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

[Soidog]

4 minutes ago, Bob20 said:

It would take years and years...

So who will do the work if you're not seen again after your first day of investigating?

I doubt there's nobody who wants to find out, so I guess there are other reasons not to delve too deep

Exactly. I was just day dreaming and imagining for a few minutes what it would be like. Having a BBC reporter with a mic, running after them down the Soi as they are about to drive off in their Ferrari, asking difficult and embarrassing questions such as “Tell me MrX, how have you amassed $20million dollars in this offshore account when you only earn $900 a month salary”? 
 

Anyway, I’m straying off topic here so apologies

[Bob20]

Just now, Soidog said:

Exactly. I was just day dreaming and imagining for a few minutes what it would be like. Having a BBC reporter with a mic, running after them down the Soi as they are about to drive off in their Ferrari, asking difficult and embarrassing questions such as “Tell me MrX, how have you amassed $20million dollars in this offshore account when you only earn $900 a month salary”? 
 

Anyway, I’m straying off topic here so apologies

No problem, what's your address again?

[Poolie]

5 hours 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.

Her command of English was worth a few baht alone:

' the ones who did venture in' Very good.

[Soidog]

Just now, Bob20 said:

No problem, what's your address again?

I’m in Penthouse 1B Gaysorn Plaza Thong Lor Soi 13. Next door to @LoongFred place

[LoongFred]

2 minutes ago, Soidog said:

I’m in Penthouse 1B Gaysorn Plaza Thong Lor Soi 13. Next door to @LoongFred place

Great view

[Poolie]

3 hours ago, longwood50 said:

You are correct although you do have to keep in mind that what a politician says is only to disguise their real motivation.  They strictly want more revenue to potentially skim.  

Simple basic economics.  Things you subsidize you get more of.  Things you tax you get less of.  That is why they tax gas guzzling cars, and cigarettes to discourage people from purchasing them.  

While it is only 500 baht it flies in the face of putting out a welcome to encourage much needed tourists to come back to Thailand.   It seems as though they are like the Queen in the tale of Snow White thinking that Thailand "is the fairest of them all"   The reality is that Thailand is a nice country but there are many other alternatives particularly for those who are wealthy.  If anyone has been to Hawaii I can assure you it is much more of a tropical paradise than Thailand. 

And almost next door.............

[Soidog]

3 minutes ago, LoongFred said:

Great view

You popping round for that pizza and a few beers tonight? I’ve also had word with Nat the security guy about the noise from 1C 

[LoongFred]

14 minutes ago, Soidog said:

It must be great being rich like you @LoongFred How I envy people like you with so much money. I hope you don’t go around rubbing the noses of the poor local people in it?  Mind you, living in your 100m Baht condo in Thong Lor or holidaying in you beachside villa in  Phuket, means you won’t need to mix too much with the scut. You lucky lucky guy.

I actually usually meet with regular Thai friends, watch Thai TV,  eat Thai food, and speak Thai.  Some of the Thais here have a lot more than me, but some less. I try to help out in the community, because it's my home. I'm neither rich or poor but always pay my own way. We all have a responsibility to not ask for more than we give. 

[Soidog]

3 minutes ago, LoongFred said:

We all have a responsibility to not ask for more than we give. 

I totally agree with that. Makes you wonder why TAT think it’s ok to ask for money when they haven’t  even improved the things they say they will first

[LoongFred]

6 minutes ago, Soidog said:

You popping round for that pizza and a few beers tonight? I’ve also had word with Nat the security guy about the noise from 1C 

A pizza and a beer sounds OK,  but the only noises are from the birds singing in our trees. My wife must have forgotten to put out bird food. Some days their are at least 50 birds (real birds) in our trees.

[Paco]

6 hours ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

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

yep, i think is ok to collect something

[LoongFred]

2 minutes ago, Soidog said:

I totally agree with that. Makes you wonder why TAT think it’s ok to ask for money when they haven’t  even improved the things they say they will first

Thanks for agreeing. 

