SURVEY: Do you agree with the adding of 360 baht 'Maintenance Fee' on tourists?

[Scott]

The head of the tourism authority is proposing to charge tourists 360 baht each time they enter the kingdom as a fee to help maintain and improve tourist sites. In your opinion, do you think this will help or hurt tourism in the kingdom?

Please feel free to make a comment.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/888637-maintenance-fee-for-all-foreign-tourists-proposed-by-tourism-governor/

[pmarlin]

If done it will most likely be added to the price of the air ticket. No one will notice.

[Mango Bob]

It's just another way to milk money from the tourist. Do you really think the money will go back to help tourism or go back into the general fund or should I say General pockets.

[Chang_paarp]

As they are proposing to to tax every tourist entry at all points of entry it could end up being like Bali (and the rest of Indonesia?) where you have to pay $25USD in USD to the immigration officer to get your passport stamped. If they go that way good luck with getting the money from the Immigration Department TAT.

[smedly]

Thailand has be getting huge amounts of money from tourists for a very long time and they just stuffed it in their greedy pockets as fast as they could

Does anyone actually believe this will be spent on anything useful

[billphillips]

It can be likened to the bar or restaurant owner that increases prices when the customers start to dwindle. It's the way the mindset works, a prime example of some local logic.

[Dancealot]

They're going to push it as far as they can. What will be next?

[bwpage3]

No tourist sites will be improved. No jet scams done away with. Money will all go in someone's pocket as usual.

When was the last time a Thai authority did anything for Thailand?

Never.

The ARMY is getting theirs, the AOT wants some to.

[shirtless]

They just added a security fee which is a double dip now this , they sure know how to get every last Baht.

[Ace of Pop]

OK so how much will Soi Cowboy get

[LazySlipper]

IMHO it is just a way to have farang pay for the pollution that the Thais mass produce. They should actually charge the Thais an annual fee too...

[Bluespunk]

Tourists spend money, lots of money, when they get here. They also pay VAT on everything they buy [wonder how many actually try to claim it back]. That is maintenance fee enough.

[jaywalker]

I agree that it is one of the stupidest names for a 'Fee' that has ever existed.

The 'M' in Thailand stands for maintenance.

[wow64]

How will they only charge tourists?

Sent from my c64

[trogers]

I support raising it to Bt3,600.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

[petedk]

If done it will most likely be added to the price of the air ticket. No one will notice.

But then ALL travellers will have pay including Thais. Not just tourists.

[poohy]

I live near a tourist beach Al Manao in Phrachuap

In the week a few foreign tourists, beach and surroundings clean

Weekends and holidays the Thai masses descend resulting in filth and rubbish everywhere they are the ones that need to pay for cleaning and maintenance ... not foreign tourists

[SoilSpoil]

Any tourist who understands the fact that he or she will have to pay and a maintenance fee and pay double, triple, or even tenfold the local price once visiting 'the attraction' will feel insulted and cheated. Not a good way to treat tourists. Tourist tax ok, but then stop the double pricing.

Also, I wonder what the price saturation threshold for visiting Thailand is, because once over this, it will be tough to woo the visitors back,

[poohy]

Living near a tourist beach Ao Manao in Phrachuap

Its the Thai tourist that cause the filth and rubbish not the foreign ones, maybe they should pay instead?

[EricBerg]

The Kingdom is going further along a dead end street. Huge corruption, scams, dual pricing , insecurety and overall greed get known more and more. Notorious stories of Koh Tao - murders and the way the police handled things, of the stop & search actions in BKK and of the Red Bull cop killer will not blow over. And then of course there's the horrible traffic situation: the second unsafest country in the world. Oh yes, those that read up a bit before deciding where to go for the holiday may very well stumble upon the remarkably high number of farangs falling from balconies all over the place.

Quite a few richer farangs - the desperately wanted quality tourists - already turned their backs on the country and only visit as tourists for meeting family members. Everpresent dirt and filth, even on the once most beautiful beaches of the world give lasting impressions. Foreign investments are dropping.

The past ten years the number of tourists in Vietnam has risen bigtime, About 4 times to some 6 - 7 million. Part of that group once would have gone Thailand instead.

Nobody will notice the extra 360 baht. The incompetence of running country and society however is impossible not to see. This, independing which government is in charge. Ignorance and incompetence can be put in the nickname LOS => LIIOS. The land of ignorence, incompetence and smiles.

[ezzra]

I'll be willing to even give more, but we all know, us and them, un in particular that this money

will go to some fat cat bigwig politicians pockets and some government departments and will not

make an iota of a difference to any of the things they talk about....

[Samaaw]

As they are proposing to to tax every tourist entry at all points of entry it could end up being like Bali (and the rest of Indonesia?) where you have to pay $25USD in USD to the immigration officer to get your passport stamped. If they go that way good luck with getting the money from the Immigration Department TAT.

Indonesia: The USD$ 25 is a visa fee for certain nationalities. It is not for any "stamp" in the passport. Its visa on arrival.

[Barnet]

Let's face it Thailand is blessed with natural beauty that keeps people coming. It was then given the blunt end of the stick by inheriting the most ignorant, inconsiderate and greedy form of human kind. Each day I drive home from work looking at how beautiful the country is shortly before seeing hoards of rubbsih in fields and on roadsides. I then see the shoddy shop fronts, loose electrical cabels, awful road surfaces etc...etc...

Tourists will always visit the country NOT the people, as many here dream to be true. The only thing the people have to offer, which isn't dependent on the country's nature reserves, is the illegal activity that is so obviously legal which makes it the world's number one operator in that sector.

They continuously abuse the gift they were blessed with and will never stop taking advantage of tourists and squeezing as much from them as possible. Every year they reach new levels of shameless greed. I'm hoping one day the goose lays its last golden egg and the country can have a go without us.

[condobrit001]

Provided that this fee is levied on genuine tourists and visa runners, then I have no problem with it. It should not apply to those of us who have yearly visas and/or work permits.

[Thian]

You guys want safety in Thailand? Then you pay for it....

For Thai people it doesn't matter if it's unsafe or messy/dirty. They don't know it any different.

And you guys also better learn Thai language or you'll have many problems.

[Bkungbank]

The vat from shopping,hotel and foods min 30,000 each already 210 baht each year 30 Millions x 210 plus 500 airport taxes etc. Why still want to charge more?.

[Srikcir]

The fee will have no impact on the new quality tourists expected into Thailand this year.

However, the fee should apply to only those tourists arriving under a 30-day or less entry. Charging all other types of tourist entries becomes a disguised additional fee. If the fee is necessary for those tourists, then increase the visa cost.

[scubascuba3]

Where does visa money go to? that should cover it

[bendywire]

Simple answer is no. The reasons above say everything.

[recycler]

It's another example of shooting in their own foot.

I hope this will not be raised on top of the already 3,800 Baht multiple re-entry permit.

Traveling a lot in Asia it baffles me that so many still come to Thailand for their holidays as the whole experience is considerable lower quality compared to many other countries in the region.