'Maintenance Fee' for All Foreign Tourists Proposed by Tourism Governor

[sabaii69]

Some of us pay big maintenance fees for schooling, housing and feeding kids that are not ours.

[Don Mega]

Off topic - but to all those complaining about flights TH-somewhere costing much more than somewhere-TH...

Don't book direct with the airlines - not only are the flights more expensive, but they'll charge you in THB (which if your bringing FC in means you also pay an FX charge somewhere along the line). Try booking with one of the online agents...

I used momondo.com last year for BKK-LHR with Qatar... they claimed the flight was about 40BGP less than if booked direct, but when I compared it with what I would have paid in THB (plus the necessary exchange costs) I'd saved over 140 GBP... Still a little more than if I'd booked UK-BKK, but reasonable... (Also, if you're reasonably flexible on date momondo have a really great widget to allow you to easily find the cheapest available..)

Other point to note is that the cheapest UK-TH flights are often 1/2/3 month validity (with severe change penalties), whereas the tickets booked from BKK are usually 1 year (and often flexible).. If you stay here all year with just one return flight "home", then you'd need a 1 year validity if booking UK-TH, and these are a lot more.

Sorry to hi-jack the important message that TAT are promoting...

Yeah some times it is cheaper to book with the airlines.

Iam going to New Zealand soon... cheaper for me to purchase direct from airline than use your momondo.

[duckmandon]

One word. <deleted>!!!!

[stickylies]

Some of us pay big maintenance fees for schooling, housing and feeding kids that are not ours.

locally AKA suhtupid falang

[rjwill01]

I would not mind paying this fee if it means I pay the same entrance fee to go to Thai attractions as my Thai girlfriend. One sour taste in my mouth after a trip to Thailand are all the 300, 500, 1000 baht fees that collected for everything you do while there. I feel like I am walking down the street with nothing buy panhandlers. Don't get me wrong, I love Thailand, but not this nickle diming everyone.

[stickylies]

I would not mind paying this fee if it means I pay the same entrance fee to go to Thai attractions as my Thai girlfriend. One sour taste in my mouth after a trip to Thailand are all the 300, 500, 1000 baht fees that collected for everything you do while there. I feel like I am walking down the street with nothing buy panhandlers. Don't get me wrong, I love Thailand, but not this nickle diming everyone.

the proposal did not imply the rest of the prices would be adjusted... it is an extra tax.

[Capt Rob]

How much will actually go into tourist projects and how much in the envelopes?????

That is of course the 64K question - in the full article a figure of 142 million THB per province has been suggested from the income stream from this levy.

The proponent has said the money would be used to improve tourism by provinces.

The proponent also said that other countries raise this money in "subtle" ways - this is correct and it is perhaps a better / less insulting way of getting clawback from tourists.

I refer to the somewhat impolite practice of multiplying entry fee to national parks for tourists by 10, compared to locals charges. I think most foreign folk are in a position to pay twice or triple fees, but ten times is exorbitant.

Totally counter-productive as I aware of several folk who have turned around and gone elsewhere.

Still the 64K question is unlikely to be answered or even addressed .

[sambum]

Count me in. Im happy to pay the $10 each time I enter. In fact <deleted> it charge $100.

I'd rather give Thailand $10 than give the UK it to support all those <deleted> sponging oxygen thief immigrants.

Ah, the racist bigot jumps in with their nonsensical BS.

Took a while but you can always rely on the bigots to puke up their hate.

Spell check seems to have improved their spelling as well.

Pity their is no rational thinking check on devices.

Would certainly cut down on the number of hate posts we see.

"Pity their is no rational thinking check on devices." Pun intended?

[misterphil]

Count me in. Im happy to pay the $10 each time I enter. In fact <deleted> it charge $100.

I'd rather give Thailand $10 than give the UK it to support all those <deleted> sponging oxygen thief immigrants.

Ah, the racist bigot jumps in with their nonsensical BS.

Took a while but you can always rely on the bigots to puke up their hate.

Spell check seems to have improved their spelling as well.

Pity their is no rational thinking check on devices.

Would certainly cut down on the number of hate posts we see.

Took a while?

22 Jan it was posted not 2 days later like you belster

[Strangebrew]

I thought the daul pricing at these so called tourist attractions were used to cover security costs. charging an entrance fee to visit and spend your money here will do way more harm than good. Then TAT will be forced to makeup more lies of why tourist number are low.

