Committee Set to Decide on Tourist Entry Fee

[webfact]

 

by Krajangwit Johjit

BANGKOK (NNT) - The National Tourism Policy Committee is set to consider a proposal to levy a 300-baht entry fee on foreign tourists on January 24th.

 

According to Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the committee will be asked to approve the same rate for tourists arriving by air, land, and boat. If the proposal is approved, the collection of the fee will begin on June 1st.

 

Piphat noted that people from neighboring countries who use a border pass to enter Thailand, and foreigners who have work permits to work in the country would be exempted from the fee.

 

Minister Phiphat said the entry fee will be collected under the provision of the amended National Tourism Policy Act, which has been enforced since May 20, 2019.

 

The act empowers the government to collect an entry fee from tourists, which would be used to establish a fund for tourism promotion.

 

Source: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG230119121643599

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2023-01-20

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

[ukrules]

I may be wrong but wasn't this supposed to be for airport arrivals only when it was first mentioned?

[blackcab]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Piphat noted that ... foreigners who have work permits to work in the country would be exempted from the fee.

 

I wonder how that is going to work.

[spidermike007]

18 minutes ago, ukrules said:

I may be wrong but wasn't this supposed to be for airport arrivals only when it was first mentioned?

Correct. But it is the flip flop men who are generating these ideas. So, is consistent policy a reasonable thing to expect from them? 

 

I don't think the fee will make any difference. Sure, it is arrogant and annoying. But, who is going to avoid traveling here because of a small fee? And tourism is way, way down anyway. 

[daveAustin]

Few will likely know but will get a rude awakening on entry. The kind of irksome, money-grabbing thing to put off visiting again? Thailand is going backwards imo. 

[StayinThailand2much]

42 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

And tourism is way, way down anyway. 

According to another topic here, there were 900,000 tourists just during the first half of January.

[Mike Teavee]

37 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

Few will likely know but will get a rude awakening on entry. The kind of irksome, money-grabbing thing to put off visiting again? Thailand is going backwards imo. 

If they plan on collecting it on arrival it's going massively increase the already ridiculous amount of time it takes to get through immigration, if they collect it as part of the airline ticket price (which is the sensible thing to do) then forget about Work Permit holders not having to pay, no airline is going to mess around having to work that out. 

 

[StayinThailand2much]

39 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

Few will likely know but will get a rude awakening on entry. The kind of irksome, money-grabbing thing to put off visiting again? Thailand is going backwards imo. 

They will probably put 1 or 2 counters to collect the fee just before Immigration. Expect long queues...

[jcmj]

It should be exempt for retired people as well. They still don’t understand how much we contribute to the economy. We don’t even get the discount Thai rate anymore at the parks. Could give us a little break. 

[2baht]

Only 3 hundred baht? Come on! 1000 baht will still have them fighting to get in and think what that will do for the trough! It's a bottomless money pit for the connected!

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, blackcab said:

 

I wonder how that is going to work.

Rather difficult to expect the airlines to implement something selective like this in their ticket prices.....

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

According to Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the committee will be asked to approve the same rate for tourists arriving by air, land, and boat. If the proposal is approved, the collection of the fee will begin on June 1st.

That man has the best job in Thailand.. 

[ThailandRyan]

TATs new proposal for a new fee will be the "Up to you fee" where it's up to you to pay at the IO desk or get refused.......

Edited January 19, 2023 by ThailandRyan

[Blumpie]

Tourism is not improving that much - pent up demand came and went.  Word around the campfire from around the world Chinese are not travelling and sources on the ground confirm this.  

 

The tourism industry is flopping.  Take your pick what it is - nitpicking, high airline fees (more than likely this) and hesitancy to travel.  

[JoseThailand]

3 hours ago, ukrules said:

I may be wrong but wasn't this supposed to be for airport arrivals only when it was first mentioned?

And be collected by airlines.

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

According to another topic here, there were 900,000 tourists just during the first half of January.

I do not trust govt numbers. Why should I? Do you? Who else are they including besides real tourists? 

[tomazbodner]

4 hours ago, blackcab said:

 

I wonder how that is going to work.

Same as years ago - you had to hand over (I think it was 500 baht at that time) to leave the country, now you'll have to do it to enter the country. No cash, no entry. I think this one is more predictable and makes more sense than sayonara tax, as at that time many had no cash left and were begging others to be able to leave, unaware of that requirement. Mostly people still have money when arriving...

[ThailandRyan]

36 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I do not trust govt numbers. Why should I? Do you? Who else are they including besides real tourists? 

