Thailand will impose a tax of almost 9 dollars to foreign tourists

In full recovery of tourism after the pandemic, the Government of thailand approved this Tuesday a rate of 300 baht (about 8.86 dollars or 8.24 euros) that will apply from June to tourists and foreign travelers arriving by plane in the country.

This was announced at a press conference by the Government’s deputy spokesperson, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, who specified that travelers arriving by land or sea will pay 150 baht (about 4.43 dollars or 4.12 euros).

The spokeswoman indicated that those who have a diplomatic passport or a work permit in Thailand are excluded from paying this fee and that the money collected will be used to cover the health expenses of tourists.

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The authorities, which this year expect to receive between 25 and 30 million tourists, have the objective of collecting some 3.9 billion baht (about 115 million dollars or 107 million euros) thanks to this tax, according to the Bangkok Post newspaper.

The tax at the airports will be added to the price of airline tickets, while they are looking for a way to collect that from travelers by land or sea.

The authorities have already proposed implementing this tax in January 2022, which was criticized by some on the understanding that it could negatively affect the arrival of tourists.

Last January, the authorities indicated that they expect to receive some 25 million tourists this year, compared to 11.8 million in 2022, while in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number reached 39, 8 million visitors.

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With the recent reopening of China, the Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-ocha, went so far as to say on February 7 that the arrival of tourists could reach up to 30 million, which is good news for the sector after the restrictions due to the pandemic.

Source: EFE