Thailand’s prime minister has pushed back the introduction of a 300 baht ‘entry fee’ for international tourists arriving in the kingdom. Since Test & Go and other entry restrictions were dropped on May 1, Thailand has experienced a surge in international arrivals. If tourism levels continue to climb and significantly improve national income this year, it might not be necessary to introduce the entry fee yet, according to PM Prayut Chan-o-Cha. However, the tourist ministry has suggested the fee could be introduced in August or September this year.
Introducing a Thailand Tourism Fee – or TTF – is not as simple as it sounds. If airlines include the surcharge as part of their airfare, they will have to find a way of exempting Thai nationals, government officials, diplomats, foreigners with work permits and children under the age of 2, according to guidelines set by Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry.
If you are a foreign retiree or married to a Thai, but don’t hold a work permit, you might still need to pay the fee upon entry to Thailand even if you don’t consider yourself a ‘tourist’.
Government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the extra cash would act as ‘tourist insurance’ and help pay for medical bills in the event that a tourist got into an accident, which is a common occurrence. On April 13, British martial arts champion Chris Richardson got seriously injured when he pulled out of a coffee shop in Koh Samui on his motorbike and was crushed by a pickup truck. The first two days of his hospital treatment cost his family over ฿1.1 million, so cases like Chris’ could benefit from the introduction of the tourist fee, if the money really was put towards tourist accident insurance.
However, PM Prayut said the scheme needs more thought put into it, and he’s right. The spokesperson confusingly added that 80% of the income made from the entry fee would be spent on developing and maintaining tourist attractions. If that’s the case, we can’t imagine there would be too much left in the savings pot to spend on helping tourists who got into accidents.
Thailand’s levels of tourism are steadily increasing for the first time in two years, so the last thing Thailand needs is for an entry fee to put off potential holidaymakers from spending their money in the kingdom. If the fee was found to be off putting to foreigners, the scheme could end up costing Thailand, rather than boosting the economy as intended.
SOURCE: Pattaya Mail