Tourism boss calls for special state body to manage the new foreign tourism levy postponed yet again

[webfact]

The Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn announced recently that the proposed foreign tourist levy on incoming visitors scheduled from June 23rd next was to be postponed until after the new government comes to power. He did clarify that 17% of the ฿300 would go towards the fund to provide automatic but capped emergency medical coverage for visitors in Thailand for up to 30 days after arrival.

 

by Carla Boonkong & Pranee O' Connor

 

Plans this year to have airlines collect the proposed ฿300 levy ran into difficulty while industry leaders are anxious to see the proposal for emergency tourist medical insurance coverage implemented with ongoing horror stories from across the country’s tourist hotspots of injured foreign visitors seeking help with unpaid medical bills damaging the country’s reputation as a tourist destination abroad. The new levy scheme will plough 17% of the income received into an insurance fund for all visitors extending medical health coverage for up to 30 days from arrival with a cap of ฿500,000.

A leading tourist industry chief has called for the government to establish a separate state agency to manage the country’s proposed foreign tourism levy which has been postponed yet again by the Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn until after a new government is formed. Mr Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, the Chairman of the Phuket Tourist Association, also expressed concern that the collection of the levy should not be imposed on airline carriers while it should also be collected at both land and sea points of entry into the kingdom. The new tourism levy, according to the minister and key officials, will pay for automatic emergency health coverage for foreign tourists who get into trouble in Thailand but the industry itself is perplexed by concern about the ongoing delay in the introduction of the charge and transparency around how the money raised is used in what could turn out to be a vast annual sum collected by the government as tourist numbers rise.

 

At the end of April, the Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn announced that the new incoming tourist tax of ฿300 per head which had been due to come into effect on June 23rd next was to be postponed until the next government is sworn in.

 

Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2023/05/06/industry-boss-calls-for-incoming-tourism-levy-body/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2023-05-08

 

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[Enzian]

What if a tourist does something really stupid with a motorbike or car, something that would be illegal in almost any country? Do they still deserve and receive medical insurance? Say they hit and run killing someone and then are injured trying to escape a pursuit, do they get insurance? Or only if they have no assets or money in a bank somewhere? And is that fair? I know we don't let people just die, but some of this seems weird, especially if the insurance is there just to reimburse hospitals only for those who claim no ability to pay. Or is everyone to be totally covered, including the rich?

[ikke1959]

entrance fee 300 THB and exit fee 1000 THB.... tourists will come by millions and millions...or maybe find other more welcoming destinations

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The new levy scheme will plough 17% of the income received into an insurance fund for all visitors extending medical health coverage for up to 30 days from arrival with a cap of ฿500,000.

Why not plough it all in and cover people comprehensively, or is the other 83% destined for luxury items?

[RefinedGentleman]

I propose having all foreign tourists fitted with pedometer ankle bracelets upon entry. Upon exit, they will be charged 1 baht for each step taken within the kingdom.

[brommers]

Don't get too excited. After the election and the months of chaos and violence that will accompany the inevitable military intervention there will be zero tourists coming to the People's Republic of Thailand.

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, brommers said:

Don't get too excited. After the election and the months of chaos and violence that will accompany the inevitable military intervention there will be zero tourists coming to the People's Republic of Thailand.

Might push the baht lower... got to have a glass half full perspective!

[robertson468]

So exit tax of 1,000 baht to stop Thai Nationals and long stay Foreigners spending too much overseas and then 300 baht to get back in, but with a limited medical coverage.  I can understand the latter recommendation to a certain extent, but the exit tax is nothing more than a rip-off.  What about a Family of 4 - they would need to spend 4,000 baht to get out and 1,200 to get in, making a total of 5,200 baht.  Absolutely barking!

[scorecard]

6 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

entrance fee 300 THB and exit fee 1000 THB.... tourists will come by millions and millions...or maybe find other more welcoming destinations

Many of the countries with national medical care  give tourists etc., some level of automatic cover. e.g. australia, visitors on many visas automatically have Australian Medicare cover.

 

We seem to regularly see 'come to lovely Thailand and we'll take care of you and we'll rip you off as much as possible. 

[Snugs08]

Quote

Mr Bhummikitti pointed out that in Phuket alone each year foreign tourists leave behind ฿10 million in unpaid hospital bills and fees.

Wow, that's a rounding error for some of the largest hospital chains, that's not even a million baht a month,  who is pushing that and why? I just can't imagine they woke up one morning and felt intense pity for some rounding error of a unaffiliated health conglomerate

[Burma Bill]

6 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

entrance fee 300 THB and exit fee 1000 THB.... tourists will come by millions and millions...or maybe find other more welcoming destinations

Yes indeed! Welcome to neighbouring Cambodia and Vietnam.

