You Might Have To Pay Extra Tourist Fee To Visit Thailand From April

Thailand wants to start collecting a 300 baht (about Dh33, $9) visitor tax in April to help support the development of tourist attractions. According to top authorities, there is also accident insurance for foreigners who are unable to pay their costs on their own. A pandemic-related tourism decline has badly harmed Thailand, one of Asia’s most popular tourist destinations. Last year, there were just around 200,000 visitors, rising to around 40 million in 2019.

The Fee Is On Top Of A Long List Of Requirements For International Visitors

Recent efforts to revitalise the market have been hampered by the rapid global growth of the Omicron version of Covid-19. The governor of Thailand’s Tourism Authority, Yuthasak Supasorn, stated, “A portion of the money would be used to take care of tourists.” The Khaleej Times reports on this. “There have been times when our insurance didn’t cover visitors… and it fell to us to look after them,” he explained. Money will also be utilised to upgrade tourism infrastructure, according to the statement.

Thailand plans to impose tourist fee from April https://t.co/6Wj67Q150p pic.twitter.com/xo1hnMwymD

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COVID-19 Testing In Advance Is Included In The Charge

The fee is one of several requirements for international travellers seeking entry to Thailand. It entails paying for Covid-19 testing ahead of time, living in a hotel or being isolated, and having Covid-19 treatment covered by insurance for at least $50,000. Thailand’s strict quarantine measures were suspended in November in favour of a ‘Test & Go’ programme for vaccinated travellers, but they were resumed late last month due to concerns about the spread of the Omicron variety.

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The New Tax Would Be Built Into The Cost Of Airline Tickets

The new tax would be included in the price of plane tickets, according to government spokeswoman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana. It’s also one of the government’s long-term tourism objectives. Thailand expects between 5 and 15 million overseas visitors this year, according to Thanakorn. Depending on the policies in place in the country’s most important tourism destinations. This year, he expects international tourists to contribute 800 billion Thai baht ($23.97 billion). On Wednesday, Thailand’s major business organisation predicted that 5 to 6 million overseas visitors would visit the country this year.