If you’re thinking of visiting Thailand, you might want to do so before June as the country will start imposing entry fees on tourists then.
International travellers flying to Thailand will be charged a S$12 (300 baht) entry fee from Jun 2023.
A S$6 (150 baht) fee will also be levied on those entering the country via seaports and land borders.
A portion of the fees collected will fund projects to raise Thailand’s tourism standards.
According to the Bangkok Post, the Thai cabinet approved the collection of entry fees for international arrivals on Tuesday (14 Feb).
This comes after a healthy recovery in tourist numbers in Thailand.
The Bangkok Post previously reported that Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is confident the country can receive over 30 million foreign tourist arrivals this year.
This is almost triple the 11.2 million who arrived in 2022.
Source: Matthew Schwartz on Unsplash
A S$12 (300 baht) entry fee will be added to international tourists’ ticket prices for those travelling by air.
The Thai Ministry of Tourism & Sports has yet to confirm the collection method for the S$6 (150 baht) fee at seaports and land borders.
Tourism & Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn shared that the fee is lower for sea and land travel as such tourists are likely to stay in the country for shorter durations.
Bloomberg reports that Thailand has brought up the collection of such entry fees since pre-Covid times. However, the pandemic delayed its implementation.
The Bangkok Post highlights that the Thai government expects to collect about S$152 million (3.9 billion baht) from the levies in 2023.
Close to 90% of that amount will go into raising Thailand’s tourism standards to a global level.
This includes introducing universal designs for public facilities and making them more accessible for persons with physical impairments.
The fees will also go into funding health and accident insurance coverage for tourists.
Source: Evan Krause on Unsplash
“The entry fee will support care for tourists,” said Mr Phiphat, adding that from 2017 to 2019, foreign tourists used services at public hospitals that purportedly cost the state as much as S$11.7 to S$15.6 million (300 to 400 million baht).
The entry fees will thus cover costs for tourists who fail to settle their outstanding medical bills before leaving the country.
On Wednesday (15 Feb), The Bangkok Post reported that tourists who do not stay in Thailand overnight will be exempted from the entry fee.
According to Mr Phiphat, expatriates have to pay the fee upon entering as the system cannot distinguish between work permit holders and regular tourists.
However, they will be eligible for a refund later since they pay personal income tax to the government.
These exemptions and refunds do not apply to business travellers.
So, if you’re intending to travel to Thailand from June onwards, do expect this slight increase in your travel expenditure.
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Featured image adapted from Rach Teo on Unsplash.
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