Worried about negative international publicity, Thailand’s tourism and sports ministry is dusting off plans to insure overseas tourists with 500,000 baht (US$14,000) per person for injuries and double that amount in the event of death from an accident. Prime minister Srettha Thavisin said recent bad publicity arose from cases such as the mass shooting by a troubled youth at Siam Paragon mall and the death of a Taiwanese holidaymaker who was denied emergency care at a private hospital following a road accident.
Policies to cover medically many millions of tourists every year have flummoxed military and civilian administrations over the years. In 2002 Thaksin Shinawatra’s administration toyed with turnstiles at airports and land frontiers to collect a 50 baht insurance fee from all non-Thai visitors, but was discarded for fears of chaos and winding queues at entry points. In 2018 the notion of a 150-300 baht entry fee for foreign tourists by land, sea or air (but not for Thais) was first publicized and promised as late as September 2023. But it has now been dropped amid opposition from airlines, border police and others fearing public confusion and yet more bad publicity.
Few details are yet available, but the latest plan is far from comprehensive. Only short-term tourists will be covered and holders of non-immigrant visas or 5-20 year visa options will almost surely be excluded. Tourists, yet to be strictly defined, will be covered specifically for injuries and deaths from accidents and not for general health issues. An earlier version had suggested the inclusion of diarrhea as a legitimate claim, but is not currently mentioned. The Office of the Insurance Commission is suggesting the cost annually would be around 200 million baht, or more depending on the crucial detail. The debt could be paid by the central budget, or offset by yet another disguised tax such as a supplement on the tickets all international passengers arriving in Thailand.
International insurers say it’s too early to judge the latest government initiative. Geoffrey Collard, spokesman for Worldwide Travel, said, “Who exactly is covered and why precisely they are seeking admission to hospital will lead to admission issues unless the detail is fully spelled out. 500,000 baht for treatment from accidents looks generous, but costs in private sector intensive care units can be 100,000 baht or around US$3,000 per day.” Meanwhile, the Thai Hotels Association president, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, said the idea was a good one, to increase the confidence of all tourists travelling to Thailand.
