No ‘land-entry’ fee to be collected on international tourists yet, Thai Prime Minister says

[Bad boy 561]

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

Can someone explain to me how this will affect my proposed trip to UK in August?  I am an expat & every year (for the previous 15) got a re-entry permit to return after visiting my family.  Do I need some form of Holiday Insurance to return or is my 800K in the bank enough?

Pretty sure you still need it

[wolf81]

I think the 300 THB entrance fee is ok, provided it's all used for costs involving foreigners. E.g.: uninsured foreigners that need to go to hospital. Just remove the idiotic COVID insurance instead. That would help much more to attract foreigners, I think ...

[Elkski]

Maybe he said 20 million total for this year?  Tens of thousands arriving daily now?    

So odd thinking.   If your numbers are lower than you want,  you would postpone a new 300 bath entry fee.  

Or did it occur to them that adding a new fee at this time was really such a  stupid looking idea?  Did they get pushback from airlines? 

[Caldera]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

and an expected 20 million tourists to visit Thailand in the fourth quarter of 2022

I've seen some pretty insane projections, usually coming from TAT, but this one is taking the cake.

 

[BusyB]

5 hours ago, StevieAus said:

I am curious as to what the

“ export value of incoming tourists” means if anything surely “ import value”

It's an influx of foreign currency for goods and services equivalent to when Thailand had exported say machinery for payment in foreign currency.

[kevc]

So in the space of a week it's gone from 300,000 to one million tourists per month to 20 million by New Year, talk about think of a number and double it.

[biggles45]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

for international arrivals and an expected 20 million tourists to visit Thailand in the fourth quarter of 2022.

In the last pre covid year they had 40 million 'tourists', yet they expect 22 million in the final 3 months of 2022? Maths is not a strong point I think. 

[Oxx]

Surely this has been posted already here, but the press are saying that people with work permits will not have to pay the 300 baht entry tax.  Pensions, volunteers, non-working spouses are not so fortunate.

[madmitch]

34 minutes ago, Oxx said:

Surely this has been posted already here, but the press are saying that people with work permits will not have to pay the 300 baht entry tax.  Pensions, volunteers, non-working spouses are not so fortunate.

And I'd like to know how the airlines are supposed to handle this at the time of booking.

 

Maybe they will refuse.

[ThailandRyan]

But how much will I pay to get into Thailand by way of the Metaverse.....

[thecyclist]

18 hours ago, Fortescue said:

20 million tourists in Q4 - shurley shum mishtake?

Thais don't make mistakes. It's the farangs that do. 

[Mickmouse1]

7 hours ago, mikebell said:

Can someone explain to me how this will affect my proposed trip to UK in August?  I am an expat & every year (for the previous 15) got a re-entry permit to return after visiting my family.  Do I need some form of Holiday Insurance to return or is my 800K in the bank enough?

Thai and expats residing in Thailand are exempted. GOOGLE "THAILAND PASS".

 

I am trying to get my TP approval for 4 days visit/ stop over on my way to UK from Brunei but need that insurance policy. I need to know whether the same policy is valid for my return 5 weeks later or not but no way to find out yet. Can not even read the entire policy but must click BUY FWD or AXA as recommended by Thai Pass page.

 

[Mickmouse1]

2 minutes ago, Mickmouse1 said:

Thai and expats residing in Thailand are exempted. GOOGLE "THAILAND PASS".or visit 

http://tp.consular.go.th/

 

I am trying to get my TP approval for 4 days visit/ stop over on my way to UK from Brunei but need that insurance policy. I need to know whether the same policy is valid for my return 5 weeks later or not but no way to find out yet. Can not even read the entire policy but must click BUY FWD or AXA as recommended by Thai Pass page.

 

 

[StayinThailand2much]

4 hours ago, kevc said:

So in the space of a week it's gone from 300,000 to one million tourists per month to 20 million by New Year, talk about think of a number and double it.

By next week projections will probably be 10 billion tourists...

[Willy Wombat]

https://apple.news/A97CR-PIGSDm3MYGrBkVtYA

[StayinThailand2much]

3 hours ago, madmitch said:

And I'd like to know how the airlines are supposed to handle this at the time of booking.

 

Maybe they will refuse.

Some complained already, as this fee collection will require additional staff, leading to higher costs for the airlines.

 

[Canadian Snowbird]

11 hours ago, jacko45k said:

So many many people are saying..... it is getting a bit tiresome really as if the Thai authorities are concerned over these odd noises of foot stamping from afar. As noted many are quite prepared to take on the limited restrictions we have now....  even they will be gone, in their own time. 

Even more tiring are people who have nothing better to do with their time than criticise other peoples comments. 