[ikke1959]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

Many of the countries with national medical care  give tourists etc., some level of automatic cover. e.g. australia, visitors on many visas automatically have Australian Medicare cover.

 

We seem to regularly see 'come to lovely Thailand and we'll take care of you and we'll rip you off as much as possible. 

You are right...If Thailand treated everybody fair instead of dual pricing and excessive in hospitals bills, nobody would really complain, but now.. you have to pay again for nothing and even don't know for whose pocket

[JayClay]

6 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Might push the baht lower... got to have a glass half full perspective!

That didn't happen last time.

[Graemej100]

I think the concept is great!

[StayinThailand2much]

7 hours ago, Snugs08 said:

Wow, that's a rounding error for some of the largest hospital chains, that's not even a million baht a month,  who is pushing that and why? I just can't imagine they woke up one morning and felt intense pity for some rounding error of a unaffiliated health conglomerate

Shows also what a rip-off this will be... If unpaid hospital bills on Phuket were 10 million baht (or about 300,000 US$), and the number of foreign Phuket tourists was, say, 10 million in 2019, then this was, on average 1 (one) baht per tourist. So, why do they want to charge each tourist a tourist tax of 300 baht on arrival? - Who, or which institution will enrich themselves with the remaining 299 baht?

Edited May 8, 2023 by StayinThailand2much

[scorecard]

6 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

You are right...If Thailand treated everybody fair instead of dual pricing and excessive in hospitals bills, nobody would really complain, but now.. you have to pay again for nothing and even don't know for whose pocket

I don't xpect Thailand / Thai citizens to pay the health / hospital bills of foreigners.

 

I wouldn't object ifs they came up with a properly calculated / dvertised 'visitors health levy', paid by all non-Thai folks in their air ticket cost.

 

And the 'visitor' can us their notated boarding pass which acts as a receipt for the payment and acts as a 'Visitor Health Card' membership with dates.

 

Surely not difficult. 

 

My guess (repeat my guess) is that the cost would be minimal, say 500Baht per person and I would hope nobody would have any objection. 

[richard_smith237]

14 hours ago, hotchilli said:

18 hours ago, webfact said:

The new levy scheme will plough 17% of the income received into an insurance fund for all visitors extending medical health coverage for up to 30 days from arrival with a cap of ฿500,000.

Why not plough it all in and cover people comprehensively, or is the other 83% destined for luxury items?

Exactly...  So much money is made by tourism the ‘medical cost burden’ of tourists is an insignificant amount in comparison.... 

Thailand would do far better to do a better job of courting tourists and ensuring their safety when they are here. 

Clamp down on scams etc....  ensure ‘genuine’ tourists are fully covered without any caps etc.

 

 

I do get the 30 days part, but some tourists come for longer - does Thailand not also value those ?

 

Perhaps: the charge is to be for Visa Exempt entry then and all other visa’s applications must show proof of Insurance ???...  this would make things difficult for those who self insure. 

 

IMO the whole idea is flawed....  IF Thailand wanted to handle this intelligently, they’d add a little to the Airport Tax (arrivals Tax) and just announce that ‘emergency care’ is free for all tourists etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, scorecard said:

I don't xpect Thailand / Thai citizens to pay the health / hospital bills of foreigners.

It could be argued that they don’t... It could be argued that the Money profited from international tourism is mangnitudes higher than the the cost burden of medical care for tourists (which if remember correctly think is less than 0.04% of tourism income).

 

Thus: some of that ’tourist’ profit could be put aside for medical care for tourist and then the Thai people wouldn’t be paying anything !!!!... 

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, scorecard said:

I wouldn't object ifs they came up with a properly calculated / dvertised 'visitors health levy', paid by all non-Thai folks in their air ticket cost.

They tried - Airlines refused to differentiate between Thai’s and non Thais with ticketing. 

Basically, the authorities attempted to shift responsibility to Airlines.

 

 

3 minutes ago, scorecard said:

And the 'visitor' can us their notated boarding pass which acts as a receipt for the payment and acts as a 'Visitor Health Card' membership with dates.

Thats not a bad idea... but again, why all the rules... 

Just give free emergency healthcare to tourists... its that simple and bigger picture - not that expensive (in comparison to tourism income).

 

 

3 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Surely not difficult. 

 

My guess (repeat my guess) is that the cost would be minimal, say 500Baht per person and I would hope nobody would have any objection. 

They would... why should people pay an extra 300 baht or 500 baht to enter when they already have 3 million $$ worth of private health care cover ????

 

Solution: attract more tourists, make more profit - distribute that profit to cover any incidental costs of the medical burden of tourists.