Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn has announced that the 300-baht entry fee for foreign tourists arriving by air in Thailand will be proposed at the first Cabinet meeting of the new "Anutin 2" administration. The plan to charge travelers entering by land and sea a 150-baht fee has been set aside to avoid impacting cross-border commuters and day-trippers. This move is part of the government's broader strategy to boost tourism revenues.

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The proposed air arrival entry fee has sparked debate, with discussions focusing on the potential economic benefits against the need to maintain a welcoming image. Phiphat suggested renaming the fee to portray a more positive message, distancing it from its original term, "fee for stepping on the land." Additionally, the Bhumjaithai Party is planning a major reorganization of the civil service, merging the Ministry of Tourism and Sports with the Ministry of Culture into the new Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

Phiphat argues that combining these departments will enhance strategic alignment between tourism and cultural initiatives, key to Thailand’s economy. Concurrently, a new, dedicated Ministry of Sports will be established for focused management. These government restructures are anticipated to be completed within six months, with Sabida Thaiseth and Surasak Phancharoenworakul expected to lead the new ministries.

Looking forward, these changes aim to improve Thailand's tourism sector's efficiency and cultural integration, though the impact remains to be seen. Analysts will be watching closely as the government implements these plans, assessing their influence on international tourism and domestic perceptions, reported The Nation.

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now · The Nation · 26 Mar 2026

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Good, hopefully it will deter the riff raff from visiting Thailand.

$9? Outrageous. It will destroy tourism. No one can afford that

Good call at a time when flights are sky high and being cancelled I no let's put a 300 baht fee on top love it

6 hours ago, 1tooth said:

Good, hopefully it will deter the riff raff from visiting Thailand.

I trust that was sarcasm? That's how I took it anyway

In any event it's yet another tax on air travellers but I doubt 300 Baht will deter many people good or bad.

I wonder how TAT will spin this???

Departure would be better it was 500 before

If I only had 1 THB for every time this idea was floated and soon after sunk...

5 minutes ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

I wonder how TAT will spin this???

As a another privilege for those few allowed to enter the holy land

If added to the fare then, mixed in with all the other fees, taxes, charges etc. added to air fares, no one will ever notice.

Again ! Flip flop. !

More delays on arrival ffs

What about residents on Retirement visas? We're not tourists. Or, is this just another across the board falang tax?

How will it be collected I wonder? On arrival?

Why not bake it into the Visa application and then charge the 300 on location only for visa on arrival.

How about those on marriage as well as retirement visa/extensions? I expect they will be lumped in as tourists with the usual unwelcoming attitude to these “foreigners”.

2 minutes ago, LALes said:

What about residents on Retirement visas? We're not tourists. Or, is this just another across the board falang tax?

As per every other discussion about the subject, yes. A tax applied to all non Thai passport holders

15 minutes ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

I wonder how TAT will spin this???

Very quietly.

Nobody really cares if they charge it or not. The problem, as always, will be in the implementation of actually taking the money.

Just chuck it on the airport fee to the airlines, they then raise their ticket prices by the 0.00?% required to cover it.

Oh no! Can't do that, let's have a separate, willy waving, delay inducing booth where all air travellers have to visit to pay. Tourists will love it.....not.

11 minutes ago, pest said:

Departure would be better it was 500 before

500 Baht was a long time ago. Departure is now 1120 Baht!

1 hour ago, mikeymike100 said:

How will it be collected I wonder? On arrival?

Very simple - it will be imposed on your air ticket to Thailand:)

29 minutes ago, andyman57 said:

Good call at a time when flights are sky high and being cancelled I no let's put a 300 baht fee on top love it

29 minutes ago, andyman57 said:

Good call at a time when flights are sky high and being cancelled I no let's put a 300 baht fee on top love it

29 minutes ago, andyman57 said:

Good call at a time when flights are sky high and being cancelled I no let's put a 300 baht fee on top love it

I was waiting for a jackass to complain. Uk put a gbp15! Entry fee end of Feb. I guess cheap charlies like yourself complained about that too. Fyi gas is up too. How dare they!

300 baht fee will not deter Tourists coming to Thailand

If they can afford the air ticket plus hotel expenses to come to Thailand

300 baht is a small price to pay especially for quality family tourists to enjoy what Thailand has to offer

So will this be included in Airfares or are they levying it the airport. If so What if you have no thai money on arrival?

8 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

How will it be collected I wonder? On arrival?

The worst way would be to try and collect it on arrival, it would only make things exponentially worse.

Why can't they add it to the ticket price there is already....

Thailand Advance Passenger Processing User Charge

Thailand International Arrival And Departure Fees

Thailand Passenger Service Charge

Just add another line???

7 hours ago, 1tooth said:

Good, hopefully it will deter the riff raff from visiting Thailand.

sure not because of 9 Bucks...

300 baht isn't much but it adds up, and thinking of how much is spent here by foreigners, then adding more onto that means more than that 300 baht. Tourists along with residents spend a lot of money here, more than the average local monthly.

The reputation has been slowly decreasing, along with the thefts, robberies, scams, dual pricing and attacks on tourists, and the horrible driving conditions and you have more people looking elsewhere for vacations. Every foreigner here likely has relatives and friends back home, and they talk. Some will praise Thailand as they have a decent woman and love the food, and some will tell things as they're happening, One way to ruin your tourism is being greedy, and not appreciating what is spent here daily by foreigners. No, 300 baht isn't much at all, but what's behind it means a lot more. Looking at tourism last year, that 300 Baht adds up to almost 300 million USD, and what will that money go towards?

The classic difference between Thais and Chinese is that when business is slow, Thais increase their prices, whereas the Chinese lower theirs to boost demand.

‘Announced…..will be proposed’.

Headline wrong, does not mean ‘enforced’ and will not impact travellers yet.

Phiphat suggested renaming the fee to portray a more positive message,

Yea call it a smiling Fee ,,, You Pay We smile.