News Forum - Tourism ‘insurance’ fee will cover ALL foreigners entering Thailand

[JJJ]

54 minutes ago, Tim_Melb said:

FFS what is wrong with all you people complaining about a 300 baht entry fee it's less than US$10. There are entry fees and airport fees and departure fees bigger than that all over the world. They are giving you extra insurance cover as part of it that most countries would not. Get over it it's less than ten bucks. 

Well many flights from Malaysia, Cambodia can be had for $30-$50 so it can be a very significant part of that charge. 

And as Thailand discovered with the end of Thai Pass, the “insurance” requirement and Thai Pass registration was a huge damper on border entries—with daily crossings jumping by 5x with the end of the restrictions.

It’s mostly a matter of priorities. The tourist economy is still in total shambles and not getting better quickly.

Rather than working all out to improve tourism, the government spends its time figuring out how to bilk more out of the tourists that are coming in. 

[Stevejm]

9 minutes ago, samiam123 said:

It will cover a lot more than what most people coming in have now.  If you want a policy that covers riots why don't you buy one?

And it beats having to buy $10k coverage to apply for TP!

[Tim_Melb]

7 minutes ago, JJJ said:

Well many flights from Malaysia, Cambodia can be had for $30-$50 so it can be a very significant part of that charge. 

And as Thailand discovered with the end of Thai Pass, the “insurance” requirement and Thai Pass registration was a huge damper on border entries—with daily crossings jumping by 5x with the end of the restrictions.

It’s mostly a matter of priorities. The tourist economy is still in total shambles and not getting better quickly.

Rather than working all out to improve tourism, the government spends its time figuring out how to bilk more out of the tourists that are coming in. 

FFS wake up as an example all passengers on international flights arriving in airports in the UK pay an  £8.90 "Airport Recovery Fee" to "recover funds lost by the airport operators during the pandemic" it doesn't make any difference if it's a cheap flight from France or the Netherlands, it's still a bigger fee that you get nothing for! There are fees like this all over the world! Every flight that takes off in the UK the passenger is paying a departure tax starting at £6.50 for flights inside the UK no matter how short they are and £13 for flights heading out of the country. This is a fee for just taking off from an airport. You people are complaining about the Thai government actually saying they will give you something for this fee instead of just taking it like a western government does! 

[JJJ]

13 hours ago, Tim_Melb said:

FFS wake up as an example all passengers on international flights arriving in airports in the UK pay an  £8.90 "Airport Recovery Fee" to "recover funds lost by the airport operators during the pandemic" it doesn't make any difference if it's a cheap flight from France or the Netherlands, it's still a bigger fee that you get nothing for! There are fees like this all over the world! Every flight that takes off in the UK the passenger is paying a departure tax starting at £6.50 for flights inside the UK no matter how short they are and £13 for flights heading out of the country. This is a fee for just taking off from an airport. You people are complaining about the Thai government actually saying they will give you something for this fee instead of just taking it like a western government does! 

Thailand already has a departure tax up to 700 baht. This is another new fee. 

[Stevejm]

3 hours ago, JJJ said:

Thailand already has a departure tax up to 700 baht. This is another new fee. 

But with the cancellation of TP ( which required the purchase of insurance), pre flight testing and testing on arrival the cost of travel to Thailand has gone down significantly over the past few months.

[Stevejm]

18 hours ago, JJJ said:

The tourist economy is still in total shambles and not getting better quickly.

Apart from the 5x increase in daily border crossings that you highlighted

[Mohandas]

19 hours ago, Stevejm said:

And it beats having to buy $10k coverage to apply for TP!

....and all the other scamming add-ons that were associated with the TP.

Could be worse.

 

B300 ain't gonna break ya. 

Though, I suspect some will use this instance to continue their unnecessary angst, hand wringing and political debate regarding non sequitur discussion. 

[Stevejm]

22 minutes ago, Mohandas said:

and all the other scamming add-ons that were associated with the TP.

What????

[Stevejm]

23 minutes ago, Mohandas said:

Though, I suspect some will use this instance to continue their unnecessary angst, hand wringing and political debate regarding non sequitur discussion

Yes of course. A lot of posters on this forum were predicting that TP and the associated insurance would never be cancelled. They turned out to be real experts on judging the intent of the people in charge didn’t they.

[Mohandas]

1 minute ago, Stevejm said:

Yes of course. A lot of posters on this forum were predicting that TP and the associated insurance would never be cancelled. They turned out to be real experts on judging the intent of the people in charge didn’t they.

Too many experts spoil the company of all these fine venues. 

Nothing is real.

Cheers!!

[astro]

33 minutes ago, Mohandas said:

B300 ain't gonna break ya. 

Of course not, yet it is another scam to extract money with nothing in return - or shall I cancel my yearly travel insurance now because I will be covered in LoS through this fee?

[Tim_Melb]

7 hours ago, JJJ said:

Thailand already has a departure tax up to 700 baht. This is another new fee. 

 

7 hours ago, JJJ said:

Thailand already has a departure tax up to 700 baht. This is another new fee. 

And the UK's airport recovery fee is not new? Don't talk sh*t! 

[Stevejm]

4 hours ago, astro said:

Of course not, yet it is another scam to extract money with nothing in return - or shall I cancel my yearly travel insurance now because I will be covered in LoS through this fee?

Perhaps they should just call it by a different name so people will get over it? We don’t even know the details yet so it’s all speculation.

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Stevejm said:

Perhaps they should just call it by a different name so people will get over it? We don’t even know the details yet so it’s all speculation.

If people "aren't over it" yet for 300 baht

 

I really wish they would wear signs to identify themselves

 

So I never have sit next to those chepw lovers in any venue.... 

