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

[smotherb]

More good news. Hopefully it will be implemented and add to everything else that causes foreigners to go elsewhere.

..............and dont forget the ATM withdrawal fee has now been increasedto 200thb.............thieving bastards!!!

Didn't you hear, the buffalo needs another operation,

[Usual Suspect]

Amazing how the Chinese are exempt from this proposed new 'falang tax'..is it because of the new railway that needs financial funding..?

It's very strange when Westerners are the sector that spend money here, & therefore need encouragement to return again. & yet it is them that are penalised the most.

My wife runs 2 businesses here that cater for tourists/ex-pats & this year is her worst year for 'seasonal customers' in the last 16 years! (& for almost all the bars & restaurants in our resort).

The Skandi economy has been hit hard by falling oil prices, resulting in a poor Krona/Baht rate...THEY, over the past years have brought a great deal of revenue into this country..but their numbers are well down this year..any incentive to lure them here again..not a chance!

When I ask the street traders how they are doing they just shake their heads..they do not realise why the tourists are not coming here in droves any more... Ho hum!

[rotorbreeze]

IN Thai "Go Away" Republic

[geriatrickid]

Hmmm...if the place is so disgusting, why do they come ? Oh that's right....for girls....who is sleazier, the TAT guys or the farang who visits a scumpuddle just for sex ?

And that's why I don't care what happens to slime holes like Patong or Pattaya. If I was not obliged to have been there for a transaction I would not have gone. I have no intention of ever setting foot in that disgusting filthy over priced place again.

What amazes me are these elderly Nordic couples intent on purchasing the condos that are constantly being pushed at Jungceylon. Don't they understand what due diligence is? Don't they get that Patong has constant water shortages, that the electrical grid is 20 years out of date? Don't they stop to consider that if one of them has a heart attack or stroke, it's game over because delivery to critical care treatment within the golden hour is an impossibility. I can't even believe that TaT has tried to promote Phuket as a hub of medical tourism. Nice. They can't even control the TB or dengue epidemics, but they want to be your choice when you decide on that sex reassignment surgery.

[Jonmarleesco]

'“It will be collected under the name of a tourist attraction administration fee,” Yuthasak said. “We will use the money to maintain and improve security systems of tourist attractions across the country, in order to support the tourism sector, which has been growing steadily.”'

So, not content with the steady growth (notwithstanding the TAT's generally questionable stats) in the sector, the TAT governor thinks it reasonable for tourists to pay a tax to come into the country. Shouldn't that be coming from the industries which make money from tourism - particularly the scam artists? Would non-tourists be caught in the net? And is he including in the aforementioned tourist attractions those numerous ones that screw the tourist for excessive entrance fees compared to those paid by Thais?

If nothing else, he might like to read up on Asean and its expectations in regard to cross-border trade.

[baboon]

Hmmm...if the place is so disgusting, why do they come ? Oh that's right....for girls....who is sleazier, the TAT guys or the farang who visits a scumpuddle just for sex ?

And that's why I don't care what happens to slime holes like Patong or Pattaya. If I was not obliged to have been there for a transaction I would not have gone. I have no intention of ever setting foot in that disgusting filthy over priced place again.

What amazes me are these elderly Nordic couples intent on purchasing the condos that are constantly being pushed at Jungceylon. Don't they understand what due diligence is? Don't they get that Patong has constant water shortages, that the electrical grid is 20 years out of date? Don't they stop to consider that if one of them has a heart attack or stroke, it's game over because delivery to critical care treatment within the golden hour is an impossibility. I can't even believe that TaT has tried to promote Phuket as a hub of medical tourism. Nice. They can't even control the TB or dengue epidemics, but they want to be your choice when you decide on that sex reassignment surgery.