Then you have the few Chinese who have come. Possibly because many are still trying to obtain passports....since they did not issue any for the past 3 years

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by ThailandRyan

[WHansen]

A drop in the ocean compared to the 50% airfare increases.

I have far more important things to worry about than an extra 8 Euros to get here

[blackshadow]

4 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

According to another topic here, there were 900,000 tourists just during the first half of January.

that would have been a lot of 300 bahts if it was in operation !!!

[lujanit]

Why not add it to the exit fee (700 baht) already charged?  That way there will be no discrimination against anyone.  This is another way for the IO to collect tea money from tourists with unreal exchange rates.  From memory you cannot get baht from an ATM before Immigration or after security on the arrival/departure side.  Please correct me if this has changed.

[bangon04]

11 minutes ago, WHansen said:

A drop in the ocean compared to the 50% airfare increases.

I have far more important things to worry about than an extra 8 Euros to get here

more important than the 300 baht - how complicated and time-consuming are they going to make it to collect this amount?

Edited January 20, 2023 by bangon04

[wwest5829]

4 hours ago, jcmj said:

It should be exempt for retired people as well. They still don’t understand how much we contribute to the economy. We don’t even get the discount Thai rate anymore at the parks. Could give us a little break. 

Allowing that the Royal Thai government does not care ... I agree that, after 10 years retired residence in the Kingdom of Thailand I am not a "tourist". I am a resident of Thailand as my only global country of residence.

[Sydebolle]

Instead of studying tourism in any Western university I might suggest that such students just keep reading, what those experts in Thailand do with their country. Epic teaching material and new stuff coming each and every day!

Keep up the good work; one day you'll be surprised. And, on that note, be aware that you can do many things with money - except eating it! 

It's not the 300 Baht (no clue how they want to collect that at Bangkok's airports which are a mess in the arrival halls by people being slowly screened by immigration or wait 90 minutes for luggage off a domestic flight. No, it is the clear message "you tourist, you are here to be skinned alive and there is nothing you can do about it." Same with national parks, museums etc. - Well, there is something those tourists can do and that is voting with their feet! You've been warned, the writing is in huge big capital letters on the wall! 

[Blumpie]

3 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

It's not the 300 Baht (no clue how they want to collect that at Bangkok's airports which are a mess in the arrival halls by people being slowly screened by immigration or wait 90 minutes for luggage off a domestic flight. No, it is the clear message "you tourist, you are here to be skinned alive and there is nothing you can do about it." Same with national parks, museums etc. - Well, there is something those tourists can do and that is voting with their feet! You've been warned, the writing is in huge big capital letters on the wall! 

I agree and it is all but apparent for those that have spent any amount of time in Thailand.  

[StayinThailand2much]

6 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I do not trust govt numbers. Why should I? Do you? Who else are they including besides real tourists? 

I didn't say I trusted the numbers. I just mentioned the other topic. But yes, "tourists", according to the TAT are also job seekers from neighbouring countries, salesmen, and expats, some of whom may cross the border a dozen times a year, perhaps not even staying 24 hours...

Edited January 20, 2023 by StayinThailand2much

[StayinThailand2much]

6 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Same as years ago - you had to hand over (I think it was 500 baht at that time) to leave the country, now you'll have to do it to enter the country. No cash, no entry. I think this one is more predictable and makes more sense than sayonara tax, as at that time many had no cash left and were begging others to be able to leave, unaware of that requirement. Mostly people still have money when arriving...

The 500 baht (later 700 baht) was the Don Muang airport tax, which was only later incorporated into the flight ticket.

Edited January 20, 2023 by StayinThailand2much

[StayinThailand2much]

2 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Mostly people still have money when arriving...

How many people (except expats) have Thai baht in the pocket when arriving? Sure, great news for currency exchange counters...

[jacko45k]

9 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

I didn't say I trusted the numbers. I just mentioned the other topic. But yes, "tourists", according to the TAT are also job seekers from neighbouring countries, salesmen, and expats, some of whom may cross the border a dozen times a year, perhaps not even staying 24 hours...

So what should they do, count termites or bats? 

The numbers are an indication of how things are going based on how they change.... it will not include a large number who cross land borders illegally.. quite a few of those. Someone who visits for 24 hours is not a tourist why? 

Edited January 20, 2023 by jacko45k

[tomazbodner]

What I am more interested in is how would airline at the other end of the World know whether to charge the fee or not, based on whether foreigner has a work permit? Are they experts in checking digital work permits as well? Or do you now have to carry work permit booklet with you on the trips? Ehm.... more interested in this than how collecting of tax would actually happen...