Thailand To Start Charging An Entry Fee From August

[BangkokReady]

6 hours ago, RandiRona said:

If they want to add a tax, add it in flight ticket and manage it from there. Just think about everyone carrying proof of payments and barcodes.

The Thai government love bureaucracy.  I would imagine they would be very happy for all tourists to have to present a stack of forms, completed in blue ink, signed every page, with copies and originals, even when visiting for two weeks.  Maximum face is achieved when informing a foreigner that they haven't filled out their forms correctly.

 

Also, this would allow them not to have to charge Thai people who are returning home.

[Misterwhisper]

16 hours ago, RandiRona said:

"Once buying their tickets, travelers will then be directed to an additional screen where they will be able to pay the fee, which is set to become mandatory ‘from August or September’."

 

<deleted>.....are they taking classes in how to make things more complex for tourists? If they want to add a tax, add it in flight ticket and manage it from there. Just think about everyone carrying proof of payments and barcodes...

That "additional screen" will link to a Thai government-developed website, where payment then has to be made. And that alone, dear ladies and gentlemen, already is guaranteed to create trouble, as the ticket booking system integration will be bugged (as per usual), the payment site will reject certain credit cards (as per usual), and there will be various other crashes and hiccups (as per usual).

 

Secondly, as I understand it, airlines will be responsible for integrating the payment screen with their own booking systems. BUT.... a very large proportion of travelers do NOT book their tickets through the actual airline websites. Instead, they handle their ticket purchases through anything from ticketing agents and discount ticketing websites to local travel agencies, etc. etc. -- and there are literally tens of thousands of them.

 

Why does the Thai government's motto always seem to be, "Why make it easy when you can make it difficult"? 

[Misterwhisper]

An entry fee?

Hm... will that come with a free drink?

And will there be a weekly ladies night?

[Thailand]

Was the movie Dumb and Dumber based on this administration?

[zzzzz]

31 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

In theory, this 300 baht fee could be charged at a land border. And for select nationalities, with citizens of neighboring countries, and thais of course, being exempt.

 

Obviously the 700 baht PSC is not charged at land borders.

 

Back in the old days,did they charge the 500 baht cash departure tax at land borders when leaving?

 

never charged exit tax at land borders

BUT 300 baht is nothing> I recall back in the 80's we had to pay a 1,000 baht departure tax if we stayed over 180 days in one calander year>
than they added the airline deaprture tax as well ( u had to buy it thru a vending machine>
than it was incorporated into the airline ticket ( topped out at 700 baht)

Land borders,  will they have a money changer there for arrivals to change to get their 300 baht ( an dan atm machine)?

Sea arrivals?

[mokwit]

26 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

Secondly, as I understand it, airlines will be responsible for integrating the payment screen with their own booking systems. BUT.... a very large proportion of travelers do NOT book their tickets through the actual airline websites. Instead, they handle their ticket purchases through anything from ticketing agents and discount ticketing websites to local travel agencies, etc. etc. --

Thailand expect everybody to jump to their tune. I'm not sure what is so of interest in Thailand now other than to floating market and basket weaving enthusiasts.

 

 

[internationalism]

it's only for tourists, so I don't care much.

"Initially, the fee will only apply to air arrivals, seeing that Thai authorities are yet to define how other land and sea arrivals will be charged without leading to long waiting lines at entry points. There will, of course, be exceptions: even when flying to Thailand, work permit holders, other expats living in the country and infants will not be charged an entry fee."

 

according to earlier plans, 20% so 60b will go to insurance fund (this article states only 50b). 

Some 30% (I dont remember now exact figure) to operating this scheme (so some of this might go to airlines, agents).

The rest 50% for developing local tourism infrastructure (which pose chance for corruption - as all governmental projects). So money might go to building a road leading to a resort belonging to some politician, officer, civil servant. Possibilities of skimming funds are unlimited  

Edited May 3, 2022 by internationalism

[Misterwhisper]

2 hours ago, zzzzz said:

never charged exit tax at land borders

BUT 300 baht is nothing> I recall back in the 80's we had to pay a 1,000 baht departure tax if we stayed over 180 days in one calander year>
than they added the airline deaprture tax as well ( u had to buy it thru a vending machine>
than it was incorporated into the airline ticket ( topped out at 700 baht)

Land borders,  will they have a money changer there for arrivals to change to get their 300 baht ( an dan atm machine)?

Sea arrivals?

You're correct. I remember that 1,000 baht tax, too.

 

But it was NOT a "departure tax" per se. Instead, it supposedly was sort of a flat income tax payment to slap on foreigners, many of whom illegally worked in the country, thus didn't file for regular income tax. The authorities assumed that if you stayed in Thailand more than 180 calendar days, you surely ought to have had engaged in some type of gainful occupation one way or another.

 

The actual departure tax - that 500 baht ticket that you had to buy from a vending machine - came on top of that. I recall the mayhem that sometimes caused, as tourists often didn't have the crisp 500-baht note the vending machine required. Luckily, that wretched departure tax was later incorporated into the air ticket price -- though it was bumped up to 700 baht.  

[Rohe60]

16 hours ago, RandiRona said:

"Once buying their tickets, travelers will then be directed to an additional screen where they will be able to pay the fee, which is set to become mandatory ‘from August or September’."

