Tourists and locals walk along popular backpacker destination Khao San Road. File photo.

 

By Jonathan Fairfield

 

The Thai government recently announced plans to collect a 300 baht fee from each international visitor.

 

The fee will be collected from April and will be added to the tax when a visitor purchases an airline ticket to Thailand.

 

The revenue generated from the fee will be used for infrastructure improvements and tourist insurance coverage.

 

The insurance coverage will be provided in the way of a central fund which will be used in the event a tourist gets sick, has an accident or requires medical treatment in the event they do not have private medical insurance.

 

Full story: https://www.huahintoday.com/hua-hin-news/how-does-thailands-300-baht-tourism-tax-compare-to-other-countries/

 

-- © Copyright Hua Hin Today 2022-02-07

 

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when the 300 baht is roughly 10% of the one PCR test who cares, and there're more than one test, so in the sachem of things 300 baht is moot issue...

Why not actually, IF we could be sure that the money was used in a proper way as described above... 

Isn't there another 500 baht already built into air fares. We used to pay it in cash at the airport.

I don't mind paying tourists tax if they get rid of dual pricing.....

so pandemic is used as a backdoor for taxing, supposedly for medical care. 
not so. 
From those 300b only 20% will go for health insurance ie 60b. 
same 20% goes for administrative cost running this scam - serves impoverished tourists as much as civil servants getting their inflated wages. 
the rest 60% suppose to go for tourism infrastructure, which might again be just more income for tourism moguls getting their share of free money. 
From April, just after my 2 covid specific insurances expire, I would not say at private hospital, that i have 3mln health policy with 300k deductible. 
i would ask to be put at the governmental hospital for a very moderate fee 2k per night plus medicines. If it comes free that would be even better. 
i would refuse up to 300k rip off by private hospitals with an additional up to 3500% mark up on favinopavir

An entrance fee for a country is a bit strange so to say..an the money will not be used as they say it is..... Besides there is already tax in the tickets included... If you want tourists welcome them as guests and not as walking wallets.. I know 300 THB is not so much, but count everything... expensive taxis, double pricing, and many more things because tourists are not Thai... That is bad for tourism

In the not too distant past Thailand had a 500 baht tourist tax, so 300 is not too bad.

I think it’s 500+300 so it’s really 800 and the reality is a very very very small amount of that is for the Health the rest of it I believe goes into a few of the big guys pockets this is Thailand come on guys

8 minutes ago, Card said:

In the not too distant past Thailand had a 500 baht tourist tax, so 300 is not too bad.

 'Exit Fee' is what I thought it was called; now included as an item in the air ticket. In some ways I hope Thailand does wreck it's tourism industry, I don't depend on it  

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The revenue generated from the fee will be used for infrastructure improvements and tourist insurance coverage.

The latter yet to be seen to be believed?

4 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

The latter yet to be seen to be believed?

Whatever happens, they will still be determined to chase after required scam insurance. They want the "health insurance tax" as well as the health insurance requirement. 

Rewarding poor performance. A classic case of how not to operate. The tourists who does not have insurance for what ever reason is now being subsidised by the one who pays for insurance when they book a holiday. So if I have insurance can I join the free queue and not pay my excess on my insurance policy or do I get hit three times. 1. Thai tax. 2 Insurance premium 3. Insurance excess. Great Thai logic.

So are tourists no longer required to have travel insurance from April 1? And what if they have an accident here, will the really be covered in full? If that is really the case, this is huge - "Come to Thailand and crash your scooter - we got you covered! Amazing Thailand." This is great PR and I would fully support that. No more GoFundMe campaigns from careless backpackers.

 

What about Thai people returning from an overseas trip? Are they also subject to this tax? I've definitely not read anything saying they are exempt.

 

Same goes for long-term foreign residents. We live here, we pay taxes, we have health insurance already.

 

From information I read when this tax was first announced, the "tourism infrastructure" portion of the fee was going to be mostly allocated to the private sector. What could possibly go wrong with that idea?

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The revenue generated from the fee will be used for infrastructure improvements and tourist insurance coverage.

So, why do tourists still need insurance to enter Thailand? Or will that requirement be scrapped once the 300-baht fee kicks in?

So, how does it compare to other countries? That was the question, wasn't it? 

31 minutes ago, clokwise said:

So are tourists no longer required to have travel insurance from April 1? And what if they have an accident here, will the really be covered in full? 

Yeah, right! More likely, a sexy girl will knock tonight on my apartment door, 'needing a place to stay'... ????

58 minutes ago, KK Area said:

So, how does it compare to other countries? That was the question, wasn't it? 

Don't show Thailand this old article.

 

That will give them an idea thatthey are undercharging tourists with only 300 baht ???? 

 

https://www.insider.com/countries-that-require-a-tourist-tax-2019-2#japan-enacted-a-tourist-tax-at-the-beginning-of-2019-2

6 minutes ago, Virt said:

Don't show Thailand this old article.

 

That will give them an idea thatthey are undercharging tourists with only 300 baht ???? 

 

https://www.insider.com/countries-that-require-a-tourist-tax-2019-2#japan-enacted-a-tourist-tax-at-the-beginning-of-2019-2

Thanks , mate. I thought I've read something like this about Bhutan. And yes, 300 thb is cheap. (And I wont tell anyone.) ????

Departure tax is 600 Bht.. They used to collect 500 Bht at airport, when it went to 600 they had it added to airline tickets. Hotels charge a room tax of 50 Bht per night & now 300 Bht arrival tax.

It is still nothing to even get knickers in a twist

9 hours ago, Henryford said:

Isn't there another 500 baht already built into air fares. We used to pay it in cash at the airport.

700 baht since 2007.

it is $10 on a $1000 plane ticket. I could not care less.

 

7 hours ago, clokwise said:

So are tourists no longer required to have travel insurance from April 1? And what if they have an accident here, will the really be covered in full?

What do you think? ????

Frankly if this really does give insurance cover to the extent indicated I would be prepared to pay 1,000 baht, since at 77 the proxy Thai insurance firms won't cover me and immigration won't accept foreign travel policies because the wording isn't exactly right; eg in a quoted example last year "unlimited cover" was rejected because it wasn't the 50,000 USD stipulated at that time.

11 hours ago, Card said:

In the not too distant past Thailand had a 500 baht tourist tax, so 300 is not too bad.

The 500B is not in the past, its still hidden in the price of air tickets, and as previously posted it increased to 700B, so it's another 300B, and if people think it will stay at 300B there kidding themselves... TIT 

21 hours ago, asiasurfer said:

Why not actually, IF we could be sure that the money was used in a proper way as described above... 

You will never be sure especially with the Junta in charge. If it is true then the compulsary insurance scam should be stopped.

19 hours ago, Virt said:

I don't mind paying tourists tax if they get rid of dual pricing.....

and the compulsary insurance scam.

16 hours ago, KK Area said:

So, how does it compare to other countries? That was the question, wasn't it? 

No one knows.

Are we adding on the 500 baht exit tax that is already built into tickets?

Quote

 central fund which will be used in the event a tourist gets sick, has an accident or requires medical treatment in the event they do not have private medical insurance.

So tourists do not require  insurance now......?

11 hours ago, cjinchiangrai said:

it is $10 on a $1000 plane ticket. I could not care less.

 

and you don't care if the compulsary insurance scam is still included?