Because it won't happen to me? Those other idiots bought in the heat of the moment. Me, I hired a Lawyer, don't you know, who assured me that in fact there is a little known clause in Thai law that enables foreigners to legally own property 100% in their name by setting up a company etc, etc. Furthermore, the water supply was guaranteed by the developer as was the long stay visa... Edited January 22, 2016 by baboon

[Jonmarleesco]

More good news. Hopefully it will be implemented and add to everything else that causes foreigners to go elsewhere.

..............and dont forget the ATM withdrawal fee has now been increasedto 200thb.............thieving bastards!!!

But if you pick the right one, you get free pineapple or corn pies from McDonalds, or free peanuts from a store.

[Jonmarleesco]

"In order to support the tourism sector, which has been growing steadily.” Has TAT ever stated that the tourism sector has declined for any reason? This might do it.

Yeah. Because when you're spending a couple of thousand dollars on a holiday, ten bucks is going to put you off.

This is a non-issue for anyone other than a bunch of 'it's the principle' cheapskates who'll jump on any opportunity to talk down Thailand and its tourist industry. In the meantime, people will keep coming here and enjoying it more than you do.

That depends whether you're happy to add it to the usual holiday costs that you do expect to pay ... and whether you really believe it will improve anything for you as a tourist? Would you?

[johnmell]

There is no doubt that Thai officials sit around a casio calculator and punch numbers into it and watch what pops up.

They've already whacked on 20 or so baht to every airticket , pocketing tens of millions of baht for doing nothing.

In a year or so they will find another excuse for adding 10 baht to the cost of a ticket......who will notice ?? Thai style.

Tourists aren't going to come here with an extra 360 baht to cover the latest Thai scam hence all that happens is billions of baht will be redirected from the tourist industry into the pockets of corrupt TAT officials.

The beaches will remain filthy, dangerous footpaths left unrepaired ,diseased cats and dogs everywhere and jetski thugs ripping off foreigners.

TAT officials will send their children to expensive foreign schools paid for by us.

With any luck this brainless idea wont get off the ground.

TIT

I agree. Best thing they could do is have a massive program to rid the country of all these pathetic looking, disease ridden dogs roaming about , with seemingly no owner.

Sent from my P330X using Tapatalk

[puukao]

another $10 USD won't stop many people.....

IT HAS BEGUN!!!!!

soon banks will charge $10 per ATM, then freeze accounts...

condos taken...

everything nationalized!!!!!!!

and $10 to leave....

don't worry sheepies.......this is one of a thousand cuts!!!!

UPDATE: Thaivisa to charge me 10 baht per word!!!!!

i joke , i joke...

[EyesWideOpen]

I love reading Thai news. Just when you when you think

idiotic statements from government officials cannot be

topped, sure enough it is .... But I suspect this will

follow the standard Thai procedure. They are experts

at flying trial balloons. So some official will make a

statement about some new revenue gathering

policy, then they sit back and watch to see the level

of complaining. If not too much, then they go ahead

and implement it. If everyone screams bloody murder,

then the government will say this was simply the

personal opinion of the person making the statement,

and of course Thailand would never ever do such

a stupid thing. I have watched this for many years....

Does bring to mind something a local city to me did

a number years ago. Hermosa Beach, Calif. is a beach

city, and parking is tight. So every month the city

wrote so many thousand parking tickets. So some

bright bulb at city hall decided if they increased the

price of the parking tickets by 20 dollars they would

get a lot more revenue........Yes you already know

what happened, the overall revenue fell after the

increase, as they had reached the pain point of

people who tended to get parking tickets. And yes

they lowered the ticket price back to the original amount.

This is what will happen with this idea, but I guess the

government is too stupid to know that... :-)

And yes for anyone who had been in Thailand for

a long time, you already know the TAT officials are

planning a new Mercedes for the mia noi and trips

to Europe......

Edited January 22, 2016 by EyesWideOpen

[TrevorS]

I thought that was what the entry/visa fee was for ?

That money did not go into the pockets of TAT...

Which companies manufacture brown envolopes....we need to buy shares!!!

