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

[Poolie]

1 hour 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!!!

So you won't be coming then?

Missing you already.

[LoongFred]

36 minutes ago, Rain said:

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. 

It’s less than $15. If someone is having trouble with that they shouldn’t come. I assume they’ll take all forms of payment. It always amazes me how people will argue about any cost. They probably save their money for lady drinks.

[Bob20]

It's an open door:

(Overexaggerated for effect)

If you want to attract many people, then you don't raise prices and don't put up barriers.

Come to Thailand!

We have a virus that's not under control

We have a largely unvaccinated population

We have restrictions and a curfew

We have closed businesses and most things you used to like are unavailable

We have a requirement for COE

We have a requirement for PCR tests

We have a requirement for extra insurance, because you may pick up the virus in Thailand and then it's your problem.

We have corridors along which you can travel, because you can't do what you wish

We have lots of demonstrations too because the population seems not to very happy at the moment

And we advise you to be careful not to be scammed

We already charge you 500 baht departure fee

And now, for good measure, we will charge you 500 baht arrival fee too

Have a great time!

.

Why not vaccinate the population first and then start a campaign welcoming everyone with an attractive proposition to restart tourism?

[billywillyjones]

23 minutes ago, Bob20 said:

It's an open door:

(Overexaggerated for effect)

If you want to attract many people, then you don't raise prices and don't put up barriers.

Come to Thailand!

We have a virus that's not under control

We have a largely unvaccinated population

We have restrictions and a curfew

We have closed businesses and most things you used to like are unavailable

We have a requirement for COE

We have a requirement for PCR tests

We have a requirement for extra insurance, because you may pick up the virus in Thailand and then it's your problem.

We have corridors along which you can travel, because you can't do what you wish

We have lots of demonstrations too because the population seems not to very happy at the moment

And we advise you to be careful not to be scammed

We already charge you 500 baht departure fee

And now, for good measure, we will charge you 500 baht arrival fee too

Have a great time!

.

Why not vaccinate the population first and then start a campaign welcoming everyone with an attractive proposition to restart tourism?

You forgot to mention double pricing and formula one on every roadway.

[Alavan]

4 hours ago, Bob20 said:

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

Watch out for the Chinese not used to queing and not able to read, understand and speak anything but Chinese.

[Bob20]

6 minutes ago, Alavan said:

Watch out for the Chinese not used to queing and not able to read, understand and speak anything but Chinese.

Thanks for the tip, but they won't be coming in big numbers anytime soon Not allowed to leave

[Stonker]

The stupid thing about this isn't charging it, which most countries do, but how it's been described and justified.

Australia charges a "Passenger Movement Charge" of $45 on leaving,  a"Passenger Service Charge" of up to $20 on arriving, and a "Safety and Security Charge" of $30  at Melbourne and Sydney so you could easily find $135 + included in your ticket price to Aus.

The US charges a $20 Arrival Tax, a $20 Departure Tax, a $5 each way TSA fee, a $6 each way Customs User Fee, and a $7 each way Immigration User Fee, so $76+.

Germany charges up to $63.

The UK up to $240.

But none of them are stupid enough to have a Tourist Authority that spells it out.

[Soidog]

1 hour ago, Bob20 said:

It's an open door:

(Overexaggerated for effect)

If you want to attract many people, then you don't raise prices and don't put up barriers.

Come to Thailand!

We have a virus that's not under control

We have a largely unvaccinated population

We have restrictions and a curfew

We have closed businesses and most things you used to like are unavailable

We have a requirement for COE

We have a requirement for PCR tests

We have a requirement for extra insurance, because you may pick up the virus in Thailand and then it's your problem.

We have corridors along which you can travel, because you can't do what you wish

We have lots of demonstrations too because the population seems not to very happy at the moment

And we advise you to be careful not to be scammed

We already charge you 500 baht departure fee

And now, for good measure, we will charge you 500 baht arrival fee too

Have a great time!

.

Why not vaccinate the population first and then start a campaign welcoming everyone with an attractive proposition to restart tourism?

It’s amazing when it’s all laid out like that @Bob20 .  Can we also add:

We won’t let yet fly in to Bangkok and only in to Phuket at the moment unless you want to stay in an ASQ. 

We are still on the red list of many countries so you will have to pay more for the insurance required for your COE.

We only allow you to stay in SHA+ hotels need you to pay in advance for your SHA+ hotel. 

We need you to complete a T8 form 

We also need you to complete a 3 page Declaration form.

We need you to install a tracking app on your phone (don’t worry about data breaches,  you can trust us).