[LoongFred]

5 minutes ago, Soidog said:

I totally agree with that. Makes you wonder why TAT think it’s ok to ask for money when they haven’t  even improved the things they say they will first

Maybe the money issue to buy lunch for their staff. 

[LoongFred]

4 minutes ago, Paco said:

yep, i think is ok to collect something

Actually I think the original 300B was to cover unpaid medical debts of foreigners. Mostly in Phuket and Pattaya,  I believe. 

[AlexPTY]

2 hours ago, Bob20 said:

You'll be able to pay in any currency They're nice like that, or maybe just because many haven't changed their currency into baht at that stage yet

It would of course be better to let the locals benefit from tourist spending, but even I understand by now that that's not really what it's about...

there was an immigration queue, now we will have "tourist fee queue" too... sorry, just dreaming about those millions of tourists in 2025

[Bob20]

2 minutes ago, AlexPTY said:

there was an immigration queue, now we will have "tourist fee queue" too... sorry, just dreaming about those millions of tourists in 2025

It'll be a messy queue too, because the Brits who can do it properly won't be coming for a while

[mickkotlarski]

Normally to attract overseas visitors a nation offers incentives. Now apart from paying extra to visit religious sites, paying national park fees in marine conservation spots, getting ripped off by locals eager to scam you ...now there is an extra payment to enter the country.

How is this going to revitalize a sagging tourist industry?

[BDawg467]

The Three Stooges could do a better job running this country!!!  Businesses have been devastated by this governments ineptitude which has destroyed businesses, devastated families, driven people to suicide....and now their great idea to get tourists back here is to charge them more money!!!   Are they just plain stupid that they think this an answer to get tourists back here?  I doubt the pot of gold is going to be as big as they think it is going to be.  IDIOTS!!!

[MikeTexas]

The TAT says the fee will be collected from next year, with officials counting on getting 5 billion baht within the first year, based on 10 million foreign arrivals.

- They said 10 million arrivals next year.

[Saneboy]

The 500 bhat departure tax was incorporated to the ticket price as too much of the cash disappeared before it got to the top …so now they invent another 500 bhat charge for it all the skimming off the top to start again 

Cash is king in Thailand so hit the non asean visitor in the pocket for as much as you can 

[Griff1315]

6 minutes ago, MikeTexas said:

The TAT says the fee will be collected from next year, with officials counting on getting 5 billion baht within the first year, based on 10 million foreign arrivals.

- They said 10 million arrivals next year.

That's a low number for TAT. You sure it wasn't 10 trillion.

Edited October 4, 2021 by Griff1315

[gummy]

1 minute ago, Griff1315 said:

That's a low number for TAT. You sure it wasn't 10 trillion.

Ran out of fingers

[mickkotlarski]

8 minutes ago, BDawg467 said:

The Three Stooges could do a better job running this country!!!  Businesses have been devastated by this governments ineptitude which has destroyed businesses, devastated families, driven people to suicide....and now their great idea to get tourists back here is to charge them more money!!!   Are they just plain stupid that they think this an answer to get tourists back here?  I doubt the pot of gold is going to be as big as they think it is going to be.  IDIOTS!!!

Exactly. When nations in Europe and places like Japan provide visa free entry with discounts such as rail passes the results speak for themselves. I totally agree with you.  This is just an extra discriminatory fee the will put off more and more visitors. The empty hotel rooms from covid19 may stay empty from government incompetency. 

[Bob20]

Why not just take their wallet on arrival and give vouchers for food/drinks and entrance tickets for the length of their holiday?

[Rain]

3 hours ago, Paco said:

yep, i think is ok to collect something

Most won't even realize it, as it'll be written into your air ticket. 

B500 - that'll break ya, won't it? 

 

Generally speaking, I can surely understand all the new and rising prices of everything and anything - plus all the new policies that are directed towards a particular market. 

They have to make it up somewhere after a year and a half of this economic mess. 

Mind, this type of activity is being practiced everywhere.