[Brer Fox]

I have been visiting Thailand from a nearby country every 6-8 weeks for the past 10 years. I come with money which I spend generously around the traps and share with needy and not so needy. If this anti-tourism suggestion comes to pass I will halve the number of my visits thus reducing the amount of my available income to the Thais. Instead I will visit other neighbouring countries which make me feel welcome as do their people within who will be the beneficiaries of such a change to my travel plans. With such a move the Thai government will be denying their people access to tourist money. To be sure, such a fee will end up in the pockets of the top end of town and not those within the tourism industry.

[Geoffggi]

This is absolutely disgusting, the Thai government should feel ashamed of themselves for even considering this cheap move, it is pathetic....!!!

[BangkokKen]

Tourist visa multiplied by 4

ED visa extension multiplied by 2.5

Visa on arrival doubled

New maintenance fee

See a trend?

[Khon Kaen Dave]

555555555555,and how much of this ingeniously thought up tax is going to go to where its meant to go?

Is there some sort of idiot's office who thinks these things up?.A clean up tax.Seriously?

Once again,Thailand proving that it is a country run by children dressed up as adults.

KKD

[OMGImInPattaya]

5555

Ok Thailand, we get the message. You do not want tourists, you do not want retirees, you have made clear that you do not know how to run a tourist industry.

Take a break, take a bow, you have shown the world your GREED.... your corruption... your unsafe county... you have clearly made a point, we all get it...good luck with this.

THANK YOU.

I'm going to Vietnam this year and if it's even remotely more fun, better accommodations, nicer/friendly people, better beaches, cleaner air, better food, better beer, I can assure I will be spending more of my money there.

Nobody cares where you go.

[Keesters]

This is proof of Thailand's greed. They have no idea of giving value for money. Like young Oliver Twist they want more...more...more.

[Fairynuff]

Vietnam is safe? Try walking round downtown Saigon with your phone in your hand for an hour or two and see how safe it seems then. I love Vietnam, but crime free it aint.

Nowhere is completely safe. I feel safer in Thailand than I do in many other places. A few years ago I felt a lot safer. Crime including and especially street robbery has risen dramatically. I feel safer in Vietnam tan I do in Thailand. A few years ago I would not have said that

[Fairynuff]

555555555555,and how much of this ingeniously thought up tax is going to go to where its meant to go?

Is there some sort of idiot's office who thinks these things up?.A clean up tax.Seriously?

Once again,Thailand proving that it is a country run by children dressed up as adults.

KKD

What are you whingeing about, it's only $10. Small price to pay for being a guest in their country. And of course if you don't like it you can always go back to your country. Is one more tax on top of the hundred others you pay going to make a difference Edited January 23, 2016 by Fairynuff

[osiboy]

...Britain’s expensive Air Passenger Duty (APD), a departure tax levied on outgoing passengers. The tax is as high as £184 for long-haul business tickets, and comes on top of pricey airport surcharges that, at Heathrow airport,...

Flying in from the UK on business, about 90% of your taxes are paid to the UK. Thailand only asks for the scraps.

Still wanna whine about $10?

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2013/03/britains-exorbitant-airport-taxes

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/business/02fees.html

so why are return flights to thailand 30% more than a return to the UK ? , I just paid £460 for a ruturn flight from London , see how much you will pay for the same from thailand , DIRECT !

[Brer Fox]

5555

Ok Thailand, we get the message. You do not want tourists, you do not want retirees, you have made clear that you do not know how to run a tourist industry.

Take a break, take a bow, you have shown the world your GREED.... your corruption... your unsafe county... you have clearly made a point, we all get it...good luck with this.

THANK YOU.

I'm going to Vietnam this year and if it's even remotely more fun, better accommodations, nicer/friendly people, better beaches, cleaner air, better food, better beer, I can assure I will be spending more of my money there.

Nobody cares where you go.

And nobody cares where you are!. Pattaya pomposity at it's best.

