The government’s plan to collect a tourism fee of at least 300 baht through airlines is not feasible because of limitations in airlines’ back-office systems, with the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) a better option, say aviation bodies.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports Ministry last month asked airlines to collect the fee for the government.
As the National Tourism Policy Act, which governs the levy, does not cover Thais, collecting the fee from them would be unlawful. The ministry proposed that airlines charge a standard fee to all passengers and subsequently reimburse Thais, with the ministry covering the associated administrative costs.
The Asia-Pacific at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said collecting a tourism tax through airlines would create additional complications.
Typically, passengers are not required to provide their nationality, passport details or residential address to airlines during the booking process. Airlines only need a passenger’s name and destination, IATA said.
Collecting a tourism fee could also compromise efficiency at airports, IATA added.
A better option would be to collect the fee through TDAC, the digital immigration system that foreign visitors are mandated to complete with before entering Thailand, it said.
The tourism tax was first proposed in 2020 but has never been implemented because of frequent changes in government and technical problems. The majority of the revenue from tourism fees would be allocated to tourist insurance, with the remainder used to maintain tourist attractions and improve infrastructure.
The final amount of the fee will depend in large part on the projected costs of accident insurance and treatment at private hospitals.
Unpaid medical bills by foreign visitors cost Thai hospitals around 2.5 billion baht per year, studies have found.
