New Thai tourism chief pushes ahead with 300-baht visitor tax
Minister aims to boost safety and services through new levy plan
Thailand’s newly appointed Minister of Tourism and Sports, Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn, has announced plans to finally implement the long-discussed 300-baht tourism tax during his four-month tenure.
The minister insists the fee will directly benefit visitors through insurance coverage and improved travel infrastructure.
Speaking yesterday, October 3, Atthakorn urged all relevant agencies to “clearly communicate the benefits” of the policy to international tourists. He admitted the idea has faced resistance in the past, with concerns that an added cost could discourage travellers or damage Thailand’s image as an affordable destination.
He emphasised the importance of transparency and positive messaging.
“If we impose this tax, we must communicate how much tourists could benefit from it.”
The concept of a tourism levy was first introduced in 2020 and approved by Cabinet in February 2023. However, it stalled after successive tourism ministers hesitated to enforce it amid fears of backlash from both the travel industry and social media users.
Under the current proposal, foreign tourists arriving by air would be charged 300 baht per entry, while those entering by land or sea would pay 150 baht. The money would fund a special insurance scheme for travellers and support the development of tourist facilities across the country.
Atthakorn’s announcement signals a renewed push to implement the tax, even as officials acknowledge that public opinion remains divided. The minister said the scheme must be framed as a reinvestment in safety, quality, and long-term sustainability for Thailand’s tourism sector.
During his first visit to the ministry, Atthakorn also outlined plans to launch fresh tourism campaigns in the fourth quarter aimed at boosting arrivals and domestic spending. The ministry expects to use the remaining budget from a 1.76-billion-baht domestic travel subsidy by the end of October.
The government hopes to restore foreign visitor numbers to pre-pandemic levels of nearly 40 million per year. So far, Thailand is on track to attract about 33.4 million tourists this year, slightly down from last year’s 35.5 million, reported Bangkok Post.
While details of the new campaigns and the exact start date for the levy remain under discussion, Atthakorn confirmed that quarterly targets will be set to track progress into early next year.
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