[brewsterbudgen]

...Britain’s expensive Air Passenger Duty (APD), a departure tax levied on outgoing passengers. The tax is as high as £184 for long-haul business tickets, and comes on top of pricey airport surcharges that, at Heathrow airport,...

Flying in from the UK on business, about 90% of your taxes are paid to the UK. Thailand only asks for the scraps.

Still wanna whine about $10?

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2013/03/britains-exorbitant-airport-taxes

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/business/02fees.html

so why are return flights to thailand 30% more than a return to the UK ? , I just paid £460 for a ruturn flight from London , see how much you will pay for the same from thailand , DIRECT !

Supply and demand.

[joebrown]

I thought that was what the entry/visa fee was for ?

No silly, that is for entering the country, this is for being here. Just wait for the fee to leave the country.

No need to wait for a leaving fee, it's been in existence for at least 10 years, but you may not have not have noticed it.

FYI a 'Departure' tax of 500bht per person was introduced, and I remember paying this in cash at Don Muang airport in 2004. The tax was then increased to 700bht and instead of being paid on departure at the airport, it was included in the price of the airline ticket. The airlines pay this revenue to the Thai Government on our behalf.

[wabothai]

He can also do the math to see how much this cuts tourist numbers. It will be a nice windfall for the government, as I don't think 10 bucks each will affect numbers much. Try 3000 baht each, and you will see numbers drop a lot. However, it could have flow-on effects in the future, with fewer repeat visitors coming. I doubt much of that money will be used to maintain tourist attractions - I thought the 10x pricing was for that....to clean up the mess that Thais leave behind in NP's.

I doubt it would. I am astounded by how much abuse tourists receive, and yet they come in droves. Watching the tourists swimming in the polluted waters of Patong, restricted to small areas of the beach and paying inflated prices for umbrellas, tuk tuks etc. I wondered if they were mental deficients or gluttons for punishment. I watched them engage in some of the vilest behavior and chase after some of the ugliest sex workers imaginable. They rented the jet skis and took parasail rides. Honestly, I don't think another small charge will keep them away. One thing I would expect is that Thailand would waive the visa fee for its tourist target markets of China. India, and the middle east.

Hmmm...if the place is so disgusting, why do they come ? Oh that's right....for girls....who is sleazier, the TAT guys or the farang who visits a scumpuddle just for sex ?

TAT

[wabothai]

They could easily recover much more money by revalidating the visa's they have already issued,from within the country and stop requiring foreigners to make Visa runs and pay fees to foreign countries such as Laos and Cambodia. Thailand could levy a similar fee in house and save foreigners the cost of the Visa run.

I've been mentioning this for ages - visa runs are stupid, they just don't make sense and are a massive inconvenience for us and a non-earner for Thailand!!

Not stupid if you look at it from a xenophobic perspective.

[samuibeachcomber]

no fool like a thai fool

[Thian]

If I was them and I read this, I'd double it in the hope of keeping you whining cheapskates out of the country. Get a grip before you embarrass the rest of us any further.

And i would ban farang using bicycles because they are too cheap to use a taxi or skytrain. Also far too dangerous to bike downtown BKK. Don't make us ashamed more dude, adapt by buying a big motobike or use taxi's.

[SoiBiker]

If I was them and I read this, I'd double it in the hope of keeping you whining cheapskates out of the country. Get a grip before you embarrass the rest of us any further.

And i would ban farang using bicycles because they are too cheap to use a taxi or skytrain. Also far too dangerous to bike downtown BKK. Don't make us ashamed more dude, adapt by buying a big motobike or use taxi's.

It's a username, dude, not a description of my entire life.

[SunsetT]

More good news. Hopefully it will be implemented and add to everything else that causes foreigners to go elsewhere.

..............and dont forget the ATM withdrawal fee has now been increasedto 200thb.............thieving bastards!!!

Didn't you hear, the buffalo needs another operation,

Which buffalo? I believe Thailand has the largest herd on the planet and its thriving.......no threat of extinction here......numbers increasing daily..............and their methane output is probably the major cause of climate change.