[sambum]

I thought the daul pricing at these so called tourist attractions were used to cover security costs. charging an entrance fee to visit and spend your money here will do way more harm than good. Then TAT will be forced to makeup more lies of why tourist number are low.

"I thought the daul pricing at these so called tourist attractions were used to cover security costs. charging an entrance fee to visit and spend your money here will do way more harm than good"

Sorry, I don't understand what you're getting at - "dual pricing" to me means that tourists are paying more in entrance fees than Thais, so an entrance fee is already being charged, no?

[Tomtomtom69]

To improve the attractions they will then charge them many times the local rate to enjoy. Will this extortion apply to us with non immigrant o visa'a as well? I am not interested in their so called attractions, they are few and far between. They will not even be cleaning up the beaches.

Good question. However, I think we all know that Thais consider every foreigner a tourist.

Some examples of "tourists" in Thailand:

Burmese trader on a one day pass in Mae Sot who comes and goes daily = tourist. He comes daily so is counted as a separate individual each time he arrives. Yes, he was counted as 365 individuals for the purposes of tallying up the almost 30 million "tourists" that came to Thailand last year.

Lao citizen who drives from Vientiane to Udon Thani weekly on either a border pass or passport for shopping or for medical purposes. Might go back the same day or stay overnight on occasion. Yes, this person is also a "tourist".

Cambodian trader with a work permit who works at a border market in Aranyprathet = tourist.

Swiss traveller in transit from Sydney to Zurich on THAI Airways, who does not enter Thailand at all = tourist.

Cambodian/Burmese labourers with legal LA visa and work permit = tourist.

Australian expat working as the director of a Thai or multinational company with legal work permit and visa = tourist.

American citizen on regular business in Thailand who is the holder of a non-B multi entry visa = tourist.

Retired German citizen who lives in Thailand on a legal NON-OA "retirement" extension of stay, yep he's a tourist!

Vietnamese student on a legal NON-ED one year visa studying for a Master's Degree at a Bangkok university = tourist!

So there you go folks, in Thailand these are all "tourists".

Let's see how well this plan will go when they all have to pay 360 Baht (to whom? The immigration officer?!) on arrival. Hopefully the number of complaints would force the plan to be scrapped almost immediately, should it ever be implemented.

It is however rather disconcerting to read many Thai social media users who seem to agree with the proposed plan though.

[Tomtomtom69]

Count me in. Im happy to pay the $10 each time I enter. In fact <deleted> it charge $100.

I'd rather give Thailand $10 than give the UK it to support all those <deleted> sponging oxygen thief immigrants.

Ah, the racist bigot jumps in with their nonsensical BS.

Took a while but you can always rely on the bigots to puke up their hate.

Spell check seems to have improved their spelling as well.

Pity their is no rational thinking check on devices.

Would certainly cut down on the number of hate posts we see.

Took a while?

22 Jan it was posted not 2 days later like you belster

Well what's wrong with not wanting to support freeloaders, Bluespunk?

I think the vast majority of Europeans disapprove of giving fake refugees everything while their citizens get kicked out of their own homes. Altruism has to have it's limits. Europe and the west in general is not the savior of the entire developing world. They should look after themselves and we should stop allowing them into our societies to feed off the taxes paid by hard working natural born citizens.

Also it's "there" not "their". Seems like grammar isn't your strong point is it there, mr Bluespunk?

I disagree with this tax, but I suppose it's just another way (if it ever gets implemented) of Thailand supporting it's own citizens first and foreigners second. In the west, foreigners seem to come first and locals second. I wonder why there is still even a visa system in place in Europe. Now with "refugees" coming freely, I think they should just abandon the whole visa and passport thing for all given they have already abandoned it for refugees. If you ask me, it's an insult that Thais require a visa to go to Europe, while Europeans don't need one to come to Thailand, not to mention refugees who don't have any documentation at all who can just criss-cross Europe freely.

The way things are going in Europe, there will soon be an exodus of Europeans coming to Thailand and other similar countries like Vietnam and Cambodia.

[sambum]

Count me in. Im happy to pay the $10 each time I enter. In fact <deleted> it charge $100.

I'd rather give Thailand $10 than give the UK it to support all those <deleted> sponging oxygen thief immigrants.

Ah, the racist bigot jumps in with their nonsensical BS.

