A tourist tax of 300 baht ($9) for foreign visitors will come into effect in Thailand by the end of the year, reports correspondent Kazpravda.kz citing RBK
This new measure was announced by the country's Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, as reported by The Straits Times.
“However, if the collection process is complicated, it will be inconvenient. Our goal is to make the process as simple as possible,” he stated.
Ratchakitprakarn noted that tourists arriving by air will be required to pay 300 baht. Travelers entering the country by land or water will also pay this same amount, but they will be allowed to enter Thailand multiple times within 30 to 60 days at no additional charge.
In spring 2023, Thai authorities postponed the introduction of the tourist tax for foreign visitors, and in June 2024, the then Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced that his government would abandon the previous administration's proposal to impose a 300 baht tourist tax on foreigners.
According to him, the initiative did not receive support from private sector representatives at that time. The Prime Minister believed that collecting the tax “might generate short-term revenue.” However, he suggested that in the long run, without this measure, the country would attract more tourists, and their spending on shopping and leisure would boost the economy more significantly than the introduction of the tax.