Thailand drops plans to instate tourism fee
Thailand has decided to ditch their plans to introduce a tourism fee for all international tourists arriving in the country.
International tourists planning to visit Thailand need not worry about the proposed tourism fee the country had intended to instate, as now, the fee has been scrapped.
According to Travel News, the fee was meant to be implemented from 1 June 2024, after several postponements.
The BHT300 (R147) fee has now been ditched altogether, reports say, in a bid to help tourism recover in the nation.
“The fee… was abandoned with the rationale that its elimination could encourage higher tourist spending in other areas, thereby providing a more substantial boost to the economy,” Thailand’s Government Public Relations Department said.
New extended visa for Thailand
In another bid to boost tourism and the economy, Thailand will now offer tourists an extended visa to stay in country for longer.
According to visaguide.news, this extended visa will aslo apply to remote workers, postgraduate students and retirees.
As per government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke, as of June 2024, travellers from 93 countries, including South Africa, will be permitted to stay in Thailand for up to 60 days.
Travel News also reported that Thailand’s single-entry tourist visa allows for stays of up to 90 days, and although South Africans previously had to apply for visa extensions after their initial 30 visa-free days, they can now apply for an extension after 60 days.