Thailand will introduce a new tourist fee for foreign arrivals from April, aimed at funding upgrades to the country’s tourism infrastructure.
The TBH300 (US$9) fee, to be added directly to airfares, will also cover accident insurance for those foreigners unable to afford coverage, according to comments made to Reuters by Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn.
“Part of the fee will be used to take care of tourists,” Supasorn said. We’ve encountered times when insurance didn’t have coverage for tourists … which became our burden to take care of them.”
News of the tourist fee comes just days after Thailand backflipped on a plan to reintroduce mandatory vaccination requirements for all visitors, stating instead that the popular tourism destination would remain restriction-free as it has been since October.
It has been a big week for Thailand’s tourism industry, with IAG also reporting that discussions over the legalization of casinos across the country are also resuming – although the passing of any such legislation is not expected anytime soon.
Thailand welcomed around 10 million tourists in 2022, up from. Just 430,000 in 2021 but still well down on the nearly 40 million who visited in 2019.
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