Thailand is considering raising its long-delayed foreign tourist entry fee above the originally proposed 300 baht, as the country simultaneously moves to scale back its generous visa exemption programme and grapples with billions of baht in unpaid medical bills left behind by foreign visitors.
Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul confirmed that the entry charge, which was first proposed in 2020 but never implemented, is now under active review and could exceed the 300 baht figure that had originally been discussed. The minister cited rising insurance premiums and the cost of emergency medical treatment at private hospitals as the main reasons for the potential increase.
Under the most recently described proposal, air arrivals would pay 300 baht while those entering by land or sea would pay 150 baht. However, officials have indicated that a higher amount may be needed to adequately fund tourist insurance coverage, and the final figure is yet to be confirmed.
The ministry is still working out how the fee would be collected without deterring travellers. Two options are under review. The first would add the charge to airline ticket prices, though carriers have raised objections, arguing they cannot apply a surcharge exclusively to foreign passengers while exempting Thai nationals. Under that model, all passengers would pay, with Thai citizens later eligible to claim refunds. The second option would collect the fee through the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, known as TDAC, which all overseas visitors are already required to complete before arrival.
The Financial Burden on Thai Hospitals
The push for a dedicated tourist fund is driven in large part by the scale of unpaid medical debt. Figures cited by the Tourism Ministry put the annual cost of unpaid foreign patient bills at approximately 2.5 billion baht across Thai healthcare facilities. A separate estimate from the Ministry of Public Health put the figure at a minimum of 100 million baht per year, while more recent reporting has placed the total at over 3 billion baht in 2025 alone, reflecting rising visitor numbers and healthcare costs.
Because Thai hospitals are legally and ethically required to provide emergency treatment regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, the costs are absorbed by the facilities themselves. Vachira Phuket Hospital, which serves both local residents and over one million tourists annually, absorbs around 10 million baht per year in unpaid treatment costs from uninsured foreign patients, according to its director. Motorcycle accidents involving inexperienced riders and substance-related incidents were cited as recurring causes.
Industry data indicates that a standard two-week travel insurance policy costs around 1,100 baht and provides medical coverage of between 3.6 million and 9 million baht. Despite the relatively low cost, a large proportion of visitors still arrive without any form of cover. Globally, emergency medical claims averaged around 60,000 baht in 2025, according to industry figures.
The next stage will involve consultations with the Thai General Insurance Association to establish an appropriate insurance premium, Surasak said. Most of the revenue from the entry fee would be directed toward tourist accident insurance, with the remainder allocated to maintaining attractions and upgrading tourism infrastructure.
Industry Calls for Clarity on Coverage
The Thai Hotels Association president, Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, welcomed the direction of the policy but called for a clearer definition of what the insurance fund would cover. He said authorities needed to specify which types of incident involving foreign visitors place the most strain on hospitals, and whether the scheme would extend to cases such as flooding, construction accidents, or motorcycle crashes involving riders who did not hold valid licences.
The Association of Thai Travel Agents chairman, Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, acknowledged that previous policy had prioritised visitor volume over risk management. “Mandatory fees and insurance were not prioritised before, as we focused on attracting tourists,” he said, signalling broad industry acceptance that the approach must now change.
Mandatory travel insurance frameworks already exist in a number of other destinations, including the Schengen Area, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Cuba, where cover is typically embedded in visa processes or bundled into travel purchases.
Visa Exemption Rolled Back for 93 Countries
The fee revision comes alongside a separate but linked change to Thailand’s visa exemption policy. The government announced it would end the current 60-day visa-free entry that has been available to travellers from 93 countries since July 2024, reverting instead to 30-day and 15-day allowances, alongside visa-on-arrival arrangements broadly similar to those in place during 2024.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which chairs the national visa policy committee, is required to coordinate with foreign governments before the new rules take effect. Surasak said the Tourism and Sports Ministry would also push the committee to carve out exceptions for selected markets.
India was cited as a specific case. Despite being one of Thailand’s top five source markets, Indian visitors currently qualify only for visas on arrival. The ministry is advocating for a 15-day visa exemption for Indian travellers, recognising the significance of the market and the friction that the current arrangement creates.
Surasak said he did not expect the reduction in the exemption period to significantly affect visitor numbers, pointing out that the average stay for most foreign tourists in Thailand is only nine days, well within the proposed shorter allowances.
Arrivals Target Under Pressure
The Tourism Authority of Thailand had set a target of 33 million foreign arrivals for 2026, and had been aiming for 36.7 million visits in the longer term. Both targets are now under review. Surasak said the prolonged conflict between the United States and Iran has raised the risk that arrivals fall short of projections, and the Tourism Authority has been asked to revise its 2026 strategy accordingly.
Bangkok was named the world’s most visited city in 2025, recording more than 30.3 million foreign visitors. The Tourism Authority is targeting more than 205 million domestic trips in 2026 alongside international arrivals, with a combined revenue goal of approximately 2.78 trillion baht from both segments.
The combination of a new entry fee, shorter visa-free periods and mandatory insurance requirements marks a significant strategic pivot for Thailand, moving away from a model built on maximising visitor volume toward one focused on managing the costs and risks that mass tourism creates.
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