Tourist levy hits further turbulence with fears it could harm airline’s effort to boost flight numbers

[alien365]

I guess these people haven't got the memo that airlines and airports are overwhelmed right now due to staff shortages and poor planning. I'm sure this extra fee will be added to the tickets in time, but I assume airlines have other priorities at the moment.

[Joseph98765]

- 300b to get in

- 700b to get out

- Dual price when you book a hotel

- Dual price when you want to go to a National Park or anything that you want to visit

- Rip off by Taxis or any kind of transportation that you need to deal the price upfront.

 

Yeap, the list can keep going if I keep thinking... 5555555

[Isaan sailor]

300 Baht extra upon arrival—not a deal breaker.  Why not just bring the Baht down—so it won’t matter to arrivals.  Everyone wants a little more for their money.

[Chongalulu]

Apart from being yet another idea that is announced without any thought given to implementation (of which Thailand is a master !) ,anyone with any concern re medical insurance cannot treat that aspect with any confidence. Firstly, the limit 500k baht around £10k is woefully inadequate vs the £10 million (meaning unlimited) of a decent travel insurance, not to mention the merited lack of confidence in having any claim met. As others have pointed out it amounts to little more than a scam. 

[BadSpottedDog]

So many tourists are turned off by the complexities of coming into and staying in Thailand. Make it easy and tourists will come.

[vandeventer]

3 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I feel a new fleece extension available for 300 baht again on 30 day extension coming !

I don't know if they know this but a lot of insurance co.'s  are going broke or are broke selling Covid policies. Some are refusing to pay out on covid cases but still selling other policies. I know a few Thai's that have lost money on Covid insurance

[Mr Meeseeks]

Greedy ????s

[Mr Meeseeks]

5 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Looks like the proposal and implementation are an issue that Thailand never figured out, yet they decided to go ahead anyway.....

They have no intention on providing any 'cover' whatsoever imo. 

 

Prove me wrong.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Looks like the proposal and implementation are an issue that Thailand never figured out, yet they decided to go ahead anyway.....

Like something else we could mention..

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

It still is, you can see it in the fare breakdown. As to whether the new 300 baht actually will be used for some effective insurance, it has yet to be seen.

insurance limited to 500,000 baht.. in some hospitals that would account for a broken finger nail.

[Sydebolle]

Is Anutin and his cronies now in health insurance business involved as well? 

[Excel]

9 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

insurance limited to 500,000 baht.. in some hospitals that would account for a broken finger nail.

Not in a government hospital.

[Burma Bill]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

it has again been postponed to find a suitable way of collecting the levy for sea and land passengers.

Unbelievable!! 

You would have thought the "brains in power" would have considered this, but obviously not! Gross incompetence IMO!!

[SpanishExpat]

The post- covid are should be used to attract tourists with attractive offers, that differentiate from competitive countries in the region. 
 

However, what does Thailand do? Like always they gain negative attention with their brain-fart ideas. 
 

i really wish that airlines just boycott that <deleted> and simply don’t care. Thai officials would then be stupid enough to install booths before/ after immigration to collect that fee, which would result in even more negative attention/ chaos.

Edited July 18, 2022 by SpanishExpat

[mikeymike100]

"Mongkon Wimonrat, assistant permanent secretary at the Tourism and Sports Ministry, said the collection method and system for those arriving by air is now ready to launch. However, he said the ministry needs to conduct further studies on land and sea entry, meaning the program will start when all ports of entry are equipped with feasible collection methods."

 

From the above statement which was shown on July 15, with the headline,

‘Tourism fee’, now for all travellers to Thailand, ready to launch.

 

It seemed the only land and sea entry was a potential problem, BUT, now they are saying the Airlines too are a potential problem.

They didn't ask the Airlines first before announcing this?

Amazing Thailand at it again! ????

[Bobydog]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Efforts by Thailand to introduce a new tourist levy to be known as the Thailand Tourism Fee (TTF) are making slow progress after it was confirmed this week that the plan is currently being delayed over discussions to formulate a method to collect the charge for incoming travellers by land and sea.

Why not go with something that has worked so well and for so long,  an area with several Uniformed officers and boxes of brown envelopes.

[Photoguy21]

4 hours ago, dadofsak said:

I think it is a good thing insurance for all , 300 bht is not a lot in the scheme of things, if you cannot afford 300 bht then you shouldn't be travelling.  I remember years ago there was an entry fee to thailand added to you plane fare.

Will you get any documentation to verify that you have the stated coverage? If not a hospital is going to say you have to pay anyway.

[jacko45k]

5 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Will you get any documentation to verify that you have the stated coverage? If not a hospital is going to say you have to pay anyway.