Took a while but you can always rely on the bigots to puke up their hate.

Spell check seems to have improved their spelling as well.

Pity their is no rational thinking check on devices.

Would certainly cut down on the number of hate posts we see.

Took a while?

22 Jan it was posted not 2 days later like you belster

Well what's wrong with not wanting to support freeloaders, Bluespunk?

I think the vast majority of Europeans disapprove of giving fake refugees everything while their citizens get kicked out of their own homes. Altruism has to have it's limits. Europe and the west in general is not the savior of the entire developing world. They should look after themselves and we should stop allowing them into our societies to feed off the taxes paid by hard working natural born citizens.

Also it's "there" not "their". Seems like grammar isn't your strong point is it there, mr Bluespunk?

I disagree with this tax, but I suppose it's just another way (if it ever gets implemented) of Thailand supporting it's own citizens first and foreigners second. In the west, foreigners seem to come first and locals second. I wonder why there is still even a visa system in place in Europe. Now with "refugees" coming freely, I think they should just abandon the whole visa and passport thing for all given they have already abandoned it for refugees. If you ask me, it's an insult that Thais require a visa to go to Europe, while Europeans don't need one to come to Thailand, not to mention refugees who don't have any documentation at all who can just criss-cross Europe freely.

The way things are going in Europe, there will soon be an exodus of Europeans coming to Thailand and other similar countries like Vietnam and Cambodia.

"Spell check seems to have improved their spelling as well."

"Pity their is no rational thinking check on devices"

"Also it's "there" not "their". Seems like grammar isn't your strong point is it there, mr Bluespunk?"

See #Post 338

[davidstipek]

Let's see. 25,000,000 tourists at 360B = 9,000,000,000 baht.

So after all the commissions, fees, overcharging, backhanders, bribes, inflated over pricing, that 9 Billion baht will end up as another 2,000 Baht plastic statue at Swampy departure lounge.

Sorted.

So if we pay this on arrival, what receipt are they going to give us? Maybe a Card (like credit card) that can be used so we can pay same entrance price as Thai's pay... I was told that the reason we pay a much higher price then Thai pay was for this reason! Are they going to eliminate this and make it a Fair... One Price At The Gate?

[gk10002000]

Why not just mug the tourists as the leave the airport,this plus increase in Visa on arrival,

they are slowly killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

regards Worgeordie

Wasn't it the old movie "La Story" with Steve Martin where the people were lined up at the ATM getting money, and on the other side of the ATM machine there was a line of robbers that were very polite and would say "Hi, my name is Fred, I will be your mugger tonight". And the people that just got money from the ATM machine gave it to the robbers.

[ffaarraanngg]

Thailands tourist boom of the last 20 years has coincided with the biggest global property bubble in history, this nation has made god knows how much from foreign investment in hotels, apartment blocks and tourism in general ... and i don't know one area of the country where they've managed to build pavements which for tourists ith families is a basic necessity to save having to risk their kids being killed.

Thailand could get given an open cheque from the IMF and it still would do sweet FA for the benefit of tourists.

[tropo]

Why not just mug the tourists as the leave the airport,this plus increase in Visa on arrival,

they are slowly killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

regards Worgeordie

How are they slowly killing the goose? Tourist numbers are increasing, not declining. You can grumble as much as you like, but $10 will not stop anyone coming here who wants to come here. A much bigger cost increase was the addition of ATM fees for international cards. Every time a tourist uses their card at the ATM they're smacked with a 200 baht fee.... yet they come.

How often will you hear something like this:

Person one: "I'm going to Thailand for a 2 week vacation".

Person two interjects: "but they have a new $10 fee you must pay at the airport when you enter".

Person one: "&lt;deleted&gt; that. I'm going to find another country to visit instead".

I don't like it, nobody likes it, but they've found a new way to fleece us all and there's nothing anyone can do. Next thing, and I'm really surprised it hasn't changed in the 10 years I've been here - they will increase VOA and extension fees. What you gonna do?

[selftaopath]

Another idiotic empire builder. The result of this would just another arm of the already bloated bureaucracy with little left after everyone has been 'paid'. Mind-numbing lunacy even by the lofty Thai standards of nutty proposals. Forget Dumb and Dumber, this is Dumbest by a country mile.

What I think is dumb is so many allow this blatant gouging of foreigners. Hopefully unknowing tourists will be educated and walk away. But as long as vacationing here is desirable then the powers to be will continue their plan to extort funds from anyone who does not refuse.

