Thailand’s tourism minister says a plan to introduce a 300-baht tourism fee for international arrivals is being put on the back burner – for now. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the fee will not be introduced until the last quarter of the year, at the earliest, while officials review how much should be charged for arrivals by land. In addition, he expects the Thailand Pass to be cancelled from July 1, according to a Bangkok Post report.
“Fee collection for tourists arriving by land requires further study, such as determining if the fee amount should be less than 300 baht because the average length of stay for these visitors is only 1-2 nights.”
Phiphat says his ministry will re-submit the tourism fee proposal in around 2 months’ time. Once approved, collection of the fee will begin within 90 days of it being published in the Royal Gazette, meaning the last quarter of the year or possibly the first quarter of 2023 at the latest.
Another potential development that will be of interest to would-be arrivals from overseas is the possible cancellation of the Thailand Pass from July 1. Phiphat says this proposal will go to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on June 17. While the Thailand Pass has already been dropped for Thai citizens, foreign nationals visiting the kingdom still have to go through the process and take out mandatory Covid-19 insurance coverage of US$10,000.
“Eliminating the Thailand Pass system means tourists don’t have to buy travel insurance anymore, which should help make travel more convenient.”
The government is very much focused on rebooting the country’s tourism industry after a devastating 2 years of pandemic restrictions. The Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2022, organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand has just wrapped up after 3 days in Phuket, the first time in over 2 years that the international trade event has been held.
TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn says that in order to boost domestic tourism, the We Travel Together subsidy scheme has been extended and will be ready for new hotel bookings from July 1, for travel between July 8 and October 31.
You can apply for the Thailand Pass HERE. It’s free.
