CrazyInteg

To me, this one feels more legit and likely to actually take effect. The one from the other day I think was just their thought of the day.

CrazyInteg

Two different things entirely. The proposal was to charge tourists to Thailand. Your UK example is a tax levied to everybody who uses the airport.

If you work in a country and have to fly into that country to work, you are not a tourist, even if you meet the definition set by WTO. Permanent resident? Legal alien? Migrant worker? Retired? Those are not tourists. How can the immigration agent determine where you fit into the puzzle? Based on visa type? In that case, it may work out better to get a multi-entry tourist visa.

Anyways, I don't think this will ever pass into law.

IAN-UK

Quite possibly you missed my point. It is near impossible to isolate holiday makers from those visiting friends and relatives, people getting their teeth fixed on the cheap, the searchers for sleaze, conference delegates and business-motivated visitors: particularly as a single visit can incorporate a number of those, and other, activities.

Unless you are one of a defined group, such as diplomats, refugees or someone taking up employment remunerated from within the country visited, you are a tourist. You might not like to be lumped in with leisure tourists, you might prefer to be known as a traveller or a business visitor, but for statistics and national accounts you will be a tourist.

So for these, and other practical reasons, Thailand would probably have to impose a visitor levy it were to go down the path mooted. This happens in many places, where the tax is passed off as a visa: e.g. £10 to get into Turkey. Just stop by the guichet before immigration and buy a stamp. Easy enough to exclude residents.

For air travellers it would be a simple matter to include the tax in air tickets, as do Austria, Germany, UK and a host of other nations. Which is where I came in

So a tourism tax is certainly feasible, there are many precedents around the world where a similar levy has been introduced. There will, however, be fierce resistance to any such tax, at a national and international level.

dsquared37

I agree the increase in the departure tax is more toward the legit side of things and it has been talked about for awhile now.

seanthepilot

Unfortunately, you are both correct. This increase is bound to take effect. The AOT will find ways to spend the windfall.

transpac

Airport PSCs are set to rise from 700 baht to 800 baht for int'l and from 50 baht to 100 baht for domestic as of "late next year". Whatever that means?

The arriving tourist fee, ostensibly mentioned as a way to cover tourist medical costs incurred but not reimbursed, of 500 baht is still being debated, as far as I know.

transpac

Loy Krathong postponed...

BANGKOK: -- The Tourism Authority of Thailand has announced that it will postpone its annual celebrations for the Loy Krathong festival in honor of the late Supreme Patriarch.

The news comes following an announcement from Thawatchai Arunyik, TAT deputy governor for domestic marketing, who said that festivities will be suspended as the country is in mourning.

The festival was due to take place on November 17th, however, the government recently announced an extension to the mourning period to November 23rd.

It is planned that the Loy Krathong festivities, which are normally organized in Bangkok and throughout all other major destinations in Thailand, will be discussed once the mourning period is finished.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/loca...vities-delayed

transpac

FYI, train service to the north still requires a bus connection between Sila At/Uttaradit and Chiang Mai. The repair completion is now scheduled for 1 Dec, slipped from 1 Nov. Expect that new date to slip further.

Buses are running full - from Mor Chit - so maybe best to consider air travel if you had been considering rail travel during this period?

IAN-UK

In the UK there's some talk of introducing a similar tax/fee/levy to set against the costs of health tourism to the national health service. It's a proposal driven more by electioneering than goood sense: there are votes to be had combating shadowy threats involving feckless foreigners.

goodeats21

They changed their mind...Loy Krathong festivities are back on...still scheduled for Nov. 17

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingn...head-from-govt

transpac

There seems to be some vacillation on the proposed PSC increases...who knows what may ultimately happen?


BANGKOK, Oct 30 – A proposal by the Airports of Thailand (AoT) to increase departure fees for domestic and international flights will likely be turned down by the Transport Ministry.

Transport Minister Chadchat Sittipunt said the ministry would determine the cause of financial loss in its collection of departure fees, as claimed by the AoT.

AoT should find alternative to hiking the fees, he said.

AoT is a profitable state enterprise, he said, and its performance indicates it is unnecessary to increase departure fees. He expressed concern that the public would criticise the AoT move.

The AoT Board of Directors recently decided to increase departure fees by Bt100 per passenger for domestic and international flights.

The proposal has yet to be approved by the Civil Aviation Committee. The transport minister who also chairs the committee has the final say on the AoT proposal. (MCOT online news)

transpac

Yes, it seems like there has been a lot of back and forth on this. The general tenor now seems to be it is OK to observe Loy Krathong, which after all is tied to the 12th full moon, but that any associated entertainment may be severely limited, or restricted. As usual, nobody knows what is going on.

dsquared37

^

aBroadAbroad

Please follow the discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thail...14-onward.html(new thread).

Thanks!

aBroadAbroad
Moderator: Thailand Forum