Thai authorities are worried that tourists do not carry enough money in the country’s wallet. Whether vacationers spend little, or travelers are not enough. And now the popular destination intends to introduce a new tourist tax. This initiative provoked a sharply negative reaction from travelers. The Express newspaper quoted angry posts from tourists that they left on social networks.
Thailand plans to introduce a tourist tax from April. Each entrance will be charged a fee of 300 baht (260 rubles) per visit. Many people prefer to visit one of the beautiful beach places of the country of smiles or visit the temples in Chiang Mai.
According to the government, the new tax is likely to be included in the cost of tickets to Thailand. Currently, the kingdom has strict rules of travel, and foreigners can enter only under certain schemes. The Phuket Sandbox is currently in operation. Test & amp; Go is also expected to return.
The “sandbox” scheme allows tourists to quarantine hotels for seven days in certain places before traveling to the rest of Thailand. The scheme includes such popular destinations as Krabi, Phang Nga, Phuket and Surat Thani.
Government spokesman Tanakorn Wangbunkongchang said tourism could significantly boost Thailand’s economy this year, apparently in light of tourist levies. Trying to justify himself, the official said that part of the fee will help cover health insurance for travelers who can not pay any medical expenses, and will be aimed at plans for sustainable tourism and sightseeing. According to the representative, this year Thailand expects from 5 to 15 million foreign tourists, depending on the policy in its main tourist markets.
However, the Thai tourist tax has provoked a wave of angry responses from travelers around the world. Here are some of them:
- “This is idiocy and bullying! When 1.5-2 million people lose their jobs in Thailand due to idiotic isolation rules that scare away tourists, the tourist tax will be equivalent not only to kicking a person when he falls, but also to hitting his head to make sure he never gets up. ” , – wrote on Twitter tourist Russell Newton.
- “It is useful to provide sustainable tourism and pay for health care for people who do not live in these countries. It makes sense to me, “said a tourist named Anna on Twitter.
However, the justification of Thailand, we note that this is not the first country to introduce a controversial tourist tax to cover its costs.
- For example, Croatia charges 45 hryvnias a night from tourists, while the Asian country of Bhutan needs a whopping almost 7,250 hryvnias a day.
- Several regions of Spain also levy a tourist tax, the cost of which varies depending on the style of accommodation. However, officials criticized the proposed tourist tax for the popular tourist town of Benidorm, saying it would “never” be introduced.
- Venice only plans to charge visitors up to 10 euros (about 330 hryvnias for the right to enter the city and can use airport-style turnstiles. The Italian city has struggled with overtourism, ie the negative effects of mass tourism. Many locals have complained about the impact tourism on the historical view of the city.