News Forum - Thailand to charge foreign arrivals 500 baht “tourism fee” from next year

[Thaiger]

Despite Thailand struggling to reboot its decimated tourism sector, the government is pushing ahead with a proposed tourism fee – and has increased it by 200 baht. The National Tourism Policy Committee originally approved a fee of 300 baht at the start of this year, which would be used to develop tourism destinations and provide tourists with insurance benefits. According to a Bangkok Post report, the fee has now increased to 500 baht. Yuthasak Supasorn from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says the extra 200 baht will be used to fund projects aimed at transforming the country’s tourism model from […]

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[JamesE]

"the extra 200 baht will be used to fund projects aimed at transforming the country’s tourism model from mass market to a more high-value, environmentally-conscious model."

To make the country more attractive to the "high-quality" tourists so desperately sought after.

[gummy]

So they have come up with another piece of Thai logic. How do you encourage more tourists to Thailand ? 

Answer - Charge them more.

These bunch of retards should seek urgent medical treatment along with anybody who support them.

The quote is another delusional absurdity

"Yuthasak Supasorn from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says the extra 200 baht will be used to fund projects aimed at transforming the country’s tourism model from mass market to a more high-value, environmentally-conscious model. He’s pretty confident tourists won’t mind paying it."

Environmentally-conscious model. !! So he wants only wealthy tourists to come here and enjoy the health benefits afforded by 50 year old smoke belching buses and trucks, over fuelled diesel pick-ups  in the hope that they will believe Thailand is so environmentally concerned  that the extra 200 baht will remove these health traps from the streets ? They would make more money by convincing idle bulk carrier owners to come to Thailand to fill up with bull s$$t, for fertiliser plants elsewhere in the world, as Thailand has a surplus of it currently.

[FHA1958]

This is typical as soon as they identify higher spending tourists they (TAT) start grabbing, what they consider, their share of the spend.

I would like to know if there is any public information on how much money is collected by the National Parks for charging foreigners higher prices than Thai nationals. It would be interesting to see how much is collected and what it is used for to improve the experience of the foreign visitors to these places.

 

[Mudshark]

Quote

He’s pretty confident tourists won’t mind paying it.

They have a choice?! 

 

Quote

says the extra 200 baht will be used to fund projects aimed at transforming the country’s tourism model from mass market to a more high-value, environmentally-conscious model. 

Throw out  environmentally - conscious model and you have  "transforming the country’s tourism model from mass market to a more high-value"

That sounds suspiciously like Prayuts plan for high quality tourists. What better way to fund the transition than make 'low class trash that only want to buy sex' pay for it. Then kick the crud out.  I'm pretty sure it will fail, still one should understand exactly what they would do if they could. Better have that Plan B - C - & D ready. 

[JamieT]

Just absurd

Seems to me this benefits no one but who ever came up with this ingenious idea

[Griff1315]

Congratulations Thailand 

The clowns in charge have hammered another nail in the coffin of Tourism Thailand. 

It's not the amount of the charge it's the fact there is any charge at all. The money hungry bureaucrats are not happy with the millions spent by tourists once here, they just cannot help themselves from screwing just that bit more from the dying animal of Tourism Thailand....

[Morpheus]

Only in Thailand.

[gummy]

19 minutes ago, JamieT said:

Just absurd

Seems to me this benefits no one but who ever came up with this ingenious idea

Cambodia or Vietnam suggested it to the Thais perhaps 

[TheDirtyDurian]

No different to the 500 baht departure tax they used to collect at the airport before. 

[Griff1315]

Just now, gummy said:

Cambodia or Vietnam suggested it to the Thais perhaps 

If they didn't suggest it they must be having a good laugh now ...

[gummy]

Just now, Griff1315 said:

If they didn't suggest it they must be having a good laugh now ...

And applauding the fact that there are as many interesting and beautiful places to see in those countries which Thailand's administration is pushing them to. Perhaps peanut is hoping for exile there eventually.

