Postponement of the tourist tax and cancellation of the Thailand Pass

The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, had recently announced the creation of a new tax of 300 baht which would be applied to tourists entering Thailand in order to support the tourism economy which has been heavily impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic. However, the Ministry has just announced the postponement of this tax to the fourth quarter of this year in order to carry out further discussions on the subject. In particular, it appears that this tax could be prohibitive for tourists who stay only one or two nights in the country, the Ministry believes that the tourist tax for land arrivals should also be reconsidered.
The new tax proposal will be submitted to the official cabinet within two months, with implementation expected to take place 90 days after the Royal Gazette is published, suggesting an effective date towards the end of this year.
Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, also said that a proposal to cancel the Thailand Pass for international arrivals will be on the agenda at the next meeting of the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). Although it has already been simplified, the Thailand Pass is still a barrier to the massive arrival of tourists. The cancellation of this procedure, which is still considered too restrictive, should facilitate the return of tourists who would no longer be forced to subscribe to expensive travel insurance or to deal with complex entry procedures. On such occasion, the Tourism Authority of Thailand encourages all tourism operators to submit their urgent concerns that can be raised during the session.