Thailand to introduce $9 tourist fee
The government of Thailand has again thought about introducing a fee of 300 Baht ($9) from foreign tourists – as noted by Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, TASS reports
The head of the department explained that such changes will come into force in June.
“The fee will not apply to foreigners who have work permits,” Khaosod daily newspaper quoted him as saying.
It is expected that the initiative will be discussed by the profile committee on January 24th, then in February at one of the weekly meetings of the Cabinet of Ministers. The funds received will be used to support travellers injured in accidents, as well as the development of tourist destinations.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is now targeting a total of 25 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2023, which is more than twice the number of 2022, when 11.5 million international travellers visited Thailand.
“It’s no secret that tourism in the Thai economy occupies a significant percentage, on which the filling of the budget largely depends,” Andrei Snetkov, the general representative of the tour operator Tez Tour in Southeast Asia, underlined in a conversation with the agency. “It is absolutely logical that this tax was postponed until better times.”
“Now, when the tourism sector has reached certain indicators, which in the near future can be compared to pre-pandemic ones, this fee will be less painful than if it had been introduced a year earlier,” he added.
However, Mr. Snetkov believes that the sum of 300 Baht is quite serious.
“Nevertheless, since the profile of travellers coming to Thailand has recently changed, with the place of budget tourists being replaced by middle-class people with a higher ability to pay, I believe that this fee will not be critical for the demand for trips to this country,” he concluded.
The Thai authorities announced plans to introduce such a fee back in May 2019. But then they decided to implement it later.
