tickets, OK, so what about border crossings ? And adjoining neighbors; Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the rest of ASEAN ... will ASEAN agree to these charges ? Tourist ? ONLY ... what about business people and Foriegn residents coming and going, people like myself who mainly visit from Laos for medical treatment and alike ... we already pay 1000 baht if we have entered the Country twice in one year !!!!

It’s small money  but the strategy behind is usual thai. When business is bad put the prices up. They’re different ! 

6 hours ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

The funny thing is that we see the 700 baht departure tax + the 300 baht entry tax now (total 1000) as something outrageously Thai... but it is quite common for different countries to have these hidden fees that most people never see and never know about... (just the names differ).  Australia has a $45AUD tax for international flights out, Canada has up to a $45 Airport Improvement Fee (depending on airport you exit from),  UK has a fee that ranges from £13 and £194 (depending on class etc.).  If it makes you happy the Thai government could just call it a 1,000baht movement fee like Australia does (and the details of what it is for are buried in the budgets). 

Agree with this but the problem is the timing. 

Tax now and get little return as there are no tourists and fewer still on a tight budget. 

5 hours ago, kotsak said:

This follows the TIT logic, when business is down, increase the prices..  ????

Fewer people in the bar/restaurant -- put prices up to compensate!  It's Thai logic -- no surprise!

1 minute ago, Antifreeze said:

Agree with this but the problem is the timing. 

Tax now and get little return as there are no tourists and fewer still on a tight budget. 

Put the tax in now and it is almost like it was always there when people start traveling again... as for now, if you are on a tight budget you are not flying right now for tourism to Thailand period... so no loss there...

I think the 500 baht entry fee is the wrong way to go . Thailand has been toying on a entry fee for some time and now when there  need for tourists has never been greater  they decide . 

If they need extra income make the man in the photo redundant as that would be a definite  advantage for Thailand 

5 hours ago, smedly said:

I don't think the fee itself is the issue (we already pay 500b extra on every ticket)  - it is what they claim they will use it for 

 

now if it was going to be used as a collective fund to help distressed tourists who find themselves in medical limbo as suggested on here many times then at least those paying this money have a chance to benefit from it.

Umm...well considering the hoops "tourists" have to jump through to get to Thailand especially the now compulsory medical insurance, I fail to see how "tourists" are running up such huge unpaid medical fees and I for one cannot see the entrance fee of 500 baht contributing towards this "problem" if that's what it actually is. Unfortunately I feel as many people do on this forum, its just another money making scam to line the pockets of the corrupt. If it truly was to be used as intended there would already be fine details of what the financial shortcomings are created by tourists and the collapse of the tourist industry. This money WILL NOT go to where its most needed and will just be used to pave the way of getting the businesses controlled by those in power back up and running quickest.. Unfortunately I do not see it being enough of a deterrent to stop those wanting to come to Thailand from coming at least in the short term. Once other Asian countries get there act together and become more "appealing" to tourists, that's when your will see Thailand taking a back seat and then and only then, will Thailand see the error of it ways!!

Whether or not the concept is right, the timing certainly isn't. This should not be imposed until the other myriad of entry requirements are eased.

 

I don't know why they don't go the whole hog and reintroduce compulsory visas for tourists but in the modern manner i.e. no embassy visits, no stamp or sticker in the passport, just all done online with a digital visa attached to the passport in the way it's done for Australia, for example. Oops, forgot; this is Thailand and the system would be down more often than not!

6 hours ago, tonray said:

Yep...That'll bring em in !

Especially when they are already paying 700 baht exit tax which is taken from the airlines and passed onto the Thai government, but lets that quiet.

 

Wonder who's fund that is going into ?

 

So 1,200 baht both ways or $50 AUS for the privilege, wonder when the 7% VAT charge is also moving up to 10%, soon soon, maybe to coincide with this rip off ?

 

Would hate to be an operator in Thailand with these clowns at the wheel.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

He did the math in the BBN article saying that 1 million tourists would mean 500 million baht.

Boy, he's a smart cookie, no doubt about it.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Every man, woman and child who enters Thailand from January 1st will have to pay 500 baht for the privilege.

Yeh yeh, I'll believe that when it happens. What he failed to say was, "Every farang man, farang woman and farang child"! 

No one will notice unless they do it like they did with the original 500B departure tax, paid at another window at the airport adding to the time needed to check in. It was not convenient and left a bad taste as you left the country. 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

He did the math in the BBN article saying that 1 million tourists would mean 500 million baht.

Undisputed genius of mathematics ... 

Years ago Thailand had a 1000 baht exit tax for Thais and foreigners paid nowt.

1 minute ago, inThailand said:

No one will notice unless they do it like they did with the original 500B departure tax, paid at another window at the airport adding to the time needed to check in. It was not convenient and left a bad taste as you left the country. 

I remember that, was a right pia, as one usually ran down the amount of spare baht one had at the end of a hoiday, then suddenly you have to cough up 500 baht.

9 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Especially when they are already paying 700 baht exit tax which is taken from the airlines and passed onto the Thai government, but lets that quiet.

 

Wonder who's fund that is going into ?

 

So 1,200 baht both ways or $50 AUS for the privilege, wonder when the 7% VAT charge is also moving up to 10%, soon soon, maybe to coincide with this rip off ?

 

Would hate to be an operator in Thailand with these clowns at the wheel.

So sorry that it is so much AUD, can't blame Thailand for the Aussie Dollar being more like the Aussie Peso...   hey, at least it is now much closer to the Aussie Movement tax of $45 for flying international.  ????

Thailand from January 1st will have to pay 500 baht for the privilege. to rip you off

How much are Indonesia and Malaysia paying these clowns to sabotage Thai tourism?

6 hours ago, Kadilo said:

In the grand scheme of things no one is going to worry about an extra 500 baht to travel. Many countries already charge a fee to enter and some also have a tourist tax added to their stay. 

Yep just back from a few weeks in austria and switzerland..3,50 swiss fr a night for the hotels and same in euros for austria.