Thailand’s proposed 450-baht tourist fee has received strong backing in a public consultation, with 80.5% of respondents supporting the draft measure as the government prepares to move it towards further approval.
The online consultation ran from August 24 to September 28 and attracted 5,954 responses. Of those, 78.3% supported the proposed 450-baht charge itself, while 80.5% backed the wider draft framework.
The results mark the latest development in the proposal. Last month, officials were seeking feedback on its amount, collection method and exemptions.
One point remains less settled as respondents differed over whether travellers arriving by air, land and sea should all pay the same amount.
Collecting the fee through tickets was the most popular payment method in the consultation, chosen by 36.26% of respondents. Officials said integrating payment with tickets could reduce additional procedures and delays at immigration checkpoints.
Under the current proposal, the Thailand tourist fee would initially be collected from eligible foreign visitors arriving by air, while collection at land and sea borders would be delayed for one year. The draft also allows one payment to cover multiple entries within a 30-day period while the traveller remains covered by the accompanying insurance.
Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul chaired a further meeting on October 6 with government agencies, tourism businesses and civil society representatives to discuss the consultation results and remaining details.
Private-sector representatives called for collection methods that would not slow immigration procedures and asked the ministry to consider exemptions for border traders and frequent cross-border travellers.
They also pushed for greater transparency over how money from the scheme would be spent, including publication of fund revenue, operating costs, insurance premiums and spending on tourism projects.
Officials estimate that after collection expenses and insurance costs, the scheme could leave at least 8 billion baht a year for the Tourism Promotion Fund. The money would be used to improve tourism sites, restore natural resources and support visitor safety and tourism development.
The proposed insurance element is also intended to help cover medical costs incurred by foreign visitors. The meeting discussed an estimate of around 7 billion baht in unpaid medical bills involving foreign patients at state hospitals near Thailand’s borders, although the Tourism and Sports Ministry is still checking the scope and basis of that figure with health agencies.
The fee is not yet in force. The Tourism and Sports Ministry will combine the consultation results with recommendations from the October 6 meeting before sending the revised proposal back to the National Tourism Policy Committee and then to Cabinet for consideration.
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