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Thailand has announced that it plans to collect a 300 baht (S$11.98) fee from foreign visitors entering the country beginning in Apr. 2023.

The new fee will be added to airline tickets, said government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, Reuters reported.

This tourist fee is part of the Thai government's sustainable tourism plan.

In a report by The Bangkok Post, Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakiprakarn shared that the money raised will be used to support visitors involved in accidents and develop tourist destinations.

It will cover accident insurance for foreigners who cannot pay the cost themselves, said Thai senior officials on Jan. 11.

"We [have] encountered times when insurance didn't have coverage for tourists... which became our burden to take care of them," Supasorn told Reuters.

Thailand's tourism industry

Thailand was one of Asia's most popular travel destinations, but its tourism industry took a massive hit due to the pandemic.

Compared to nearly 40 million visitor arrivals in 2019, only 200,000 visitors arrived in 2022.

Thailand expects between five and 15 million foreign arrivals this year, Wangboonkongchana said, depending on the policies and restrictions placed.

He said that foreign tourists are also expected to generate 800 billion Thai baht (S$32 million) in 2023.

Thailand's leading business group forecasts 5 to 6 million tourist arrivals in 2023 alone.

Top photo from Pixabay.