Surcharges mulled, visa fees about to get dearer for some tourists
Foreign visitors may be asked to pay a Bt360 "surcharge" before arriving in Thailand, while those from 19 places will soon have to pay Bt1,000 more for a visa on arrival.
Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said yesterday that TAT had considered collecting US$10 from every tourist entering Thailand. The additional expense would be like a tourism surcharge or visiting surcharge that some countries are implementing.
The extra cost could be included in air tickets for those travelling by plane or could be paid separately when entering the country by land or another mode of transport.
If the government approves this idea, the country could earn Bt12 billion per year. That assumes total arrivals of 30 million.
"TAT will soon float the idea and push it to the government for approval," he said.
"The revenue from the surcharge will be granted equally to provinces. Each province will use the [resulting] budget of Bt100 million to Bt150 million to protect the environment and improve security as part of local tourism development."
While TAT is thinking of charging tourists more, it is also worried about the extra cost of travelling, as the government on Tuesday approved an increase in the visa-on-arrival fee from Bt1,000 to Bt2,000.
The new fee will soon be applied to all tourists from the 18 countries and one territory requiring a visa if they land without one.
They are Andorra, Bulgaria, Bhutan, mainland China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Visas on arrival are issued at 42 gateways nationwide including Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.
"Although tourists need to pay more for a visa on arrival and maybe more for a visiting surcharge, we believe these factors won’t cause much trouble for tourism, as the measures will not bother high-spending tourists.
"However, some tourists may not be happy," Yuthasak said.
The agency is preparing plans to deal with the changes, including encouraging the wealthy and high spenders from neighbouring countries to holiday in Thailand.
TAT plans to promote cross-border tourism, linking tourism in five provinces sharing a border with other countries.
Chiang Rai or Tak is set to attract visitors from Myanmar, Udon Thani will lure Laotian tourists, Hat Yai in Songkhla province will tap the Malaysian market and Kanchanaburi will woo those from Myanmar.
TAT is "aiming at wealthy visitors because their travelling does not rely on the season or the cost of travel, meaning they can come any time they want to", Yuthasak said.
