Thailand mulls tourist entry fee
Reports from Thailand suggest the government is considering a plan to charge international visitors an entry fee from January next year.
Public Health minister Pradit Sintavanarong said an entry tax would lead to an increase in the quality of tourists entering Thailand.
Andrew Wood, national president Skal International Thailand, said the tax was "a thinly disguised way for the government to introduce travel ‘insurance’ for all visitors to Thailand".
He said the government had come under pressure for its funding of treatment for tourists’ medical emergencies.
"My biggest concern is, who will collect this money and what is it going to be spent on?
"I’m sure there are better ways to collect this huge sum than taking cash from tourists arriving at the airport.
"In the past the government bundled the passenger airport tax with airfares which made a lot of sense.
"I also worry that the fee will be open to abuse and scams," Wood said
Pradit said the tourism ministry backed the introduction of a visitor arrival fee.
"Now is the time for us to have quality tourists. It’s not as if inbound tour operators won’t organise tours for foreign tourists to come to the country because of the entry fees," the health minister said.
by Ian Jarret, Editor TravelMole Asia Pacific
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025