Government Postpones Plan to Collect Tourism Fee

A 300-baht tourism fee that was scheduled to take effect on April 1 seems likely to be delayed.  Authorities have not yet determined the best way to collect the fee. Implementation is scheduled to be delayed by 2 months.  However, tourist operators have expressed a desire to stop it’s implementation while the industry struggles to recover from the pandemic.

Thailand’s tourism minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said that the National Tourism Policy Committee supports the implementation of a tourism fund funded by the new fee and would be to present the proposal to the cabinet. If approved, details on how it will be collected will be published in the Royal Gazette within 90 days. He added that the new fee is delayed because airline companies will likely be responsible for collecting it and they requested more time to prepare.  Collection methods for land border arrivals have not yet been finalized.

Around 20% of the fee would be used for foreign tourists’ insurance coverage, while 50% will be used to promote tourism in the country.  According to Yuthasak Supasorn of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, tourism services and goods still need significant investment, particularly in indigenous products and festivals.

Tourism-related agencies and officials have agreed to support Thailand’s creative industries, with Yuthasak stating that support for the creative arts and other cultural attractions such as food, festivals, film, fashion, Muay Thai, music, and museums could result in a 20% increase in tourism revenue.

According to Apisit Laistrooglai of the Creative Economy Agency, Thailand’s creative industries are anticipated to reach 1.5 trillion baht in value in 2022, up by 3.57% from 2021. He mentioned events like Bangkok’s Design Week is set to produce 750 million baht this month.

Source: Bangkok Post

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