[DesperateOldHand]

17 hours ago, JJJ said:

Thailand already has a departure tax up to 700 baht. This is another new fee. 

Not really new, as there's always been a departure tax - either paid directly or automatically written into your airfare. 

.....and the cost has slowly increased in increments over the years. This "new" B700 is just that.

[TeddY]

 

Nobody is fooled by this "insurance" tax that covers nothing, just another way for government officers to get a new Benz. They should have just add 300 bahts to the already 700 bahts departure tax, and nobody would have known. It reminds me the golden years of my regular Visa runs to Cambodia. The 30 days Visa to come back into Thailand was free, but somehow you had to put two 100 bahts bills in your passport, or the thai officier would deny you entry. A pretty large sum at the end of the day.

 

[Stevejm]

2 hours ago, TeddY said:

Nobody is fooled by this "insurance" tax that covers nothing, just another way for government officers to get a new Benz. They should have just add 300 bahts to the already 700 bahts departure tax, and nobody would have known. It reminds me the golden years of my regular Visa runs to Cambodia. The 30 days Visa to come back into Thailand was free, but somehow you had to put two 100 bahts bills in your passport, or the thai officier would deny you entry. A pretty large sum at the end of the day.

When was that? 1960? It’s a bit more difficult to access money that’s added to an air ticket price. Not easily accessible to anyone. I must admit I did a visa run to Poipet once with an American friend in 2001 and he suggested that I put 100 Baht in my passport when we walked back over to Thailand and I said “ what for?” He replied “ to make sure you get the stamp”. I didn’t do it and had no problems. It wouldn’t surprise me if some idiot started the rumour and people had been unnecessarily handing over cash to immigration.The immigration were probably laughing at you I mean did you ever try going through without the payment and get refused or did someone tell you to do it?

[DesperateOldHand]

19 minutes ago, Stevejm said:

When was that? 1960? It’s a bit more difficult to access money that’s added to an air ticket price. Not easily accessible to anyone. I must admit I did a visa run to Poipet once with an American friend in 2001 and he suggested that I put 100 Baht in my passport when we walked back over to Thailand and I said “ what for?” He replied “ to make sure you get the stamp”. I didn’t do it and had no problems. It wouldn’t surprise me if some idiot started the rumour and people had been unnecessarily handing over cash to immigration.The immigration were probably laughing at you I mean did you ever try going through without the payment and get refused or did someone tell you to do it?

Yet, the inexpensive practice still works to this day - locale dependent, of course.

Contrary to the myths that might or might not be put forth.

[Stevejm]

33 minutes ago, DesperateOldHand said:

Yet, the inexpensive practice still works to this day - locale dependent, of course.

Contrary to the myths that might or might not be put forth.

Still works? Did you ever try crossing without handing over the cash and get refused? Just because you put money in your passport and it doesn’t get handed back to you doesn’t mean that its necessary.

[Tim_Melb]

13 hours ago, DesperateOldHand said:

Yet, the inexpensive practice still works to this day - locale dependent, of course.

Contrary to the myths that might or might not be put forth.

What an idiot how much do you think Thai immigration officials earn these days you think 100 baht is going to make a difference to them! They're laughing at the stupid farang. You're lucky they don't take it as an insult and lock you up and make you squirm for a few hours questioning over what you're trying to hide. 

[Guest1]

On 7/16/2022 at 10:27 PM, JJJ said:

Well many flights from Malaysia, Cambodia can be had for $30-$50 so it can be a very significant part of that charge. 

Ok, just one thing:

The outgoing flights always include the 700 Baht departure fee. So you don't think, they can put the 300 in the incoming ticket prices?

[JJJ]

14 hours ago, Guest1 said:

Ok, just one thing:

The outgoing flights always include the 700 Baht departure fee. So you don't think, they can put the 300 in the incoming ticket prices?

But 700 is for all departures. The 300 fee is for some arrivals. 

[Guest1]

19 minutes ago, JJJ said:

But 700 is for all departures. The 300 fee is for some arrivals. 

My answer to your comment was about the insignificance of the 300 baht for "us" and the airlines. They "sucked up" the 700, so 300 shouldn't be a problem. We most likely won't even spot it. Probably just if flying with a Thai-person as companion, booking both flights (If they can manage to get that into the flight booking systems)

The main problem, this time, is the 'ALL border crossers', methinks.

if they made it a ticket tax for EVERY arrival, used for hospital bills, no problem "They raised taxes",  but forgotten in a couple of month. 

But with land borders charging it? Trusting Immigration officers with money, LOTS of it?? Asking for a receipt? Thousands of people crossing Sadao daily, in normal times. They HAVE to create exemptions for daily crossers, at least if they using border passes. Chances for loopholes getting immense here.

[Stevejm]

1 hour ago, Guest1 said:

My answer to your comment was about the insignificance of the 300 baht for "us" and the airlines. They "sucked up" the 700, so 300 shouldn't be a problem. We most likely won't even spot it. Probably just if flying with a Thai-person as companion, booking both flights (If they can manage to get that into the flight booking systems)

The main problem, this time, is the 'ALL border crossers', methinks.

if they made it a ticket tax for EVERY arrival, used for hospital bills, no problem "They raised taxes",  but forgotten in a couple of month. 

But with land borders charging it? Trusting Immigration officers with money, LOTS of it?? Asking for a receipt? Thousands of people crossing Sadao daily, in normal times. They HAVE to create exemptions for daily crossers, at least if they using border passes. Chances for loopholes getting immense here.

We’ll have to wait and see what is actually implemented. I would suggest that the only thing that we can be sure of is that whatever we speculate will happen will be wrong.

[Stevejm]

Looks like it is on hold now anyway.

https://www.thailand-business-news.com/tourism/90651-thailand-shelves-300-baht-tourism-fee