new travel fee in thailand

so starting in february 2026, thailand, which is a big tourist hotspot, is gonna introduce a travel fee of 300 baht for anyone coming in by air, land, or sea. that’s roughly 9 bucks. honestly, it doesn't seem like a ton, especially since 70 baht of that is for tourist medical insurance, and the rest is meant for boosting thailand's tourism scene. but people are already buzzing about this, worried it might slow things down at immigration or add more hassle with paperwork. what do you all think? is this gonna hurt tourism in thailand? was this a smart move? could other countries do something similar?

I don't think this is a big amount for tourists to pay. Rather, it's good to see that a part of these travel fees will cover insurance fees. During the tourism we may encounter any kind of accident or illness; if the government carries your medical cost from the tourism fees, then it's great news for me. On the other hand, the rest of the funds from the tourism fees are used to develop tourism spots, which means we can enjoy more and cleaner Thailand, though already their tourism places are awesome. I have visited Thailand a couple of times; their immigration is very smooth, and there is not much paperwork so far. I don't think this will affect their tourism sector; the fee is reasonable for any tourist. To me this is the best idea to develop the tourism sector and secure the insurance for the tourist as well. For visiting Schengen, we have to pay the insurance cost even before applying; even if your visa is rejected, you won't get a refund. From this perspective, Thailand policy is better to me. If the government honestly wants to develop, then the idea is really good.

People are overreacting as usual. An extra $9 is not going to be a reason people don't visit a place if they actually intend to. As long as the tourism sector does not depreciate due to insecurity and other factors, people will still visit. There are places more expensive than Thailand for tourism, yet people still visit.  It may seem like nothing, but $9 from about 30 million people that visit Thailand a year will make up a huge sum of money, and if truly that money will be put in the tourism sector, then it's good. This an an added revenue stream for the government, but they have to make sure the place doesn't depreciate because they need people to keep coming in. Other countries already have their own ways of getting money out of tourists. It doesn't have to be this exact system. As long as it's moderate, it won't affect tourism in the country.

I love Thailand! It's one of my favorite countries to vacation in, especially Phuket Before my country was subjected to terrorist attacks from a neighboring terrorist country, there were many flights from Ukraine to different countries and continents, and for many years I spent my winters vacationing in Phuket.  At that time, 300 baht was roughly equivalent to $10, which is not a critical or unacceptable amount for a tourist to support and develop a country that offers such a wonderful vacation, climate, and nature! In short, this is a case where I would gladly give money and understand where it would go!

Of course, Thailand really is a nice place to visit for tourists and after going through the Internet and seeing a couple articles concerning the matter of the added 300 baht and reason they made the decision, then I think it is a good one. Because according to what the authorities have said, the fee will cover and act as insurance for even medical costs and trust me, if you have something like that done and already settled as insurance, then you have nothing to be scared of when traveling. Below is the link of the news site where u read the article https://www.khaosodenglish.com/tourism/2025/10/03/thailand-to-collect-300-baht-entry-fee-from-foreign-tourists/ Let us not forget that we are talking about just $9 to $10 at most here and if in how local places, we want to or are to get urgent medical attention, we're definitely going to spend way more than that. So it is a good move and the Thailand tourist ministry or authority has done well to my own aspect.

I don't think so. If you're a tourist who's already able to afford a plane ticket, a small fee that could benefit the country you're visiting, it isn't that bad or something to fret about. If you're gonna complain about a $9 fee entrance fee, then I'd suggest you just sit quietly on your porch and drink your afternoon tea.  BTW. Thailand is great for crypto-enthusiasts, with their recent 5-year crypto-tax break and Crypto-to-Baht Conversion Scheme. Looks like they're trying to cater not only to regular tourists but crypto-tourists as well.

For tourists from the US, Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia, going on holiday and being a tourist in Thailand with a travel fee of 9 USD is not an obstacle and a big problem for tourists, Thailand has the most unique and best attractions for those who have gone there. I think the (tourist tax) taken from tourists will certainly have a positive impact on the development of tourism infrastructure and the economy if the government treats these funds transparently and fairly, without corruption. I am very sure that if these funds are used well, especially for repairing tourist attractions and accident insurance for tourists, it will certainly attract more tourists in the future, they will feel safe and comfortable visiting Thailand. For me, this is a good idea for the Thai government's policy, the positive thing is that tourists are safe and comfortable and the government and local communities will bring economic growth to the tourism sector.

I believe it is actually a good idea, in the case all the inflow of money will be used as it is intended and the touristic sector will be enhanced with all the capital. Let us be realistic with the amount of money and the average person who can afford to go to Thailand, those who are getting there for the sake of tourism already have budgets which are way over 9 bucks. Those extra bucks will not represent any obstacle for someone who wished to visit the country. I don't know how much corruption there is in Thailand, but assuming that money is going to be used accordingly, then this won't affect anyone negatively. I would be very different if the fee for the entry to the country was several hundreds of dollars instead.

A lot of tourist destinations are implementing this, from countries to cities, so we cannot single out anything wrong with Thailand. It makes sense really, as long as those fees are reinvested in the right places - like policing and tidying the place up (because tourists often generate extra mess). I'm not sure it will affect many people at all, except for the most extreme budget travellers and Thailand won't miss them at all.

