Bangkok Post:
The government is considering a plan to charge foreigners a 500-baht entry fee from January next year, according to Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong.
Mr Pradit said on Sunday that officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Ministry of Public Health and the Royal Thai Police had discussioned the matter and all agreed with the idea.
They expected the extra charge would lead to an increase in the quality of tourists entering Thailand, he said.
“The tourism and sports minister (Somsak Phurisrisak) told me that every other country is collecting entry fees from foreigners,” Mr Pradit said.
“The money will be used for many purposes by the tourism, health and foreign affairs ministries, and the Immigration Bureau.”
The health ministry would gather relevant information and help the Ministry of the Interior in legislating the law. The collected fees would go into the national budget coffers before they are transferred to different agencies, he said.
He expected the new entry charge would take effect from Jan 1, but it could be put off to mid-January because there would be many tourists entering the country at that time and they might get confused, he said.
The government is considering a B500 entry fee for foreign tourists, claiming it will keep out the trash, but the feedback from the tourism sector is all negative.
When reporters asked him if the plan could backfire and result in fewer tourist arrivals, Mr Pradit said the tourism ministry did not oppose the plan.
“Now is the time for us to have quality tourists. It’s not as if inbound tour operators won’t organise tours for foreign tourists to come to the country because of the entry fees,” the health minister said.
Foreigners who stay in Thailand no more than three days would be charged 30 baht a day, while those who stay more than three days would have to pay 500 baht, he said.
According to reports, foreigners who arrive at airports would be charged 500 baht, while those who enter the country by land would be charged 30 baht a day.
The scheme would also prevent foreigners staying in the country after their visas have expired. There are about 100,000 foreigners in Thailand whose visas have expired but they refuse to leave the country, the reports said.
Samphan Panphat, adviser to the Thai Hotels Association (THA), said he disagreed with the 500-baht entry fee. It lacked transparency and would significantly hurt the tourism industry.
Authorities should specify the nationalities of tourists who might pose problems to Thailand, because there are many tourists from other countries who do not create problems when they come here, he said.
“The government should be take serious steps to solve the problems in the country and to improve the quality of tourism here. Then things will improve,” Mr Samphan said.
Sitdiwat Cheevarattanaporn, chairman of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta), took the same tone, saying it is not a good move and not in line with the government’s plan to promote tourism.
“The plan will affect the tourism industry, both in the short run and the long run, because tourists will feel bad about Thailand and they may feel they are being cheated,” Mr Sitdiwat said.
Porntip Hirunket, vice chair of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said collecting entry fees from foreigners would dampen the tourism atmosphere.
Authorities should do a better job of screening tourists, enforcing the existing laws and preventing tourists from being conned, she said.
香港人的熱門旅遊地泰國，正準備在明年一月開始徵收遊客稅，以提高「遊客質量」。但業界人士指出，此舉會適得其反，反而會讓人對泰國產生壞印象。
想在新年到泰國去曬曬陽光的遊客，可能會發現自己在乘飛機抵達時，一個人需要繳納500泰銖左右（約125港元）的稅。
逗留三日收125港元
據說，泰國遊客局正考慮向每位乘飛機抵達、擬逗留超過3日的遊客徵收500銖費用。如果該議案獲通過，則收費最早將在一月一日開始。不過，通過陸路入境的遊客，隻需繳付三十銖（約7.5港元）。
泰國衛生部長巴迪．信他瓦那龍對《曼谷郵報》說，來自旅遊和體育部、公共衛生部和皇家泰國警察總部的官員，都同意收費。
巴迪說，此舉將有助於向一種不同類型的遊客宣傳泰國：「現在是我們向優質遊客招手的時候了。外國旅行社不會因為入境收費就不再組織外國遊客來泰國旅行。」
雖然已把2014年元旦定為收費開始之日，但是該措施仍有可能推遲實施，以避免在泰國旅遊高峰季節時使遊客感到「不知所措」。
此舉除了可以增加收入外（收入將撥給旅遊部、衛生部、外交部和移民局），還將用於確保遊客不會在簽證過期後仍逗留泰國。現時，簽證過期後仍逗留泰國的情況已變得頗為嚴重，據報泰國有約十萬外國人簽證過期。
業界憂遊客產生壞印象
不過，泰國旅遊業對此舉並不欣賞。泰國旅行協會主席西迪瓦說，此舉可能會損害有利可圖的假期市場。他說：「該計劃將影響旅遊業，不管是短期或長遠而言，因為遊客會對泰國產生壞印象，他們可能會覺得自己受騙。」
也有業界人士提議，當局應該從簽證方面把關遊客質量。
自從揹背包旅行在上世紀70年代引發人們對泰國的熱情以來，泰國旅遊業就一直蓬勃發展。預期2013年遊客量將達到有史以來最高峰，目前的抵達量顯示全年將比2012年增加20%。
自從中國電影《泰囧》上映以來，泰國也成為中國遊客的熱門旅遊點之一，去年訪問泰國的遊客估計超過400萬。