[Call]

According to Bangkok Post front page today Wednesday, The PM, said it could(!) be 20 million, NEXT YEAR!

Dear editor, please try to give us reader correct information in this serious matter.

 

[Flink]

13 hours ago, StevieAus said:

I am curious as to what the

“ export value of incoming tourists” means if anything surely “ import value”

Nah, now that top cop is hiding away in Aus they'll be getting back to the trafficking business. Big money to be made for blonde females in middle eastern countries. 

[Adumbration]

4 minutes ago, Flink said:

Nah, now that top cop is hiding away in Aus they'll be getting back to the trafficking business. Big money to be made for blonde females in middle eastern countries. 

Don't imagine there are many blonde women among the displaced Rohinga.

[Flink]

8 hours ago, Elkski said:

Maybe he said 20 million total for this year?  Tens of thousands arriving daily now?    

So odd thinking.   If your numbers are lower than you want,  you would postpone a new 300 bath entry fee.  

Or did it occur to them that adding a new fee at this time was really such a  stupid looking idea?  Did they get pushback from airlines? 

Pushback from airlines is the likeliest as their system would mean more work for airlines and booking agensts as they would not be taking 300 baht off of everyone. So the airlines would have to implement systems to differentiate between different nationalities (not all nationalities would have to pay), visa staus, and various other factors. All of which meant more work/expense for the airlines far in excess of the amount of money being raised by the 300 fee and none of that fee was going to the airline anyway. I can understand them adding the 300 fee, many countries do similar, but since they already have the 700 departure fee included in the ticket price the only options are: 1. Charge EVERYONE, regardless of nationality, visa etc.  2. Don't add it to the ticket price, add it to the hotel bill or, make them pay on arrival. So long as they are warned in advance to have 300 baht ready on arrival they can pay on their way through immigration. As for the Covid insurance, okay, for TOURISTS I can, sort of, understand it, don't like it but I can sort of understand it. However, for foreigners who have lived here for years and already have O or OA visas, why make them do the Thai pass? Especially since they no doubt have a re-entry permit. It they are being made to fulfill the Thai Pass criteria then Thais should too.

[mancub]

3 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Some complained already, as this fee collection will require additional staff, leading to higher costs for the airlines.

 

If the Thai government want it so badly, they can/should just increase the passenger tax and then work out the admin/monies distribution  by their own agencies (AOT) etc .

[StayinThailand2much]

15 minutes ago, mancub said:

If the Thai government want it so badly, they can/should just increase the passenger tax and then work out the admin/monies distribution  by their own agencies (AOT) etc .

The problem is that they want to exclude Thai nationals, so they would need two different passenger taxes, one for Thais and another one for everyone else.

[Puccini]

We can forget everything we have read these past few days about the babbling of some ministers and their minions on the subject of this 300-Baht Thai Tourism Fee (TTF). The way it has been presented would be far too impractical to implement and this may be the reason why the Prime Minister now put an end to it.

 

Quote

...Prayut also reaffirmed that no foreign tourist fees or land-entry fees were to be collected, for now. “The Cabinet would look at the suitability before considering the collection because the money must be used to do other things as well. We’d talk about when to collect again, but it was a no for now,” he said.

Source: https://thepattayanews.com/2022/05/03/no-land-entry-fee-to-be-collected-on-international-tourists-yet-thai-prime-minister-says/

 

[freedomnow]

Has he changed his mind yet ?

 

It HAS been a day or so now since that was said....

 

 

[mikebell]

13 hours ago, Mickmouse1 said:

Thai and expats residing in Thailand are exempted. GOOGLE "THAILAND PASS".

 

I am trying to get my TP approval for 4 days visit/ stop over on my way to UK from Brunei but need that insurance policy. I need to know whether the same policy is valid for my return 5 weeks later or not but no way to find out yet. Can not even read the entire policy but must click BUY FWD or AXA as recommended by Thai Pass page.

 

Good news for me - thankyou.

 

[mikebell]

19 hours ago, Bad boy 561 said:

Pretty sure you still need it

Yet MickMouse thinks - Thai and expats residing in Thailand are exempted. GOOGLE "THAILAND PASS".

Who will give a definitive answer?  I've Googled above & posted this question on their FB page.  Any further opinions?

[mancub]

13 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

The problem is that they want to exclude Thai nationals, so they would need two different passenger taxes, one for Thais and another one for everyone else.

As I understand it, it originally concerns ALL international arrivals, with the idiotic exceptions of diplomatic staff and work permit holders. But that may well have changed, such is the trend here.????

[metisdead]

A post using odd fonts has been removed. 

[StevieAus]

23 hours ago, BusyB said:

It's an influx of foreign currency for goods and services equivalent to when Thailand had exported say machinery for payment in foreign currency.

Thanks for the explanation