Minister Vows to Impose Long-Delayed B300 Tourism Tax. The new minister of tourism and sports has pledged to implement a long-delayed 300-baht tourism tax within his four-month term in office, stressing the need to clearly communicate its benefits to international visitors. ASEAN NOW

Pictures courtesy of Khaosod

 

The new minister of tourism and sports has pledged to implement a long-delayed 300-baht tourism tax within his four-month term in office, stressing the need to clearly communicate its benefits to international visitors. Artthakorn Sirilatthayakorn said on Friday, 3 October, that the proceeds from the levy would fund visitor insurance coverage and support tourism infrastructure development.

 

The minister acknowledged that the additional charge could affect traveller sentiment, with foreign tourists having raised concerns about the tax in past online discussions. He underlined the importance of ensuring tourists understand what they would gain from the scheme, saying, "If we impose this tax, we must communicate how much tourists could benefit from it."

 

The tourism tax was first proposed in 2020 and received cabinet approval in February 2023, but successive tourism ministers since then did not act to implement it. The approved rate is 300 baht per person for air arrivals and 150 baht for land or sea entries. Earlier this year, then-minister Sorawong Thienthong had also vowed to introduce the levy by the end of 2025 but later reversed his position.

 

Although a study was completed to assess the potential benefits, adoption of the scheme has repeatedly been delayed amid concerns over its impact on tourism sentiment. Four previous ministers either could not or would not begin collection. Mr Artthakorn now intends to move forward, setting the issue as a priority during his short tenure.

 

Alongside the tax plan, the minister announced new promotional campaigns for the fourth quarter to encourage spending and increase tourist arrivals. He said the ministry also intends to finalise allocation of funds left from a 1.76-billion-baht domestic subsidy programme by the end of October.

 

Tourism recovery remains a key focus for the government, with safety improvements and strategies to restore foreign arrivals to pre-pandemic levels of nearly 40 million visitors. Thailand expects around 33.4 million foreign arrivals in 2025, down from 35.5 million last year. Mr Artthakorn added that he has already set specific targets for the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year but has not yet disclosed the figures.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Tourism minister Artthakorn Sirilatthayakorn aims to enforce the 300-baht levy within his four-month term.

• The tax has been repeatedly delayed since first being proposed in 2020 and approved in 2023.

• New campaigns and budget allocations are planned to boost arrivals and tourism spending in late 2025.

 

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  Adapted by Asean Now from Bangkokpost 2025-10-04