The new 300-baht tourism fee due to take effect in April is drawing mixed reactions from tourism operators as the recovery remains slow.

The Thai Hotels Association said even though the amount of the fee is small, it would have a psychological impact on tourists, particularly those who travel as a group as well as cross-border travellers who frequently visit the country.

They added that the timing is off because the country will lose out amid intense competition.

The Association of Thai Travel Agents said the new fee will worsen travel confidence following the indefinite suspension of the Test & Go scheme and the country's ongoing battle against Covid-19.

They said a more appropriate time to enforce the fee would be when Thai tourism returns to 2019 levels, after Chinese tourists start to come back and global travel properly resumes.

The Tourism Council of Thailand agreed with the plan to use tourism fees to develop the travel industry. However, the council would like more clarity regarding the funding mechanism.

The rapid spread of the Omicron variant prompted the government to delay collection of the fee until April, pushed back from the original launch date of this month.

The new entry fee will be collected from foreigners entering Thailand by air, land and sea.

Fees will be used to rebuild and develop tourism supply chains as well as offer safety and security for tourists. The fee also sponsors an insurance programme for tourists in case of accidents.

The fee is added to plane ticket prices for visitors entering via airplane.

For land transport, tourists will be encouraged to pay the fee via an app before crossing the border.

Foreign workers who have to cross borders on a daily basis will be exempt from this policy.