Thai tourism sector proposes 300-baht tax to counter over-tourism

[webfact]

 

Thai tourism operators are advocating for government regulations to address the rising issue of over-tourism in the country.

 

They propose the implementation of a 300-baht tourism tax, which they believe could alleviate the problem. Their call for action comes in response to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s commitment to make 2025 a pivotal year for Thai tourism.

The Federation of Thai Tourism Associations (FETTA) is set to present a white paper to the government outlining solutions to over-tourism, a significant issue in Thailand pre-pandemic. Secretary-General of FETTA, Adith Chairattananon, pointed out that major tourist destinations like Phuket, Samui, and Pattaya are on the brink of over-tourism, with a projected 40 million tourists.

During peak season, these popular destinations suffer from traffic congestion and water shortages, with international airports running out of slots for airlines. Adith suggests a key strategy could be to divert tourists from these hubs to the country’s secondary cities. These cities offer numerous potential attractions and have adequate space to accommodate an influx of tourists.

Adith also proposed incentives for airlines to operate direct flights to provincial airports, such as U-Tapao, Khon Kaen, and Krabi. Such a move would ease congestion at major airports, like Phuket Airport or Suvarnabhumi Airport, and stimulate regional business opportunities.

 

Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) Vice-President Surawat Akaraworamat supports the idea of a 300-baht tourism fee. He believes it could fund tourism development as the plan and all related preparations have been finalised. Surawat suggests that the tax would not deter foreign tourists, as the fee is minimal compared to countries like Bhutan, which charges a tourist tax of over US$100 (approximately 3,700 baht) per night.

 

The additional revenue could be used to develop infrastructure in second-tier provinces, attract tourists away from overcrowded locations, and enhance attractions that have deteriorated due to over-tourism, reported Bangkok Post.

Surawat called for a trial phase of tourism tax collection through a mobile application or kiosks, mirroring the approach taken by many countries that collect taxes from tourists through flight tickets or hotel stays.

 

by Alex Morgan

Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-04-23

 

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[TheFatOne]

What a joke.

The country doesn't have enough tourists but wants to implement a tax on... over-tourism.

Give me a break....

Tax Thai companies and those corrupted billionaire families of yours.

 

 

[Artisi]

one minute they are thinking up hair-brained schemes to attract tourist and in the next breath they are planning to impose a tax to reduce tourism -- could only happen in Thailand, probably smoking too much weed believing their own weed smoking tourism advertising. 

[quake]

One more attempt at a money grab.

Amazing Thailand. 

 

Ps BMW and Mercedes Benz, sales staff, just got

wet knickers.

 

 

[brianthainess]

31 minutes ago, webfact said:

During peak season, these popular destinations suffer from traffic congestion and water shortages, with international airports running out of slots for airlines. Adith suggests a key strategy could be to divert tourists from these hubs to the country’s secondary cities. These cities offer numerous potential attractions and have adequate space to accommodate an influx of tourists.

Try and find another way for Thailand to earn/get money and stop relying on frigging Tourism that is destroying the country. Amsterdam have now banned any more new hotels for this reason. 

[transam]

8 minutes ago, quake said:

One more attempt at a money grab.

Amazing Thailand. 

 

Ps BMW and Mercedes Benz, sales staff, just got

wet knickers.

 

 

Are you worried about 6 pound 50p...........🤭

[Pouatchee]

idiots

i hope people wake up and go somewhere else

[Dan O]

So they want the tourist dollars but not the tourist. The dollars support the failing financial govt plans and the Tourist Industry Sector but the extra people are just a nuisance to deal with. And this is coming from the Federation of Thai Tourist Industry which is the group that promotes tourism. You really can't make this $hit up.

[TheFatOne]

35 minutes ago, transam said:

Are you worried about 6 pound 50p...........🤭

 

He is right.

It is by not caring about small assaults on your money that you end up being poor.

Same goes with services like Grab or tipping, etc...

Better not have the poor idiot's mentality.

[Aviatorhi]

58 minutes ago, TheFatOne said:

What a joke.

The country doesn't have enough tourists but wants to implement a tax on... over-tourism.

Give me a break....

Tax Thai companies and those corrupted billionaire families of yours.

 

 

"Not enough tourists" - you writing that from your porch in "inner Bueng Kan" at a house you need to travel to using an off roader?

[jonclark]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

During peak season, these popular destinations suffer from traffic congestion and water shortages, with international airports running out of slots for airlines. Adith suggests a key strategy could be to divert tourists from these hubs to the country’s secondary cities. These cities offer numerous potential attractions and have adequate space to accommodate an influx of tourists.

 

The problem with that plan is that the tourists in all likelihood don't want to go to secondary destinations, otherwise, if they did want to go they would be going there already. It's the consumer who chooses where they want to go for their holiday. Not Mr. Adith. 

 

Alternatively, one could suggest that maybe the people who have profited handsomely from high tourist numbers, put some money back into the proverbial pot so that it can be used to improve public transport, water storage facilities etc as it's their customers who are partially to blame, but are nonetheless actively encouraged to come - Just had three weeks of highly publicized and globally promoted Thai 'soft power' songkran and now.... Sometimes feels like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. 

