TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The government of Thailand has scrapped a proposal to charge foreign tourists arriving by air a tourism fee of THB300 or about Rp133,000. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced the cancellation on Saturday, June 8.
The tourism fee was first proposed in February 2023 in a bid to boost revenue for tourism development. It was initially planned to be implemented starting June 2023. However, the private sector rejected the plan and it was then suspended.
The issue of the tourist levy resurfaced last April after Thailand’s main tourist destinations, Phuket and Pattaya, grappled with overtourism. The funds from this levy were planned to be used to build infrastructure in other areas so that tourists would not be…