I love the adage. "What we allow we condone."

Hope I don't get another warning.

[brewsterbudgen]

Another idiotic empire builder. The result of this would just another arm of the already bloated bureaucracy with little left after everyone has been 'paid'. Mind-numbing lunacy even by the lofty Thai standards of nutty proposals. Forget Dumb and Dumber, this is Dumbest by a country mile.

What I think is dumb is so many allow this blatant gouging of foreigners. Hopefully unknowing tourists will be educated and walk away. But as long as vacationing here is desirable then the powers to be will continue their plan to extort funds from anyone who does not refuse.

I love the adage. "What we allow we condone."

Hope I don't get another warning.

I don't think many tourists will walk away from their holiday over $10!

[BORRISGOODENUF]

What a rediculous preposal. "A tax on tourist whom chose to visit Thailand to spend their hard earned. Tourist and all foreignors already pay a rip off fee to visit most things in this delightful Kingdom.

If only 10% of prospective tourist decide they don't like it and change locations, even that amount will have a detrimental effect on the economy.

Why would any government body decide to charge people for spending their monies?

A penalty perhaps??

[SoiBiker]

I don't think even 1% will be put off by a $10 charge.

[impulse]

I don't think even 1% will be put off by a $10 charge.

And if they are put off enough by an extra $10 fee to change their destination, ya gotta kind of wonder how much they were going to contribute to the Thai economy anyway.

I suspect Thailand would be better off if they did go elsewhere, improving the quality of the experience for others who won't have to wait behind them in the immigration and 7-11 lines. Never mind a little extra (very welcome) breathing room at tourist spots.

[thaibeachlovers]

Last time I visited Samet I had to pay the "fee" to the national park ranger to stay there, yet the entire island was a rubbish tip, end to end, the road was a muddy track and the village was a filthy disgrace. I doubt if any of the "fee" was used to maintain the park. We all know where the money went.

[davidstipek]

Is this a try to leagize extortion? Since P.M. has verbally come out and stated it is a criminal offense for individuals to demand funds from expats?

Now all attempts will be able to refer to this and try to justify their demanding for monies in which to line their pockets... All we can do is demand a receipt and everyone has a phone with a camera... See who refuses to allow picture. We can start a database that in which future Tourists can refer...

We can justify the record keeping... As needed for records of all Taxes paid so we can ask for refund when filing as we leave Thailand... Also needed for proof when Taxes are filed in our Country of Origin!

They try to jack us... We can return the favor. Seems they have forgotten we already pay this fee each time we visit any park or like!

Maybe this is because Tourist's are not visiting these sites, thus their anticipated extra income has dropped dramatically? So now they want to insure they get their cut from the tourist trade. People falsely believing they have paid to visit when they enter Thailand. Thus when they get to the gate they are fleeced, and forced to pay the extra monies?

Maybe on the receipt we should demand a statement. That this fee covers all visits to parks.... Or a statement that this fee is in additional to the extra monies demanded at the gates allowing entry...

I personally would ask it to be clarified and written on receipt. Then I can have written confirmation of fleecing issue and overload my Consulate or EMBASSY. Then unaware future Tourists would be forwarded before traveling to Thailand. I have never in 12 years here felt the need, wanted to visit any of these sites. What would I have paid over the years if I had?

[davidstipek]

I thought the daul pricing at these so called tourist attractions were used to cover security costs. charging an entrance fee to visit and spend your money here will do way more harm than good. Then TAT will be forced to makeup more lies of why tourist number are low.

"I thought the daul pricing at these so called tourist attractions were used to cover security costs. charging an entrance fee to visit and spend your money here will do way more harm than good"

Sorry, I don't understand what you're getting at - "dual pricing" to me means that tourists are paying more in entrance fees than Thais, so an entrance fee is already being charged, no?

Answer to your question... YES! 10 Times more!

Example: If my wife would be asked to pay 10Baht.... I would be required to pay 100Baht!!! If she paid 100Baht... I would be required to pay 1000Baht... Understand?

The last time this happened my wife showed her ID Card paid her entry fee. I was asked for my Passport then required to pay the Inflated fee. My wife then asked why she was not required to pay the same as me, showing them her American Passport. Cashier said she was... She showed cashier both receipts.. They demanded them back, which she refused. We were followed to gate and she was refused entry. We had with us a Major Royal Thai Police (Family related) He identified himself,interceded... My fee has reduced... Go figure!

