Travellers are seen at an airport in Thailand as the government considers a proposed outbound tax that the Thai Travel Agents Association warns could reduce passenger numbers and hurt inbound tourism. (EPA Images pic)BANGKOK: Thailand is looking to travellers for more revenue, testing a tourism industry that has yet to fully recover from the pandemic.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s government is considering an outbound tax of about ฿1,000 (US$30) on Thai and foreign travellers leaving the country, while separately planning a ฿450 fee for foreign visitors arriving by air.
The measures highlight a difficult trade-off for an economy already struggling with subdued domestic demand and sluggish growth.
