Reports from Thailand suggest the government is considering a plan to charge international visitors an entry fee from January next year.
Public Health minister Pradit Sintavanarong said an entry tax would lead to an increase in the quality of tourists entering Thailand.
Andrew Wood, national president Skal International Thailand, said the tax was "a thinly disguised way for the government to introduce travel ‘insurance’ for all visitors to Thailand".
He said the government had come under pressure for its funding of treatment for tourists’ medical emergencies.
"My biggest concern is, who will collect this money and what is it going to be spent on?
"I’m sure there are better ways to collect this huge sum than taking cash from tourists arriving at the airport.
"In the past the government bundled the passenger airport tax with airfares which made a lot of sense.
"I also worry that the fee will be open to abuse and scams," Wood said
Pradit said the tourism ministry backed the introduction of a visitor arrival fee.
"Now is the time for us to have quality tourists. It’s not as if inbound tour operators won’t organise tours for foreign tourists to come to the country because of the entry fees," the health minister said.
by Ian Jarret, Editor TravelMole Asia Pacific