[Dprasad]

56 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

Despite Thailand struggling to reboot its decimated tourism sector, the government is pushing ahead with a proposed tourism fee – and has increased it by 200 baht. The National Tourism Policy Committee originally approved a fee of 300 baht at the start of this year, which would be used to develop tourism destinations and provide tourists with insurance benefits. According to a Bangkok Post report, the fee has now increased to 500 baht. Yuthasak Supasorn from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says the extra 200 baht will be used to fund projects aimed at transforming the country’s tourism model from […]

The post Thailand to charge foreign arrivals 500 baht “tourism fee” from next year appeared first on Thaiger News.

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Is this extra payable to regular visa charges? Now what is visa charges for Indian tourist? 

[NCC1701A]

what do astronauts and tourist to Thailand have in common?

 

[Fluke]

11 minutes ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

No different to the 500 baht departure tax they used to collect at the airport before. 

They still do collect that money 

[gummy]

1 minute ago, Fluke said:

They still do collect that money 

But not directly as they incorporated it into the ticket costs.

[Bluesofa]

4 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

what do astronauts and tourist to Thailand have in common?

No atmosphere?

[gummy]

4 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

what do astronauts and tourist to Thailand have in common?

So you are proposing they could sweeten the deal by giving free showers on entry ? 

[Bob20]

This totally depends on how the plan is executed.

If they add 500 baht tax to every plane ticket, nobody is going to kick up a fuss.

If they're going to expect 500 baht in cash on arrival, it will get people's neckhairs on edge.

It's been the same in every other country that did it. 

[Jetboy]

If the objective of TAT and the Thai government is to attract tourists, wealthy or otherwise, this will have completely the opposite effect. The individual from TAT who is “pretty confident tourists won’t mind paying it” is very much mistaken. To say that it won’t have an impact on tourists “as we want to focus on the quality market” is a slap in the face to the majority of tourists who come to Thailand and spend considerable amounts of money. It is not the amount of the fee, it is the principle of the thing. Wealthy tourists are even more likely to resent paying the fee, they don’t throw money away.

Also likely to deter tourists from visiting Thailand is the drive to cancel out entertainment, such as the B.L.U.E. initiative in Pattaya. What are they thinking of? People like to be entertained, think of it what you like, but the entertainment industry in Thailand generated huge revenue. Tourists and visitors do not like to be dictated to as to what they should do. Freedom of choice is absolutely essential.

The “tourism fee” seems to ill conceived initiative from the authorities which is likely to have unintended and undesirable consequences. Also, it is questionable whether, or not, the revenue from the fees will end up where it’s supposed to.

 

 

[Bluesofa]

47 minutes ago, gummy said:

So the morons have come up with another piece of Thai logic. How do you encourage more tourists to Thailand ? 

Answer - Charge them more.

I can see the logic there.

Years ago i sat in an open beer bar in Pattaya. I asked the boss why she was now charging more for the beer?
The reply: As they're weren't enough customers, the ones who did venture in had to pay more, so the owner could make the same profit as in previous years.

[gummy]

1 minute ago, Bluesofa said:

I can see the logic there.

Years ago i sat in an open beer bar in Pattaya. I asked the boss why she was now charging more for the beer?
The reply: As they're weren't enough customers, the ones who did venture in had to pay more, so the owner could make the same profit as in previous years.

Yes that is common Thai logic which prevails still

[Bluesofa]

4 minutes ago, Bob20 said:

This totally depends on how the plan is executed.

If they add 500 baht tax to every plane ticket, nobody is going to kick up a fuss.

If they're going to expect 500 baht in cash on arrival, it will get people's neckhairs on edge.

It's been the same in every other country that did it. 

They have been doing that for years here already.

Originally we had to pay 500 Baht 'departure tax'. Then it was added to to price of the ticket, so no one could see it. Since then it's been increased to 1,000 Baht IIRC.

Just keep adding it on to the ticket, we wouldn't want any transparency now would we?

[NCC1701A]

it's time to sing the theme to Rawhide! Sing along with me everybody!

 

[farang]

from what i read on the extra 500 baht charge,some going to improve tourtist spots and some going to cover  tourtist insurance.does this mean they will drop the 100,000 usd insurance now required?if so why not drop the 100,000 insurance  starting  nov first 2021.i think they would see more usa  people coming then.i know i would.so still hopeing for nov first.