Thailand To Introduce 2 Levels Of Pricing: One For Tourists And One For Locals

By TIN Media | Asean News Published 1 year ago on 12 July 2022
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THAILAND:

Thailand is set to introduce 2 levels of pricing across the hospitality sector in a bid to revitalize its Covid-struck economy: one for tourists, and another for locals and residents. In the future, you will be expected to pay more for accommodation when visiting Thailand as tourist charges.

In sum, Thailand is slowly reinventing itself as a more bougie destination, and instead of the usual backpackers that flooded into Phuket prior to 2020, it is hoping to attract more high-end travelers. Namely, those who would not mind paying Western prices when visiting the traditionally cheap Southeast Asian hub.

The plan to introduce dual hotel rates has been confirmed by the Tourism Ministry, and it should be enacted soon:

After sealing off its borders for tourism for the best part of the last two years, Thailand has had some time to decide what kind of tourist destination it wants to be in a post-Covid world. As expected, with each new announcement, Thai officials are moving further away from the mass tourism that threatened to overwhelm the country.

 

During the bygone, pre-pandemic era, Thailand was known as a safe haven for young travellers on a budget, but this could soon change. By introducing new tourist fees, closing access to popular beaches made famous by Hollywood movies, and now charging extra fees, the Southeast Asian giant is becoming a more expensive destination than it originally was.

As Thailand shyly reopened earlier this year, scrapping Thailand pass and making it a lot simpler to visit, it also slashed hotel prices in a clear attempt to attract more foreigners. This means that tourists returning to Thailand now that entry restrictions have been eased were able to benefit from far cheaper hotel rates.

However, now that some of their most important markets (e.g. Russia and China) will probably remain closed indefinitely, seriously hurting businesses, the generous policy may not be in place for much longer. After all, Thailand’s economy is struggling and in desperate need of the good old tourist dollar.


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