Collection of a BHT300 (R138) tourism fee to enter Thailand will come into force between August and September this year using the Thailand Tourism Fee (TTF) system, according to Bangkok Post.
The system will activate a 30-day insurance for travellers once they have arrived. The government says the fee is meant to help tourists in case of emergency, such as sudden sickness, accident or political unrest while travelling in Thailand.
According to Permanent Secretary of the Tourism and Sports Ministry, Chote Trachu: "The tourism fee is in line with the revised National Tourism Policy Act of 2008, which granted permission to set up the fund from the fees collected from foreign visitors. The fund will be used to develop tourist sites and offer tourists insurance."
The TTF system will integrate with airlines’ websites to display an additional screen for fee collection for foreign passport holders, said Assistant Tourism Permanent Secretary, Mongkon Wimonrat.
Travellers who are exempt from the fee include diplomats, government officials, people with work permits from nationalities under a memorandum of understanding with Thailand, and children under two years old.
The fee will be imposed on air travellers first, before expanding to other forms of transport.
Current travel regulations for Thailand
The Thai Embassy has stated that as of May 1, fully vaccinated travellers no longer need to apply to enter Thailand under the Test & Go or Sandbox scheme. They also do not need to book one night’s accommodation in an approved SHA+ hotel or complete a PCR test on arrival.
They are only required to provide proof of insurance and their vaccination certificate when applying for a Thailand Pass.
Unvaccinated travellers can enter Thailand under the existing five-day Alternate Quarantine scheme or complete a PCR test within 72 hours of departure and upload the result into their Thailand Pass application.
Unvaccinated children under 18 years old may travel with vaccinated parents without quarantine.
