Canadians could be charged to visit Thailand starting this year
Want to lounge on Thailand’s beautiful beaches or go on a foodie adventure in Bangkok? You might have to pay a “tourist tax” to do that.
Since January 2022, there have been multiple reports that the Southeast Asian country is planning to impose a fee on all foreigners travelling by air.
Senior officials announced a proposed fee of 300 baht (close to CAD$12) that would apply to all travellers who are not Thai citizens, regardless of nationality or visa type, Reuters reported last year.
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Why? The government said the cost will be used to develop tourist attractions and also help cover healthcare for uninsured travellers.
“Part of the fee will be used to take care of tourists,” Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters.
“We’ve encountered times when insurance didn’t have coverage for tourists … which became our burden to take care of them.”
It would serve as insurance coverage of up to 500,000 baht (nearly CAD$20,000) per person in case of accidents, according to the Bangkok Post.
This includes tourists who experience an accident, riot, terrorist attack, or natural disaster. Coverage for any damage caused by emotional distress can’t exceed 20,000 baht (close to CAD$800), reported the Bangkok Post.
The so-called tourist tax, which would be automatically included in the price of airline tickets, has been repeatedly postponed since its proposal and has an uncertain timeline for its launch.
Some outlets reported its launch for April last year, while others say it could launch this year.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand confirmed with Daily Hive in an email that the tourist tax hasn’t been implemented yet.
“Once there’s any update we will publicize the information on our website http://www.tatnews.org,” a spokesperson stated. ​
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