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News Forum - Travel agents call for tourism fee to be postponed until industry recovers


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The Association of Thai Travel Agents is urging the government to postpone the implementation of a new tourism fee until the sector has fully recovered. Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn says Thailand has averaged around 3,000 – 4,000 foreign tourists per day, since re-opening on November 1. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says confidence is low ahead of the coming high season as many target market countries are battling new waves of Covid-19. Added to this is the high cost of PCR testing on arrival. Sisdivachr says the cost in Thailand is often much higher than in countries tourists are arriving […]

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I understand why the government would like that revenue to start coming in; tanks and submarines don't pay for themselves, do they?. That said, they should delay it, but they won't; it is Bureaucrats making decisions rather than Business people.

It is going to leave a bad taste in the mouth of any tourist that comes. I remember back in the day the incredibly annoying fee that you had to pay on your way out of the country (500 Baht?), and was very pleased when it ended as it just seemed like a kick in the proverbial ass as you left.

This new fee, coming on top of the fees for testing, for a hotel room for a day, forced insurance, etc. etc. etc. is the kind of small thing that visitors remember and tell their friends, especially on Social Media. Further, as they won't apply it to Thais (last I heard), it'll have to be like before; a separate booth whose only purpose is to collect money from non-Thais. Yup, people will take photos and post them now with captions along the lines of "The Thai Rip-Off Booth" or "Steal Your Cash As You Go Booths" or some such thing. I know as I will be posting it.

If the government is determined to collect revenue this way, apply it to Thais as well and hide it in the plane ticket. If they don't, prepare for anger.

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 tourism operators want more clarity around how the tourism fund will be managed and who will benefit from it. Adith says that to ensure transparency, the government should include representatives from the private sector on the fund management committee.

Sure they would want transparency it is possibly some very serious money. 

As for the private sector being involved, they probably have their mates (private sector of course) already entrenched in the system.

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I also remember trudging over to the booths at don muang to pay the departure fee cash only Thai baht.

i also remember seeing quite a few angry scenes over it and people having to go and change money to thai baht so they could pay up.

airlines are sick of being used as stealth tax collectors so hiding it in the air ticket cost will not be welcome either.given the private sector airlines have had zero government support during the crisis I'm one hundred percent with them.

Its an ultra competitive market for tourist dollars at the moment and this is the worst possible time to even think of introducing a tourist tax however small it is.

It's just plain dum.

 

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Wow!  After all this time this group has been prodding the government to open venues,,, ease entry requirements,,, etc etc.

And now, when they can see what happens when you start to open unprepared, or is it that the 4th wave is ravashing the country?  They now are complaining  to wait to open??  Thais get what they deserve.

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2 hours ago, Cathat said:

i also remember seeing quite a few angry scenes over it and people having to go and change money to thai baht so they could pay up.

Including me on time. Was tanked being fueled up from a last bar run before my flight and it just slipped my mind. Those were the days of the one and only famous DM airport. Long gone now for the feel and those smells.

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4 hours ago, Thaiger said:

Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn says Thailand has averaged around 3,000 – 4,000 foreign tourists per day,

B*llucks have they .. 

 

4 hours ago, Thaiger said:

a new tourism fee

Jesus talk about shoot yourself in the feet .. 

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