A new Thailand tourism fee was announced by the government this week which has prompted the usual loud complaints from just about everyone. Those within the tourism industry believe it will have a psychological impact on tourists who may opt to go elsewhere as borders reopen.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom’s always noisy expat contingent has objected to the plan. That’s mostly because they hate change and each one has determined that Thailand was at its best during some arbitrary point in time they selected.
However, neither group seems to understand what exactly is the new Thailand tourism fee or how it will be collected.
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What is the new Thailand tourism fee?
The new Thailand tourism fee is a THB300 charge all tourist arrivals would be required to pay. It would go towards two separate areas.
The first is an insurance program for tourists involved in accidents. They would be eligible to receive benefits worth THB1 million in case of death or a minimum of THB500,000 for medical expenses. The second area is a fund that will be used to rebuild and develop tourism supply chains.
Why is the new Thailand tourism fee not a big deal?
Everyone seems to be ignoring just how the new Thailand tourism fee will be collected. Because if they did, it wouldn’t be a big deal. The THB300 charge will be added to the cost of plane tickets for visitors entering by plane, which covers the bulk of tourists.
If you have ever looked at a plane ticket, you would know these are already riddled with various fees that most people aren’t bothered to check. A majority of overseas travelers wouldn’t even realize the extra 10 bucks or so they’d be paying.
Seriously, if the government opted to not make a big stink about this, most people wouldn’t have even known about the program. It would have been one thing if the government setup fee collection stations at the airport after immigration. That would be disastrous. But baking the new Thailand tourism fee into the cost of plane tickets is a big, fat nothing burger.
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What should have happened?
Had the Thai government wanted to avoid the PR nightmare they are enduring; they should have rolled out the new Thailand tourism fee while simultaneously eliminating dual pricing which is far more of an annoyance.
The tourism industry is carrying on about the psychological impact of the new fee, a fee most people won’t even realize, but continue to ignore this. There is nothing more frustrating than going to a park or other location in Thailand and seeing a separate pricing list simply because you are foreign. This was the perfect time to eliminate dual pricing.
Ultimately, that won’t happen. It also seems unlikely the new Thailand tourism fee will take effect in April as currently planned. The noise around it is already loud, and a delay is the most likely outcome.