 

[Soidog]

59 minutes ago, billywillyjones said:

You forgot to mention double pricing and formula one on every roadway.

That’s funny. Formula one on every roadway. Although I think dodgem cars would be more like it

[BIGGLES]

2 hours ago, Bob20 said:

It's an open door:

(Overexaggerated for effect)

If you want to attract many people, then you don't raise prices and don't put up barriers.

Come to Thailand!

We have a virus that's not under control

We have a largely unvaccinated population

We have restrictions and a curfew

We have closed businesses and most things you used to like are unavailable

We have a requirement for COE

We have a requirement for PCR tests

We have a requirement for extra insurance, because you may pick up the virus in Thailand and then it's your problem.

We have corridors along which you can travel, because you can't do what you wish

We have lots of demonstrations too because the population seems not to very happy at the moment

And we advise you to be careful not to be scammed

We already charge you 500 baht departure fee

And now, for good measure, we will charge you 500 baht arrival fee too

Have a great time!

.

Why not vaccinate the population first and then start a campaign welcoming everyone with an attractive proposition to restart tourism?

Exactly Bob!

I've said as much myself ad norsium, hence my earlier comment about lunatics running the asylum. 

[Marc26]

 

https://www.insider.com/countries-that-require-a-tourist-tax-2019-2

 

 

[Turlough]

14 hours ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

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

They used to collect ?  My friend they are still collecting it in a different way. This 500 Baht tax is included in the costs you pay to the airlines when you are booking your flight. So now the taxes will be 1000 Baht.

[TheDirtyDurian]

Just now, Turlough said:

They used to collect ?  My friend they are still collecting it in a different way. This 500 Baht tax is included in the costs you pay to the airlines when you are booking your flight. So now the taxes will be 1000 Baht.

I know. I said it was no different in that it's extra money people will have to pay to visit Thailand. 

I'm well aware it's still included in the cost of your ticket. 

[Turlough]

3 minutes ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

I know. I said it was no different in that it's extra money people will have to pay to visit Thailand. 

I'm well aware it's still included in the cost of your ticket. 

The Airports of Thailand authority increased international departure tax to 700 Thai Baht for international departures on February 1st, an increase of 200 Baht on the old tax of 500 Thai Baht. The departure tax for domestic flights within Thailand has also increased from February 1st, doubling from 50 Baht to 100 Baht.

[Turlough]

6 minutes ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

I know. I said it was no different in that it's extra money people will have to pay to visit Thailand. 

I'm well aware it's still included in the cost of your ticket. 

What you said in your post was they used to collect 500 Baht giving the impression that they don't collect it now. They now take 700 Baht as from 1st Feb plus the proposed 500 Baht. A great way to improve tourism, I think not.

[Marc26]

It's literally no different than all other countries charge

 

It comes in all different forms, taxes added to flights, taxes added to hotel stays

 

But hey, it gives the forum another topic to whine about  :)

 

PS....It's 500baht, it's $15usd, you are whining about $15usd!

[Marc26]

1 minute ago, Turlough said:

What you said in your post was they used to collect 500 Baht giving the impression that they don't collect it now. They now take 700 Baht as from 1st Feb plus the proposed 500 Baht. A great way to improve tourism, I think not.

Yup people were just about to book that 4kusd  holiday

The extra $15usd was a deal breaker...........

[TheDirtyDurian]

2 hours ago, Soidog said:

It’s amazing when it’s all laid out like that @Bob20 .  Can we also add:

We won’t let yet fly in to Bangkok and only in to Phuket at the moment unless you want to stay in an ASQ. 

that should be changing from next month

We are still on the red list of many countries so you will have to pay more for the insurance required for your COE.

nope, buy from TGIA provider at no extra cost

We only allow you to stay in SHA+ hotels need you to pay in advance for your SHA+ hotel. 

plenty of choice in SHA+ accommodation in Phuket and other places to match all price points. For the Cheap Charlies loads of options under a thousand, and great deals on pricier ones. Booking seven days in advance. So what?

We need you to complete a T8 form 

2 minutes, and?

We also need you to complete a 3 page Declaration form.

ditto

We need you to install a tracking app on your phone (don’t worry about data breaches,  you can trust us).

currently in a country with an app that goes much further than anything Thailand has so don't see a problem. 

Traveling anywhere right now there are restrictions. I'm going to the UK in a couple of weeks, there are things I'll have to do for going there and things I'll have to do on my return. 

Personally I'm happy with the entry requirements into Thailand right now. I wasn't eligible for the sandbox, and now I am. From next month a lot more destinations apart from Phuket. It's all good. 

