Bangkok Post – Prime Minister urges to tackle overtourism

One proposal is to collect a tourist tax

As resistance to overtourism grows in many countries, Thai tourism organizations are urging the government to seriously consider the country’s carrying capacity, while some have proposed imposing a 300 baht tourist tax in an attempt to solve the problem .

While Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has pledged to make 2025 a landmark year for tourism, Adith Chairattananon, secretary general of the Federation of Thai Tourism Associations (Fetta), said a white paper the federation will present to the government will include solutions to to prevent this. overtourism, which was observed in Thailand before the pandemic.

Similar efforts were seen in other countries last week when the local government of Amsterdam announced it would ban the construction of new hotels, while residents of Spain’s Canary Islands called for curbs on tourist arrivals as they are hit by rising housing costs.

“With a projection of 40 million tourists, major destinations such as Phuket, Samui and Pattaya are on the brink of overtourism,” said Adith.

He said Phuket had already witnessed traffic congestion and water shortages during the peak season, with the international airport running out of available slots for airlines.

Mr Adith said one of the key strategies is to attract tourists from major hubs to the country’s secondary cities, which offer enough potential attractions and space to accommodate a significant flow of tourists.

There should be incentives for airlines willing to operate direct flights to provincial airports such as U-tapao, and airlines serving Khon Kaen and Krabi. This would ease congestion between gateways such as Phuket Airport or Suvarnabhumi Airport, and would also help create regional business opportunities.

The concerned authorities should also speed up connectivity between airports and inner cities. For example, the lack of public bus access from U-tapao Airport to Pattaya City prevents new airlines from operating flights because the current situation is not favorable for passengers.

Surawat Akaraworamat, vice president of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), said the government should reconsider collecting the 300 baht tourism tax to help finance tourism development as the plan and all related preparations are now rounded.

He said the vital funds would benefit infrastructure development in second-tier provinces to draw tourists away from crowded locations, and improve attractions that have deteriorated due to overtourism.

Mr Surawat said the 300 baht fee would help tourism authorities receive a bigger budget. Every year, the Tourism Department, which is responsible for developing the offering, receives a budget of only 700 million baht, which is insufficient to support the necessary projects.

He said a tax of only 300 baht will not deter foreign tourists from visiting Thailand, as some parties have raised concerns, because the tax is cheap compared to some countries such as Bhutan, which has a tourist tax of more than 100 dollars per night is charged.

Many countries now collect taxes from tourists, through airline tickets or hotel stays. Thailand should start a pilot phase of collecting tourism taxes through a mobile application or kiosks, he said.