BANGKOK (NNT) - Thailand will begin charging international arrivals a 300-baht tourism fee in the third quarter of this year. The fee will be used to provide benefits such as insurance and emergency assistance to foreign travelers.

 

According to Chote Trachu, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Of Tourism and Sports, the Thailand Tourism Fee (TTF) system will be implemented by airlines between August and September 2022. The collection of the fee is in line with the National Tourism Policy Act of 2008, which authorized the creation of a fund to be funded by fees collected from foreign visitors.

 

Chote said the fund will be used to develop tourist sites, provide 30-day insurance coverage, and assist tourists in emergency situations such as sickness, accidents, or other incidents while in Thailand.

 

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The TTF system is expected to be integrated with airline websites, displaying a fee collection screen for holders of foreign passports. Airlines must assist in screening fee-paying tourists before issuing tickets, and the final passenger manifest must be submitted to the data link 15 minutes after each flight departure.

 

Diplomats, government officials, people with work permits from countries that have signed a memorandum of understanding with Thailand, and children under the age of two will be exempted from paying the tourism fee.

 

Officials said local and international airlines will be invited to register to pilot the system integration, which will begin on May 2. The ministry will provide training and conduct tests to ensure that the TTF system operates smoothly following its publication in the Royal Gazette.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2022-04-29

 

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2 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Chote said the fund will be used to develop tourist sites, provide 30-day insurance coverage, and assist tourists in emergency situations such as sickness, accidents, or other incidents while in Thailand.

 There was tv show where Oz embassy help they citizen in LOS. What a mess . What i seen that show they should charge 3000 bth tourist from OZ.

6 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The TTF system is expected to be integrated with airline websites, displaying a fee collection screen for holders of foreign passports. Airlines must assist in screening fee-paying tourists before issuing tickets, and the final passenger manifest must be submitted to the data link 15 minutes after each flight departure.

M'Kay, those who are still flying to Thailand and those who aren't looking for an excuse to stop.

90% will go into the wrong pockets

3 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

90% will go into the wrong pockets

As usual, new luxury cars for their side hoes..

 

When I get to Austria next week I get charged 3€/day tourist tax. I get nothing in return, no insurance or assistance in an emergency. I need insurance to be able to get a Schengen visa.

Why is TH not entitled to do the same?

1 minute ago, Letseng said:

When I get to Austria next week I get charged 3€/day tourist tax. I get nothing in return, no insurance or assistance in an emergency. I need insurance to be able to get a Schengen visa.

Why is TH not entitled to do the same?

that's pretty sickening 

14 minutes ago, Letseng said:

When I get to Austria next week I get charged 3€/day tourist tax. I get nothing in return, no insurance or assistance in an emergency. I need insurance to be able to get a Schengen visa.

Why is TH not entitled to do the same?

Exactly! Anyone who bitches about a lousy 300 Baht entry fee can just stay home <deleted>. MANY countries require some form of fee from foreign visitors, in most cases a lot more than 300 Baht.

16 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

that's pretty sickening 

Cheap Charlie.

So

58 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The fee will be used to provide benefits such as insurance

So does that mean travellers do not need the other Thai Insurance requirements  p(i)ass and go) or can you now claim on this new Thai "Insurance Policy" if you require it?

I've long felt that there should be a "corkage" charge for those foreigners who arrive in Thailand with their own wives in tow.

So are we free to assume as this fee is used for insurance the later will not be required....thought not

 

Whilst i have No problem in paying a fee, but after living here for 20 odd years you know it will never be used for any such purpose

What?

Used for insurance.....while a mandatory insurance policy is in place?

 

 

 

 

50 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

90% will go into the wrong pockets

If so, it would be one of the more efficient spending here ????

38 minutes ago, Letseng said:

When I get to Austria next week I get charged 3€/day tourist tax. I get nothing in return, no insurance or assistance in an emergency. I need insurance to be able to get a Schengen visa.

Why is TH not entitled to do the same?

Thailand is already doing exactly the same and a 300baht increase in the already payable Passanger Tax is not going to change anything other than lessen the shortfall  in tourist income to the government.

I can't imagine three year olds using many Thai tourist facilities.

 

300 baht doesn't sound much, but that is an extra THB1200 for a family with two children. A bit stingy setting the limit at two years old.

 

Someone is obviously feeling the pinch.

didn't they use to charge 500-Baht Fee back then, i remember paying 500 baht at the airport but don't remember what for.

