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Thailand introduces double prices – foreigners will pay more than Thais

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Foreigners in Thailand will have to support the recovery of the tourism industry by introducing double fares in hotels

Thailand may soon be a more expensive destination than in the past two years as the country plans to raise hotel rates for foreigners. It is proposed to set prices at pre-pandemic levels to support a quicker recovery in the industry, the Bangkok Post reported.

Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism plans to introduce a two-tariff hotel fee structure, with hotel prices for Thai citizens remaining the same and foreign tourists being charged the same rates as before the pandemic. The ministry has approached hotel operators with the proposal, government spokeswoman Thaisaranakul said.

“This is being done to maintain our standards and quality of service for foreign tourists, which affects the perception of the country’s tourism brand,” Traisuri said. “The fares that were lowered during Covid-19 will be maintained for Thais to maintain the momentum of domestic tourism.”

Although hotel operators have not responded to the proposal, the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Authority of Thailand will soon hold talks with the Hotel Association of Thailand on a dual-pricing plan, Trisuri said.

The country has lifted all travel restrictions related to Covid, but the tourism sector is still feeling the heavy losses accumulated during the pandemic. The government expects 9.3 million foreign tourists this year, just a fraction of the 40 million tourists arriving in 2019.

It is still unknown how the government’s new plan to attract more foreign tourists to Thailand – by raising prices and charging them more than Thais – will affect foreigners living in the kingdom.

Currently, hotels in tourist hotspots such as Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi and Samui continue to offer huge discounts to attract visitors after room occupancy dropped to about 30 per cent due to the pandemic.

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