Thailand's Prime Minister has recently announced the country is abandoning plans to establish a tourist tax for all visitors amid protests from locals.

       On a visit to Chang Mai earlier this month, Srettha Thavsin stated that her government was officially revoking the idea, which was initially meant to take effect in June 2023.

       The unpopular proposition stated that visitors coming to the country by land would have to pay a tax of 150 Baht (roughly ￡3.23) or 300 Baht (roughly ￡6.46) if arriving by air.

       This tourist tax was projected to generate roughly ￡839,758 annually, which was intended to develop tourism areas and provide insurance coeverge for tourist visitors.

       However, many feared this tax would deter tourists and negatively impact Thailand's economy, which thrives from the millions of visitors. In 2023 alone, the country welcomed over 28 million international tourists.

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       Despite these arguments, the nearby country of Indonesia has had a different approach entirely, introducing its own tourist tax which came into effect on 14 February this year.

       This tax is expected to generate an astonishing amount of roughly ￡3,609,432v from the country's 500,000 monthly visitors. While the collection system is still somewhat faulty, this has resulted in Bali alone making ￡2,954,921 in the first two months of the tax.

       These systems are growing in popularity due to the rise of overcrowding and overtourism faced by many countries worldwide, and tourist taxes are seen as a way to curb these issues.

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       Tourists have been reported as behaving poorly in popular places in both Indonesia and Thailand, such as petty crimes and outrageous behavior that disturb the local peace.

       And with Bali experiencing 5.3 million foreign visitors in 2023 alone, more than twice the amount of foreigners who visited in 20222, as well as Thailand experiencing a 250% increase in visitors in 2023 compared to 2022, it is no surprise government is looking for solutions to this issue.

       Tourism taxes are meant to collect funds to preserve, protect, and repair tourism objects damaged by overtourism. However, in practice, the topic has been the subject of debate as many continue to debate how to effectively use and adequately account for the system's proceeds.