Visitors to Thailand will soon have to pay a $14 entry fee which will go towards a ‘tourism transformation fund,’ report says.
Thailand will reportedly introduce an entrance fee in 2022 as part of a bid to transform the tourism industry.
According to the Bangkok Post, visitors will be charged 500 baht, or around $14, which will go towards a “tourism transformation fund.” The fund will aid projects that “transform the industry” with a focus on high-value and sustainable tourism, the publication reports.
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The publication added that The National Tourism Policy Committee approved the fund earlier this year, and the proposed fee was initially 300 baht, or around $8, per person.
Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said that the additional 200 baht, or around $6, will fund projects in the private sector that will help the country restructure from mass tourism, as well as tourism-focused initiatives with an environmental focus, according to the publication.
Supasorn said the goal is to collect 5 billion baht, about $147 million, in the fund’s first year, with a prediction of 10 million foreign arrivals to the country in 2022.
“The projects should be co-creations and the government should use the fund to support projects that can create an economic impact. The proportion of public-private financial support could be 50:50, 60:40, or 70:30, depending on how much we want to make those projects happen,” Supasorn told the publication.
The TAT did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
@ Insider