I think this amount of fee is affordable for everyone and Thailand immigration is very easy. If I talk about the process of going to Thailand from my country, it is very easy because here we do not need any kind of speaker visa or do not have to apply for any kind of visa in advance. We can go to Thailand anytime with an on arrival visa. I have not faced any kind of problem in the number of times I have been to Thailand. I think immigration is very easy and since they are a travel friendly country, they have made many things easy for tourism, that is why traveling to Thailand will be a top choice for everyone.

I was curious and tried to find some videos on how their tourism works. Surprisingly, I found out some videos where the content is talking about terrible travelers who don't read the rules properly. I guess it's really that easy to travel to Thailand? But then again, it's relative to which country we are from. If it's close, there's a high chance it won't involve much paperwork at all. Speaking of overreaction, I feel like that's the norm nowadays. The only thing the government can do is just improve their service and be transparent about it (if they want to be the good guy).

They've been discussing this fee as early as 2021. Keep postponing. Why the delays though? Makes you think they weren't going to lose tourists, because it really wasn't sure if it would work. But they won't lose tourists. When you're Thailand and you've got beaches and temples and street food that people are obsessed and you have pricing power. Nine dollars isn't stopping anyone who's already bought a plane ticket. The implementation is where this gets messy and nobody's really thinking about it. Airlines collecting fees? Okay maybe that works. But land borders? Thailand borders Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia. Those crossings can be absolute chaos already. Now add to it payment processing, insurance documentation, receipts. And the insurance (70 baht) is actually covering the exposure of Thailand itself more than to help tourists. Smart policy under the guise of generosity. Hospitals get paid, government looks great, tourists think they're getting something. Everyone wins except perhaps the tourist who doesn't realize he or she is funding the system that was already supposed to work. Other countries watching this closely is for sure. If Thailand does pull it off without losing visitors, everyone's gonna want a piece.

One has to pay 2 EUR just to visit Fontana di Trevi starting with 2026. Venice asks for 5 EUR / day. So 9 USD single extra fee for entire vacation is very small. Newspapers over-reacting is normal nowadays, sadly. (PS that news you've linked seems done by a reporter wannabe with more use of AI than own brain.) Social media over-reacting is pretty much normal also, too many bots fighting for every impression and cent. I don't know if you wanted more views for that "news" or you are genuinely afraid of the consequences of this, but imho it's a non-topic: everybody does it and as long as the fee is not too big the tourists will not care much.

9 dollars ba me also not an expensive cost I can buy it easily, with a relatively cheap rate this will attract a lot of tourists, they can flock to Thailand, I think they want to be the largest tourist spot in the world and the cheapest brand also has convenient crypto regulations this makes Thailand a place for anyone, this will happen crazy crazy tourist growth and will also attract the attention of investors in the tourism and hospitality sector it seems.

Anything that is meant to improve and keep the tourists safe and insured is a good idea, and besides, this is Thailand; they are one of the top tourist destinations,  they know what their tourists want and don't want, and they will not let their tourists go through red tape for this fee. The true intention of this fee is to improve the tourist experience, so in the years to come, this will benefit tourists and help Thailand maintain its status and even improve.

Considering that these fees are used for basic medical or accident insurance, and some for tourism infrastructure, this shouldn't be a major issue, as it's still affordable and also ensures tourists' comfort and safety. however, the collection process might need to be considered by the authorities, as a longer process will ultimately lengthen queues and cause inconvenience to tourists. Whether it is effective or not depends on how they manage the money they collect, but if we calculate the amount of money they will get, it should be very large, because in 2025 there will be 33 million foreign tourists entering Thailand, and if multiplied by 300 baht, that is 9.9 billion baht, around ~US$280 million, that is quite a lot of money. and added to the income from other tourism sectors, such as accommodation, etc., their tourism sector should be positively impacted.

Yeah you are closed to the right figure in USD. People might not really be reacting to the news as pertaining the suggested immigration protocols, maybe the $9 might probably be an extra budget in the journey. So economics management can also make them lament. Although might not be too much to be afford as tourist. In the other side could be a means of the people protesting because the people are not comfortable with how governments just keep adjust taxes anyhow they want which could somehow give a frawning face to the Thailand's tourist destinations.

That's a low value, in my opinion, because tourists have already prepared or brought a significant amount of money for their vacation in that country. One of the regions in my country, Bali, which is very well-known internationally as a tourist destination, applies the same fee of IDR 150,000, or around $9. So, it's the same amount, just a difference when converted to dollars. These funds are used to develop tourism in Bali, and the problem is if officials embezzle them. And I don't think tourists will feel any objection or even be disadvantaged by this fee. https://travel.detik.com/travel-news/d-8221823/tentang-pungutan-pajak-turis-asing-di-bali (use a translator to read it)

For those who have the money to enable such a trip, that $9 is almost insignificant - it would be different if it were, say, $90. Considering that this money should be spent on health insurance and improving tourism, it is money well spent - because the millions of tourists who come to that country every year must also have a negative impact on that country's environment.

For tourist spending that amount for their travel that $9 is tolerable amount. If the proceeds will directly go to improvements on their tourism sector and health insurance. If lots of tourist will come like millions will come on their country for sure this will have infrastructure and also environmental impact in their country. So asking that small fees is fine especially if it goes back to environment and to make their services more better. That $90 could really help them a lot, but $9 is for sure sustainable and also fair to visitors or tourist especially this will not add any financial burden to them.