Tourists at Thailand's Suvarnabhumi airport terminal on April 11 during this year's Songkran festival. (Photo: bangkokpost.com) Bangkok (VNA) – Thai tourismoperators are urging the Thai government to seriously consider measures totackle overtourism. One of the proposed measures is a tourism tax of 300 baht (8.11 USD).
As Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin hasvowed to make 2025 a landmark year for tourism, secretary-general of theFederation of Thai Tourism Associations (Fetta) Adith Chairattananon said awhite paper that the federation will present to the government will includesolutions to prevent over-tourism, which was seen in Thailand before thepandemic.
According to Adith, with a projection of 40million tourists, major destinations in Thailand like Phuket, Samui, and Pattayaare on the verge of facing overtourism.
During the high season, Phuket had alreadywitnessed traffic congestion and water shortages, while its internationalairport ran out of available slots for airlines, he said.
He also said one of the key strategies isto attract tourists from major hubs to the country's secondary cities thatoffer plenty of potential attractions and space to accommodate a significantflow of tourists.
There should be incentives for airlines whoare keen to operate direct flights to provincial airports such as U-tapao, andthose serving Khon Kaen and Krabi, he suggested, adding that the move willalleviate congestion among gateways such as Phuket Airport or SuvarnabhumiAirport, and will also help create regional business opportunities.
Besides, relevant authorities shouldaccelerate connectivity between airports to inner cities too. For instance, thelack of public bus access from U-tapao Airport to Pattaya city discourages newairlines from operating flights as the current situation is not convenient forpassengers.
Meanwhile, Vice President of the Tourism Council ofThailand (TCT) Surawat Akaraworamat said the government should reconsidercollecting the 300-baht tourism fee to help fund tourism development as theplan and all related preparations have now been finalised.
Surawat said the essential funds willbenefit infrastructure development in second-tier provinces to attract touristsand improve attractions that have deteriorated due to overtourism.
He said the 300-baht fee will help tourismauthorities receive a larger budget. He noted that a tax of only 300 baht willnot discourage foreign tourists from visiting Thailand as some parties haveraised as a concern since the fee is inexpensive compared to some other nations.
Thai authorities have reconsidered measuresto tackle the overtourism issue in the context that other countries inthe world have made moves. Last week, Amsterdam city banned building new hotelsin the city while residents of Spain's Canary Islands called for a limit ontourist numbers because they were affected by rising housing costs./.
