Tourism Ministry Eyes 80m International Tourists In 2027 | Thailand News Today

Tourism Ministry Eyes 80m International Tourists In 2027

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports hopes to drive up the number of international visitors to Thailand to 80 million over the next five years.

This optimistic target will see the number of international visitors doubling the pre-pandemic figure, and exceeding the country’s current population of 70 million.

Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakarn said this target, once achieved, could raise the country’s tourism revenue from 1.93 trillion baht in 2019 to 5 trillion baht.

He said this target also calls for an upgrade to tourism safety standards, in order to accommodate the influx of visitors.

Thailand’s administration has since the COVID-19 outbreak been planning to collect an arrival fee from international visitors. This 300 baht per person fee is likely to be imposed from 1 June this year.

The National Tourism Policy Committee will be holding a meeting on 24 January to finalize the details of the fee, which will be applicable to foreign passport holders arriving in Thailand. This fee will however not be applicable to foreigners entering the country using border passes, local public servants at border areas, or those holding a valid work permit in Thailand.

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Bentley driver charged with drunk driving granted bail at 100,000 baht

Under pressure police finally charged a Bentley driver with drunk driving for causing a three-car crash. After much public criticism and deliberation, police charged the driver because he refused to take a breathalyzer test in the first place. The driver was reported to have been granted bail of 100,000 baht yesterday

The issue over Suthat’s alcohol level started after a wine bottle was spotted in his car. He refused to take a breathalyser test at the police station saying he had pain in the chest and could not blow.

Suthat finally took a test at a hospital. The alcohol content in his system was released by the hospital yesterday, almost three days after the incident. It showed only 0.01%, which means he was not drunk while driving on that day according to Thai law.

The deputy commissioner and spokesperson of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek, announced the conclusion of the charges against Suthat yesterday.

Jirasan confirmed that Suthat was charged under Section 43(2) of the Criminal Law: driving under the influence of alcohol.

Jirasan explained that Suthat’s blood alcohol content was under the limit, but he refused to take the breathalyser test after the incident. So, Suthat has been considered drunk according to standard police practice.

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MOPH to open vaccination centre for foreigners

The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) plans to offer Covid-19 vaccines for foreigners at Bang Rak Medical Centre in Bangkok for about 1,000 baht.

The Minister of Tourism and Sports, announced that he planned to give free booster shots to foreigners but added it would need Cabinet approval in January.

The proposal was seen as unsustainable by the Cabinet, but the Department of Disease Control (DDC) agreed to administer the booster shots at about 1,000 baht each as Thailand welcomed a new influx of tourists at the beginning of this year.

The director of the DDC, reported on January 10, that Bangkok plans to have two vaccination centres for foreigners. The first one is expected to open in the next few days on the ninth floor of Bang Rak Medical Center.

The vaccines available are AstraZeneca and Pfizer. The service can accommodate between 200 to 300 people a day and will cost under 1,000 baht.