 

<deleted>.....are they taking classes in how to make things more complex for tourists? If they want to add a tax, add it in flight ticket and manage it from there. Just think about everyone carrying proof of payments and barcodes...

Wait.....
Do they really expect that I will enter highly sensitive information like credit card numbers, etc. on a website run by the Thai Government?
How long will it take until hackers will break into that database and steal all that information?
No, thank you Thailand!
If you want to rip off your customers even more, include that new entry fee into the ticket price. This also enables you to increase that fee on a regular basis.....
(Just in case that those Rolls Royce and Bentley dealers in BKK increase the prices for their vehicles......)

[Sydebolle]

5 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

In theory, this 300 baht fee could be charged at a land border. And for select nationalities, with citizens of neighboring countries, and thais of course, being exempt.

 

 

Obviously the 700 baht PSC is not charged at land borders.

 

 

 

Back in the old days, did they charge the 500 baht cash departure tax at land borders when leaving?

 

 

 

 

No, that was a specific airport tax, initially 20 Baht domestically and 60 Baht internationally. Later the 60 Baht doubled and then the jump came to 500 Baht with ticket selling booths, girls devaluating the tickets a few meters down the road until all this disappeared from the public eye. The airport tax is still levied but collected through the airlines leaving Thailand and the airlines simply added it to the airfare. 

[Pattaya Spotter]

Thailand To Start Charging An Entry Fee From August

 

So us the EU...from next May.

 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/europe-requiring-new-entry-fee-for-visitors/#:~:text=The European Travel Information and,the program is improved security.

 

[garyk]

Thailand is on it's way out as a western destination for tourism or a retirement destination. 

Pretty soon all products coming out of Thailand will have the perception of made in China.

And made in Thailand will have the same push back from western countries. 

Manufacturing jobs as well as tourism will slowly dry up.

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by garyk

[Maestro]

2 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Thailand To Start Charging An Entry Fee From August

 

So us the EU...from next May.

 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/europe-requiring-new-entry-fee-for-visitors/#:~:text=The European Travel Information and,the program is improved security.

 

I don't think this is comparable to the proposed Thailand Tourism Fee (TTF).

 

The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIA) is akin to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) of the USA  where — believe it or not — one question is "Do you seek to engage in or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities..."?

[Pattaya Spotter]

12 minutes ago, Maestro said:

I don't think this is comparable to the proposed Thailand Tourism Fee (TTF).

 

The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIA) is akin to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) of the USA  where — believe it or not — one question is "Do you seek to engage in or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities..."?

The fees are for different purposes...but fees are fees and are money out of pocket for travelers. Just pointing out LOS isn't unique in this.

[sanuk711]

So many of the Whiners Posters on here come from the UK-- turn it around and ask what the entry fee for a Thai to their country is---- just a little bit more expensive then the 300 baht being talked about here--- 6,800 baht ($us-200) for a quick Visas--but if your prepared to wait---then you can get the entrance fee for a knock down price of ($us170) 5,700 Baht.

 

Ok I am going back to read some more about how tough everything is here for poor Farang.............

 

 

The amount you are going to be charged for a UK Standard Visitor Visa depends on your country of origin and the processing speed you choose for your application. Here are the fees for Thai citizens: Standard – USD 170.00. Rush – USD 200.00  

https://www.ivisa.com

[Lemsta69]

the sky is falling in, somebody call the wahmbulance! ????

[Puccini]

One of the declared purposes of the Thailand Tourist Fee (TTF) is to keep the number of incoming foreign tourists low, ie avoid overtourism. Excerpt from the linked news article in the OP:

 

 

Quote

 

Why Is An Entry Fee Needed?

In recent years, overtourism has become more of a global problem.

From the pristine beaches of the Caribbean to the medieval citadels of Europe, world-famous landmarks and cities being overrun by tourists have become an all too common sight. Thailand is no exception, with reports of overtourism preceding the pandemic and sparking a discussion on whether tourists should be taxed long before Covid.

 

Overtourism happens when an unprecedented number of visitors are recorded in a particular destination, leading to crippling price escalations, harming the landscape, and seriously disrupting the lives of local residents. Venice is a clear example of that, with as many as 193,000 tourists visiting in a single day back in 2019.

While Thailand is far from being as packed as Venice, it has already noted a negative impact on its environment, as one of its most famous beaches closed down due to an overwhelming number of visitors prior to Covid. As a paradisiac destination famous for natural landmarks, having them ruined by mass tourism is a risk Thailand simply cannot take.

 

 

As stated by Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the country’s Tourism Minister, in December 2021, Thailand’s focus once it’s fully reopened should be on ‘high-end travelers, rather than a large number of visitors’. Introducing entry fees is an effective and sustainable way of tackling overtourism – or, in Thailand’s case, avoiding it altogether.

 

 

 

[thaivisareader]

so the airlines will be directed to be Thailand's tourist scam tax enforcers, sorting out who pays or doesn't pay it? They'll be thrilled with that.

 

[Stargeezr]

I thought that there was a fee on departure as well, did that get

put into the airline ticket? So if there is a 15 dollar or 300 baht fee for

arrival, just put that on the ticket as well, but it should show up

on the ticket as well, as the arrival fee to Thailand.  Just a thought for the future.