Tourism fee back on the table, to be decided next week

[webfact]

Thailand tourism Pre-pandemic tourism in Phuket. Flickr/Werner Bayer

 

By Peter Roche

Officials will meet next week to once more discuss a possible “tourism arrival fee”, whose introduction has been repeatedly postponed since being proposed at the start of last year.

 

According to a Nation Thailand report, the National Tourism Policy Committee will meet on January 24 to discuss a proposal to levy a 300 baht entry fee for foreign tourists.

 

Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, says officials will be asked to approve the levy for all international tourists, whether arriving by land, sea, or air.

 

However, those arriving from neighbouring countries and in possession of a border pass, would be exempt, as would foreigners holding work permits for employment in Thailand.

 

The tourism minister has previously explained that the money would be used to offer insurance coverage for foreign tourists in the event they are injured or killed while on holiday in Thailand.

 

If it gets the go ahead, collection of the fee will begin on June 1, under the amended National Tourism Policy Act, which has been enforced since May 20 2019. This act gives the government the power to collect a tourism entry fee that will fund further tourism promotion in the kingdom.

 

Source: https://phuket-go.com/phuket-news/national-news/tourism-fee-back-on-the-table-to-be-decided-next-week/

 

-- © Copyright Phuket GO 2023-01-19

 

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[pokerface1]

56 minutes ago, webfact said:

minister has previously explained that the money would be used to offer insurance coverage for foreign tourists in the event they are injured or killed while on holiday in Thailand

Yes Minister I accept the offer for accident insurance for 300baht while I'm on holiday just hand over the policy and a receipt. 

[zzaa09]

Better yet, don't publicize and just shout up about anything related and quietly mandate a B1,000 entry fee to be automatically written into the respective air ticket. 

 

No one would be the wiser. 

[bamnutsak]

3 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

Better yet, don't publicize and just shout up about anything related and quietly mandate a B1,000 entry fee to be automatically written into the respective air ticket. 

Agreed but there are reasons, not made public of course, why there are choosing NOT to increase the current international PSC from 700 baht to 1,000 baht.

 

I think the 700 baht gets remitted directly to AoT, who may or may not kick back some to various ministries. And EVERYONE, including Thais would end up paying +300 this way, so a rebate would be the only option.

 

I suspect the Tourism and Sport Ministry Permanent Secreatary wants to get their grubby little mitts on this MASSIVE windfall. That giant home safe isn't going to fill itself. And they want this done NOW, before the government is dissolved.

 

Still unclear how this will be implemented, collected and stolen administered. Airlines and their GDSes have been reluctant to add another line item just for Thailand's graft tourism-enhanced operation.

 

 

[worgeordie]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The tourism minister has previously explained that the money would be used to offer insurance coverage for foreign tourists in the event they are injured or killed while on holiday in Thailand.

I thought that part was changed to develop tourist sites , so what it adds up too ,

every tourist is paying for those that don't bother to take out insurance before

coming to Thailand , if approved , just have to wait and see when first tourist

has an accident and no insurance , IF they will receive treatment ,free of change.

 

regards worgeordie

[KannikaP]

No mention of expat retirees, only work permit holders and tourists.

[nigelforbes]

13 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

I thought that part was changed to develop tourist sites , so what it adds up too ,

every tourist is paying for those that don't bother to take out insurance before

coming to Thailand , if approved , just have to wait and see when first tourist

has an accident and no insurance , IF they will receive treatment ,free of change.

 

regards worgeordie

What visa you have? Visa exempt, you not tourist. OA, you not tourist, Non Imm O, you not tourist, TR visa, you tourist. You have travel insurance, we not pay. You drunk, we not pay. Dangerous sport, we not pay. No license, not legal, we not pay. Have letter A in day of week, we not pay.

 

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, bamnutsak said:

Still unclear how this will be implemented, collected and stolen administered. Airlines and their GDSes have been reluctant to add another line item just for Thailand's graft tourism-enhanced operation.

Thais and foreigners with work permits exempted... So, either a credit card reader or/and cash payments at check-in counters and entry points; can't imagine the chaos.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, KannikaP said:

No mention of expat retirees, only work permit holders and tourists.

Which means you pay on re-entry.

[KannikaP]

3 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Which means you pay on re-entry.

Making Immigration queues longer! 

[daveAustin]

Waiting for every other country in the world to reciprocate, targeting Thais only ????

[Deli]

What a typical Thai clownerie. If they add 300 freaking Baht to any ticket, nobody will notice. But no. big story to show off. Just the usual Muppet show.

[kwilco]

Tourism fee, dual pricing, 220 ATM fees ..

These little bits of money here and there add up in two ways firstly they start to register on your budget and in combination they make a difference - tourists may leave earlier etc.

But I think more importantly, they display an attitude.

These random little fees here and there create an impression of  "foreigners can pay, they can afford it" Really it is a form of niggardly disrespect for people who at the end of the day account for up to 20% of the nations GDP.

You can get away with it up to a  point but there will come a time when the nations attitude will actually dissuade people from visiting.

 

 

[Lee65]

'Twas easy to tolerate Thailand when it was cheap, there weren't so many cars on the road, and the people weren't so stressed.