Illustrative image (Source: Xinhua/VNA)Pipat said the Naresuan University is studying theappropriate entry fee rate for foreign tourists arriving by land and the studyshould be done within this month.
Then, the entry fee rates will be submitted to theCabinet for approval in October, Pipat said, noting that once approved, therates will have to be published in the Royal Gazette and they will take effect90 days later.
The minister said the enforcement of entry fee rateson foreign tourists will take effect early next year.
The National Tourism Policy Committee approved theTourism and Sports Ministry’s proposal to collect a 300-THB (8 USD) fee fromevery tourist entering the country in January.
But Pipat later said it would not be fair to use thesame rate for tourists who arrive by different modes of transport, so he hadassigned the university to study the appropriate rate to be collected fromtourists arriving by land.
Pipat said tourists who arrive by land tend to stayfor a shorter duration than those arriving by air.
He said the entry fee would be used to buy insurancefor foreign tourists so that the government would not have to solely shouldercosts of treatment of foreign tourists injured in accidents.
He revealed that the government spent about 300 millionto 400 million THB each year for treating injured foreign tourists before the COVID-19pandemic./.
VNA