 

Maybe if they do press ahead with the 300 baht tourist tax - they could include domestic tourists in that as well as they also play a part in traffic congestion and water shortages fairly easy to implement - any hotel within a primary destination location has a 300 baht tax added to the cost of each and every room irrespective of nationality or length of stay.  Domestic tourists are more likely to go to secondary destinations as well. 

 

 

[cnx101]

Comparing Thailand Pataya and Bhutan, 

[jonclark]

2 minutes ago, TheFatOne said:

 

He is right.

It is by not caring about small assault on your money that you end up being poor.

Same goes with services like Grab or tipping, etc...

Better not have the poor idiot's mentality.

Wise words indeed - look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves as the old saying goes. 

[transam]

2 minutes ago, TheFatOne said:

 

He is right.

It is by not caring about small assault on your money that you end up being poor.

Same goes with services like Grab or tipping, etc...

Better not have the poor idiot's mentality.

You have a 6 pound 50p problem too, how much does a tourist pay for one beer in his/her hotel.......😆....?

[TheFatOne]

4 minutes ago, Aviatorhi said:

"Not enough tourists" - you writing that from your porch in "inner Bueng Kan" at a house you need to travel to using an off roader?

 

No actually I write that from Hua Hin but who cares really.

Just read the news about tourism in the news section.

[craighj]

TIT 😀😀😀

 

Screaming for more tourists and doubling the amount tourists in the next 10 years, now limiting tourists TIT 😀😀😀

[TheFatOne]

3 minutes ago, transam said:

You have a 6 pound 50p problem too, how much does a tourist pay for one beer in his/her hotel.......😆....?

 

Obviously you're missing the point.

Nevermind. Might be too complicated for you.

Some people are just meant to be screwed.

[dpeti73]

we been here before, if you guys remember was 500B what rised for 750B and later they charged the airlines so the price added to ticket prices. as i know its still have so its "just" add an other 300B

 

[Skeptic7]

C'MON...someone is making this 🦇 💩 crazy stuff up❗OH yeah, right...T.I.T. 

[Nickcage49]

"Over tourism"? Are these people kidding?

 

One minute they're crying because they don't get enough tourists and giving freebies to countries like India and China and the next minute they're trying to do things to slow tourism down.

 

Make a decision guys!

 

And if you think 9 USD is going to make a difference you're wrong.

 

I'm looking forward to the article in the next few days about how the Thai authorities are whining about one country or another having too few tourists here or one area or another being low on tourism.

 

What a joke!

[spidermike007]

We want to get back to 40 million tourists a year, oh now we want to grow it to 160 million tourists a year. Oh wait, hold on a minute I think now we think that 40 million tourists here might be too much and we should impose a tax to slow down the incessant growth.

 

What can one even say, there is such an incredible lack of policy when it comes to one administration after another. Absolutely no vision, no ability to see the future on any level. 

 

I said this a long time ago and I'll say it again, quantity over quality is always a big mistake unless you're selling $2 items at a swap meet. That defines Thai tourism in 2024.

[dinsdale]

I thought they were already limiting the amount of people going into spots on the islands. Iimiting the number of snorklers at any one time in a single spot. These are good policies if adhered to. This is just the lastest backdoor way to tax tourists. The extremely well thought out entrance tax was a prime example of this tactic. This is just so translucent it's laughable. 

[NoDisplayName]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Adith suggests a key strategy could be to divert tourists from these hubs to the country’s secondary cities.

 

Diversion to HoChiMihn City or Siem Reap or Yangon or Luang Prabang?

 

(insert Barney Fife shooting self in foot Youtube clip)

[transam]

Just now, TheFatOne said:

 

I don't think you're getting the point.

Nevermind. Might be too complicated for you.

Some people are just meant to be screwed.

The last time I had a hotel holiday in Phuket was in 2009, they charged 250bht for a beer and 350bht for a glass of red wine....

And you're worried about a 300bht levy that lasts the length of a holiday in 2024...😁

[chilli42]

Can you imagine where this money would go once it’s collected? If you think it will be spent on improving infrastructure in anything but a token way with “friends” then you are mistaken.

[TheFatOne]

Just now, transam said:

The last time I had a hotel holiday in Phuket was in 2009, they charged 250bht for a beer and 350bht for a glass of red wine....

And you're worried about a 300bht levy that lasts the length of a holiday in 2024...😁

 

As I said, you're missing the point here.

[AsiaCheese]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

He believes it could fund tourism development

 

Oh really? What's tourism development? More tourists, more turnover, more traffic, more of everything?

[Guderian]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

During peak season, these popular destinations suffer from traffic congestion

 

That's certainly true in Pattaya, which is becoming unlivable during the high season. BUT it's hardly likely to be due to foreign tourists, most of whom don't own or rent a car here. If the ever-increasing volume of traffic on the roads is caused by tourists, then they're of the Thai domestic variety, and this dubious tax will be pointless.

[transam]

3 minutes ago, dpeti73 said:

we been here before, if you guys remember was 500B what rised for 750B and later they charged the airlines so the price added to ticket prices. as i know its still have so its "just" add an other 300B

 

I remember that, I was charged 500bht on exit at the airport, think it was 2007/8..

[RichardColeman]

A bit like Tesco announcing a tax on all shoppers of £5 to cover excessive trolley use ! Just a bunch of thieves really