It has been reported that the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports is considering a new tourist tax to be charged to EVERY visitor that covers travel and life insurance whilst in the Kingdom
Some sources say that an entry fee of 100 baht per person will be imposed within the coming months.
This, the government claim, would be used to ensure tourists and relieve the Thai taxpayer of the cost of any emergency medical treatment and the repatriation of anybody who dies whilst in the Kingdom.
This is currently estimated to be costing the country 300 million baht a year.
In Japan the country’s new ‘Sayonara Tax’ charges 1,000 yen or 300 baht on both Japanese and foreigners leaving the country.
However, the Sayonara tax goes towards improvements to infrastructure and tourism-related services, such as training multi-lingual tour guides.
As usual, the Thai government have leaked the plan through the media and will gauge response before finally committing to anything.
Whether visitors who already have their own travel insurance plans will be exempt has not been mentioned.
Using Thailand’s own figures, claiming 38 million visitors per year, a tourist tax of only Bht 10 per person would raise 380 million baht per year. Which is more than enough to cover the cost of any inconvenience caused by injured or dead tourists.
However, the 3.8 BILLION BAHT a tourist insurance scheme costing visitors 100 baht at the gate raises, is likely to be tempting enough to impose
