Thailand to Charge 500 Baht Tourist Entry Fee

[cdnmatt]

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/thailand-to-charge-foreign-arrivals-500-baht-tourism-fee-from-next-year

I've never understood this about Thailand. When business is slow, they always seem to think the best solution is to raise rates.

[arsenal]

That's about £10. That's it, I'm not coming. What a fuckin' doin..a right bleedin rip off...ten bloody quid...that's the price of a burger in Wetherspoons...a tenner..I ain't made a money...gor blimey gov are you avin a laff...ten English pounds...It's an absurd charge...who can afford it...we're not all John Paul Getty ya know...what a con...they must think money grows on trees...ten fuckin nicked...that's eye watering money that is......

[Oliver2]

Quite right too.... and we are expected to pay about £35 for fun with a beautiful Thai who'd cost £150 in the UK....if one could be found. Not to mention a delicious dejeuner a deux for less than £25 in host of Pattaya restaurants. Not much more than at Macdonald's.

[gerefan2]

Try coming into the UK. Passenger tax at Heathrow can be up to £180 and we ALL have to pay it, not just foreign tourists.

[Old git]

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/thailand-to-charge-foreign-arrivals-500-baht-tourism-fee-from-next-year

I've never understood this about Thailand. When business is slow, they always seem to think the best solution is to raise rates.

Absolutely true to Thai form - when business is bad, put up the prices..

..and what's the betting is has to be in Baht - and in cash - and that a rip-off ATM will be located just next to the collection desk..

[arsenal]

No. The airlines will collect it just as they do the departure tax.

[Old git]

No. The airlines will collect it just as they do the departure tax.

Sure? Ever flown to Siam Reap?

[goji]

Sure? Ever flown to Siam Reap?

Yes Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. I've never handed over any money when arriving or departing.

If you purchase the visa on arrival, you need to pay for that, but I already had the e-visa.

[vnman]

This has nothing to do with the amount. It's the timing that couldn't be more off. Considering that potential visitors have to jump to enough hoops to get into the country, why add another obstacle, no matter how small?

[Old git]

This has nothing to do with the amount. It's the timing that couldn't be more off. Considering that potential visitors have to jump to enough hoops to get into the country, why add another obstacle, no matter how small?

Totally agree - really dumb timing

[christianpfc]

This is not the first time a tourist tax/fee has been discussed and then scrapped. But the timing has never been worse.

[Manforallseasons]

If anyone sees the 500 baht entry tax as a deterrent to travel here they should stay home.

[arsenal]

Well it might put off some of our middle eastern brethren who cram in four to a room, fill the place with cheap alcohol and take one unfortunate soul back to surprise them with their 3 pear shaped chums. Let's hope so.

[Mancs]

If they collect it in cash imagine the queues at bkk

[aot871]

If they collect it in cash imagine the queues at bkk

If they do that , it will be like the old days when we had to queue up to pay the departure tax and get a ticket to show with your passport when leaving

[Moggy]

It looks like this will be the latest scam to extract money.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2198587/swab-hubs-for-arriving-tourists

[Brad the Impala]

It looks like this will be the latest scam to extract money.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2198587/swab-hubs-for-arriving-tourists

Let me guess. You are also against vaccination.

[Moggy]

Absolutely not against vaccination in fact I work as a volunteer at a vaccine center.

[goji]

If I understand correctly, anyone who fails a covid test in Thailand is still sent to some kind of hospital, whether they need treatment or not.

So if I have any say in the matter, the only swab I intend to have in Thailand will be whatever is mandatory on arrival.
I'd imagine locals, expats and other tourists will mostly avoid tests for the same reason.

If I have symptoms, I'll test myself with a lateral flow test.

As for vaccines, that's interesting. I might leave the UK before being eligible for my booster jab, so if any private hospital or vaccination centre is offering mRNA jabs without needing proof of residence, I may be a customer.

[Brad the Impala]

Absolutely not against vaccination in fact I work as a volunteer at a vaccine center.

I wonder then why you think screening and testing is a scam to extract money. Many countries do this when relaxing their border controls.

[London68]

I dont think people will object to paying it,its just the feeling of being ripped off.Last time they did this it was collected on departure.

[gerefan2]

I dont think people will object to paying it,its just the feeling of being ripped off.Last time they did this it was collected on departure.
It still is....it is hidden in the ticket price.

[cdnmatt]

I dont think people will object to paying it,its just the feeling of being ripped off.Last time they did this it was collected on departure.


Exactly, it simply doesn't make sense. They are dumping tons of money into the tourism sectory with hopes of reviving it, yet they decide iti's a good idea to charge people 500 baht to enter the country.

Just doesn't make sense.

[christianpfc]

I wonder then why you think screening and testing is a scam to extract money. Many countries do this when relaxing their border controls.
Covid is everywhere and will get everyone. There is no point in travel restrictions and testing international travelers. Thailand probably has ten thousands undetected Covid carriers in their population, a few additional wouldn't make a change. Testing tourists is a waste of time and money, and they make them pay for it!

Re the entry/departure fee. Included in ticket price when leaving by air, but not charged when leaving by land. I left Thailand by land, and I arrived by land, several times (actually, I have left to and entered from all neighbor countries by land) and never had to pay an entry or a departure fee.

[maump]

So If all I have are 1000B notes, does that mean my fee is 1000B?

Is this real or included in the ticket. there was no mention on the Visa on Entry webpage that I saw.

[Patanawet]

I don't think that a 500 or 1000 Baht surcharge would be objected to if the government collected the hundreds of thousands of 1000s and put to a Covid insurance scheme negating the need for tourists to buy special insurance to come here.

Oh, I immediately see the drawback --- you'd need to trust the Thai government to honestly administer the scheme.

[pong]

This 700 THB is simply the AIRPORTTax-what about any, any INTernational airport in this world charges. It is not even very high-I would say average. A very long time ago-the years I first visited TH=around 1980/85 it was 500 THB and collected in cash at airport. As Indonesia did for many years-even well after 2000, when about any other country had gone to add-on on airline tix. In The UK it is based on destination=the further you go, the higher it gets.

[StevieWonders]

So If all I have are 1000B notes, does that mean my fee is 1000B?

Is this real or included in the ticket. there was no mention on the Visa on Entry webpage that I saw.

I expect it will be included in the ticket price and paid over by the airline in the same way as the current departure charge is. Alternatively, maump, you could make a complete fool of yourself at checkin by refusing to take the 500 baht note in change that you wiould be given

[Blueskytoday]

I don't care about this piddly little airport tax...do AWAY with the Covid Insurance,,,OR really the SHA mandatory hotel stay....and the Thailand Pass crap..

[StevieWonders]

I don't care about this piddly little airport tax...do AWAY with the Covid Insurance,,,OR really the SHA mandatory hotel stay....and the Thailand Pass crap..
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness - the opening tenor piece in Handel’s Messiah