For sure, many will go elsewhere. That's up to them. No one is forcing anyone to visit Thailand. 

I would anticipate numbers picking up a bit though because it just got a lot easier to visit, and will continue to do so. 

It's easy to only look at the negatives of the situation but there are also a lot of positives too. The main one being no more 15 nights ASQ stuck in a room in Bangkok!!!

See you in a couple of months..

[TheDirtyDurian]

5 minutes ago, Turlough said:

What you said in your post was they used to collect 500 Baht giving the impression that they don't collect it now. They now take 700 Baht as from 1st Feb plus the proposed 500 Baht. A great way to improve tourism, I think not.

I apologize for giving you the wrong impression. .....

[Lars]

Wonder ii it the correct timing - if just 1% of the earlier 40mill select different destination then is it 400000 missing turists - properly placing 50000 to 75000 thb on a vacation = possible 30000 mill thb lost where potentially 40mill guests paying 500thb give 20mill thb - Pretty risky solution bringing forward in the already relative dead Thai turist market - hope somebody have used a simple calculator! Lars

[Marc26]

3 minutes ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

Traveling anywhere right now there are restrictions. I'm going to the UK in a couple of weeks, there are things I'll have to do for going there and things I'll have to do on my return. 

Personally I'm happy with the entry requirements into Thailand right now. I wasn't eligible for the sandbox, and now I am. From next month a lot more destinations apart from Phuket. It's all good. 

For sure, many will go elsewhere. That's up to them. No one is forcing anyone to visit Thailand. 

I would anticipate numbers picking up a bit though because it just got a lot easier to visit, and will continue to do so. 

It's easy to only look at the negatives of the situation but there are also a lot of positives too. The main one being no more 15 nights ASQ stuck in a room in Bangkok!!!

See you in a couple of months..

Come on TDD, positivity isn't allowed!! Having some perspective? Don't you dare!   :)

[Turlough]

18 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

Yup people were just about to book that 4kusd  holiday

The extra $15usd was a deal breaker...........

Yeah, they can't deal with all the bookings right now for high season.

[Marc26]

4 minutes ago, Turlough said:

Yeah, they can't deal with all the bookings right now for high season.

And this $15usd is going to really sway them

 

They will go somewhere else! And pay that country 15/20/30usd tax, that will show Thailand!

[Soidog]

34 minutes ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

Traveling anywhere right now there are restrictions. I'm going to the UK in a couple of weeks, there are things I'll have to do for going there and things I'll have to do on my return. 

Personally I'm happy with the entry requirements into Thailand right now. I wasn't eligible for the sandbox, and now I am. From next month a lot more destinations apart from Phuket. It's all good. 

For sure, many will go elsewhere. That's up to them. No one is forcing anyone to visit Thailand. 

I would anticipate numbers picking up a bit though because it just got a lot easier to visit, and will continue to do so. 

It's easy to only look at the negatives of the situation but there are also a lot of positives too. The main one being no more 15 nights ASQ stuck in a room in Bangkok!!!

See you in a couple of months..

Good on you mate. Have a safe trip and enjoy your time. I’m sure there will be plenty to enjoy more than back home (depending on where home is). 
 

A couple of weeks ago, I sent a video to the group of guys who normally meet me in Thailand for a golfing/piss up holiday. It showed the usual closed bars and restaurants etc. There was the odd open bar and a few people hanging around and people drinking  As one of them said, it still looks better then most U.K. towns and cities on a Saturday night. He was right .  

[FamousJerry]

When i flew back from thailand in march here are all the fees and taxes i paid. Korea has a fee as well as thailand and usa. They all get ya coming and going. :-) Not only thailand that screws with extra fees. Check all your flight receipts and you will see. I fly over 250,000 miles a year and hit over 15 countries usually and they all have fees in your flight tickets. Its just most of us never look.  :-)

I like the gate fee, like how else can i get on my plane that using a gate at the airport :-)

 

 

 

description	amount	currency
Korea; Republic of - PSC, Departure Tax and Contribution to International Poverty Eradication (BP)	฿275.00	THB
E7 (Gate access fee)	฿35.00	THB
G8 (Gate access fee)	฿15.00	THB
Thailand - Passenger Service Charge (TS)	฿700.00	THB
United States - Transportation Tax (US)	฿580.00	THB
United States - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Fee (APHIS User Fee - Passengers (XA)	฿120.00	THB
United States - Immigration and Naturalization Fee(Immigration User Fee) (XY)	฿215.00	THB
United States - Custom User Fee (YC)	฿185.00	THB