Thailand will introduce a fee for foreign tourists from the new year

The Thai authorities plan to introduce a 300 baht ($9.6) foreign tourist fee from January 2022. This was announced by the Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan, writes Bangkok Post.

The money received will be used to create a tourism fund in case of emergencies. According to the Minister of Tourism, if Thailand attracts 20.8 million tourists in 2022, they will contribute 6.2 billion baht ($198.7 million) to the fund. At the same time, the government has set a goal to attract 3-4 million tourists to the country this year.

As the minister noted, the pandemic showed that the tourism fund should be organized as soon as possible. This will allow the industry to cope with future uncertainties.

A proposal to introduce a 300 baht fee for foreigners was approved by the National Tourism Committee in January. Then Ratchakitprakan noted that part of this money (34 baht out of 300) will also go to medical care for tourists who get sick or get injured during their vacation.