2 minutes ago, vinci said:

didn't they use to charge 500-Baht Fee back then, i remember paying 500 baht at the airport but don't remember what for.

Yes , it was a "vending machine" which you needed to put a 500 baht note in when leaving the country , gave you a ticket which they checked at immigration . As far as i know , it was just a tax and was later included in airport tax which you pay together with your airplane ticket .

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

authorized the creation of a fund to be funded by fees collected from foreign visitors

Why not really commit and go with "a fund to be funded by funds collect from foreign visitors"?

2 hours ago, Letseng said:

When I get to Austria next week I get charged 3€/day tourist tax. I get nothing in return, no insurance or assistance in an emergency. I need insurance to be able to get a Schengen visa.

Why is TH not entitled to do the same?

Probably because of what you benefit from when you visit the country and how the management/distribution is handled.

2 hours ago, Letseng said:

When I get to Austria next week I get charged 3€/day tourist tax. I get nothing in return, no insurance or assistance in an emergency. I need insurance to be able to get a Schengen visa.

Why is TH not entitled to do the same?

A million years ago I was engaged to an Austrian girl.  Her family was very rich and had a house on the lake at Mond Sea, a penthouse right next to "the hills are alive" castle in Salzberg and a mansion at the foot of the skiing peaks at Badgastein (spelling).

 

Anyway we stayed in the penthouse which was fun.  And while she was at work I ventured out to get a spare door key for the apartment cut.  I went to one of the little Mister Minit style franchise booths that had key cutting.  Nothing fancy just a standard serrated edged door key- not even brass.  This was my first day in Salzberg and so I did not quite have my head around shillings.  Anyway I paid for the key and when back at the apartment started to do the math.  I was charged the equivalent of 36 USD for the new key.  I sat there fuming until my girlfriend arrived home from work.  The guy must of ripped me off with a tourist price.  But when I told my girlfriend the story her response was that the amount I paid was very reasonable, perhaps even cheap.

 

Austria sucked then.  I am sure it sucks even harder now.  Not a hope in hell I would be paying a daily tourist charge to visit.

To be quite honest, 300 baht is the least of my worries when travelling to Thailand. It's paying for an expensive flight and holiday, then testing positive in a country that hasn't learnt to live with Covid yet. I can take the 300 baht hit, really I can. Just don't expect me to want to be treated as a flying germ when your country is already infected with all the existing strains, which are only a real threat to those with existing comorbidities.

5 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Chote said the fund will be used to develop tourist sites, provide 30-day insurance coverage, and assist tourists in emergency situations such as sickness, accidents, or other incidents while in Thailand.

Is Chote related to Pinocchio?

2 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Is Chote related to Pinocchio?

'Chote said the fund will be used to develop tourist sites........'

Why can't the Thais who benefit from tourism do this from their own self interest? I don't believe it. 

And Bangkok is also after another tax from tourists  to maintain the wonders of this beautiful and fascinating city.  Unwise to make a failing business model more expensive for the remaining users.

Ooooh insurance, so you gotta purchase insurance for Thailand pass (because there is no way they are taking that off) and then another 300 baht for more insurance.. Yes yes, sounds very good and organised ????

If they think the airlines will spend a fortune to develop their sites to charge 300bht to non Thai passport holders, except Government officials and work permit holders from certain countries etc etc, then they are barking mad.

7 hours ago, vinci said:

didn't they use to charge 500-Baht Fee back then, i remember paying 500 baht at the airport but don't remember what for.

You are referring to the Passenger Service Charge for departing passengers, currently THB 700, which is added on the airline ticket.

 

Below is the list of taxes and fees added on a return ticket from Milan Malpensa to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi in 2019:

 

Totals: Italy EUR 27.92, Thailand EUR 23.93

This should only apply to true foreigners aka farang countries.

 

This should not apply to other Asian countries.

I have  a feeling that Thailand's Tourism Fee (TTF) is the first time that a passenger fee is to be included in the ticket price based on the traveller's nationality, with a list of exemptions, and it will be interesting to see how ticketing agents can implement this and how check-in staff at airports can transmit the corresponding list of fee-paying passengers within 15 minutes after each flight departure. I can't see this happen.

10 hours ago, Letseng said:

When I get to Austria

 next week I get charged 3€/day tourist tax. I get nothing in return, no insurance or assistance in an emergency. I need insurance to be able to get a Schengen visa.

Why is TH not entitled to do the same?

The tax in Austria is only on hotel rooms, called"Tourismusgesetz and Berherbergungsbeiträge. Totally different to the tax being implemented here