This is not here say... Actual fact!!!

[sambum]

I thought the daul pricing at these so called tourist attractions were used to cover security costs. charging an entrance fee to visit and spend your money here will do way more harm than good. Then TAT will be forced to makeup more lies of why tourist number are low.

"I thought the daul pricing at these so called tourist attractions were used to cover security costs. charging an entrance fee to visit and spend your money here will do way more harm than good"

Sorry, I don't understand what you're getting at - "dual pricing" to me means that tourists are paying more in entrance fees than Thais, so an entrance fee is already being charged, no?

Answer to your question... YES! 10 Times more!

Example: If my wife would be asked to pay 10Baht.... I would be required to pay 100Baht!!! If she paid 100Baht... I would be required to pay 1000Baht... Understand?

The last time this happened my wife showed her ID Card paid her entry fee. I was asked for my Passport then required to pay the Inflated fee. My wife then asked why she was not required to pay the same as me, showing them her American Passport. Cashier said she was... She showed cashier both receipts.. They demanded them back, which she refused. We were followed to gate and she was refused entry. We had with us a Major Royal Thai Police (Family related) He identified himself,interceded... My fee has reduced... Go figure!

This is not here say... Actual fact!!!

Yes, I do understand thank you! I can quite believe that it's not "here say" hearsay! I believe that it's called "nepotism", and that kind of "preferential" treatment happens all over the world, but does seem to be more prevalent in some countries more than others.

I am not defending the system in any way (which I think is all wrong to charge visitors/tourists 10 times more, by the way!) The point I was making was merely that they are already charging an entrance fee, so this statement is a bit ambiguous:-

"charging an entrance fee to visit and spend your money here will do way more harm than good"

Understand?

[englishoak]

So the fee currently charged everywhere that is jacked up for tourists pays for zero maintenance then ?

Whatever fee they shove on will go right into someones back pockets ... maintenance here is a brush and a mop or winding some loose cable round a lamppost.

[thaibeachlovers]

Let's face it, what tourist attractions does Thailand have except the beaches and islands? Many of them are national parks allready and charge the 10foulded prices.

Do they call the floating markets tourist attractions?

???????????????

Thailand has many tourist attractions that are very nice and don't even charge. However, you won't find them in the tourist areas- you have to go to the out of the way areas where most farangs don't go.

[Tomtomtom69]

I thought the daul pricing at these so called tourist attractions were used to cover security costs. charging an entrance fee to visit and spend your money here will do way more harm than good. Then TAT will be forced to makeup more lies of why tourist number are low.

"I thought the daul pricing at these so called tourist attractions were used to cover security costs. charging an entrance fee to visit and spend your money here will do way more harm than good"

Sorry, I don't understand what you're getting at - "dual pricing" to me means that tourists are paying more in entrance fees than Thais, so an entrance fee is already being charged, no?

Answer to your question... YES! 10 Times more!

Example: If my wife would be asked to pay 10Baht.... I would be required to pay 100Baht!!! If she paid 100Baht... I would be required to pay 1000Baht... Understand?

The last time this happened my wife showed her ID Card paid her entry fee. I was asked for my Passport then required to pay the Inflated fee. My wife then asked why she was not required to pay the same as me, showing them her American Passport. Cashier said she was... She showed cashier both receipts.. They demanded them back, which she refused. We were followed to gate and she was refused entry. We had with us a Major Royal Thai Police (Family related) He identified himself,interceded... My fee has reduced... Go figure!

This is not here say... Actual fact!!!

Where was this? Nowhere in Thailand do they ask a foreign tourist/expat for a passport and then still charge them a higher fee! They use racial profiling instead. So all they need for that is your face. Occasionally, Thais are asked for ID (though I have not once seen it happening with my own eyes, having said that I so rarely visit dual pricing attractions that I can't claim with any degree of certainty how often Thais are or are not asked for ID), though foreigners who possess a Thai driver's licence, long-term visa, yellow house book, tax ID card or any number of other documents proving they live here are usually asked for one of these documents before being given the Thai price. That is, if they're given the Thai price at all. However, asking for a passport in any case, I don't think so. Whether you provide it or not you'll probably end up paying the higher fee anyway. Unless you show them a Thai passport of course.