Even if some cover is forthcoming, I would suspect you would have to pay up front yourself, and then make a claim. Not so easy if you need to get home with your arm in a cast. 

My regular medical insurance in Thailand expected me to do that.... 

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, Martyjustice said:

How about the balance going to re election campaigns. 

With soldiers and guns, no elections by the ordinary Thai people are required.

[mrbojangles]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

The proposal, which at one point was designed to exclude expats and people living in Thailand with work permits, was removed from the agenda of the cabinet in June due to problems with a plan to collect the fee

Drop the fee for a single re-entry visa by 300 baht and multi by say 600 baht and voila, problem solved.

[Zack61]

5 hours ago, mikebell said:

'We used to pay 500 baht per ticket and I think at some point it went to 800 baht per ticket. It is yet another tourist rip off adding another 300 baht to total now 11,00 baht. No one believes they are going to receive 500,000 baht coverage at a first-class hospital if you're injured. This is a money grab, plain and simple, by someone in government who thinks he can get away with it.' - a BP reader's letter.  LOS = Land of Scams.

500.000 medical coverage for what calculates to a 34 Baht premium payment (11.3% of 300) will surely mean it will not happen as one might expect. I’m sure many will fall foul of this scheme when it comes time to collect 

[it is what it is]

5 hours ago, mikebell said:

'We used to pay 500 baht per ticket and I think at some point it went to 800 baht per ticket. It is yet another tourist rip off adding another 300 baht to total now 11,00 baht. No one believes they are going to receive 500,000 baht coverage at a first-class hospital if you're injured. This is a money grab, plain and simple, by someone in government who thinks he can get away with it.' - a BP reader's letter.  LOS = Land of Scams.

most airports impose taxes and levys on passengers, you generally dont notice these charges because they are automatically included in the ticket price. it was more obvious in thailand as they were late adopters to this centralised charging system clinging to the archaic booths at airports.

[John Drake]

Okay. So keep the 300 baht charge and take away the insurance so the "I've already paid for mine" crowd will stop complaining. Happy now? 

[jacko45k]

6 minutes ago, it is what it is said:

most airports impose taxes and levys on passengers, you generally dont notice these charges because they are automatically included in the ticket price. it was more obvious in thailand as they were late adopters to this centralised charging system clinging to the archaic booths at airports.

I still seethe when I recall being sent off to pay the airport charge in The Philippines, after queueing for ages at check-in!

[ThailandRyan]

12 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Okay. So keep the 300 baht charge and take away the insurance so the "I've already paid for mine" crowd will stop complaining. Happy now? 

As usual you miss the true point.......

[John Drake]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

It's not the price, it is the point that many have insurance already and this new insurance only covers 30 days.  Make it mandatory that everyone has insurance  whether travel insurance or personal insurance coverage and let it go at that. It's just another amount they are trying to put in their pockets....only 11% or so will go for the actual policy.  You miss the point entirely.

Got a better mandatory for you. As so many health issues boil down to people being obese, diabetic, with high blood pressure, or all three, why not just make mandatory that no inbound visitors display or exhibit those conditions. No fatties. No diabetics. No people with high blood pressure. It's mandatory you be in fit physical condition to enter Thailand.

[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, John Drake said:

Got a better mandatory for you. As so many health issues boil down to people being obese, diabetic, with high blood pressure, or all three, why not just make mandatory that no inbound visitors display or exhibit those conditions. No fatties. No diabetics. No people with high blood pressure. It's mandatory you be in fit physical condition to enter Thailand.

Well then very few would enter then now would they, as it would take an on duty physician to complete a full physical including BMI, Xrays, and full on blood work which would need to be done and show any drug use by the traveler, including a liver enzyme test to do away with the drinkers, or a lung scan to do away with the smokers.....anyone left will be a fraction of those trying to enter......but your sarcasm is noted.

[Hockeybik]

5 hours ago, dadofsak said:

I think it is a good thing insurance for all , 300 bht is not a lot in the scheme of things, if you cannot afford 300 bht then you shouldn't be travelling.  I remember years ago there was an entry fee to thailand added to you plane fare.

So you think that anytime a government implements a new "fee" (also known as a tax or when you really get down to it, a theft) that all of the money is spent wisely? 

[Hockeybik]

4 hours ago, sandyf said:

Quite, too complicated.

If they had followed the UK model, £82 on economy long haul and £180 on premium long haul seating, they wouldn't have a problem.

Just a wild guess here but the UK folks probably first sat down to discuss the issue with the major carriers that would be tasked with collecting and paying the fee instead of floating it 10 different ways in the press first.

[2baht]

7 hours ago, Martyjustice said:

How about the balance going to re election campaigns. 

Election campaigns are won with guns and tanks!.....Only one side has them!