Thailand is increasing its international departure tax by 53%. Thankfully, it’s currently pretty low (like most things in that amazing part of the world). Still, it sucks to see any increase. They just announced the date this tourist tax hike will take effect, and we wanted to share it since the country is by far the most popular in Southeast Asia (one of the best regions).
Thailand is the most expensive in the region, but it’s still among the world’s most affordable destinations. It’s wild how many people don’t understand that it’s still so much cheaper to travel there, even if the flights are a bit more expensive (everything else isn’t).
This slight tourist tax increase doesn’t change that fact at all. Flytrippers helps you travel for less with our 3 types of content, namely flight deals, travel rewards, and tips/inspiration/news.
Here are the details of Thailand’s tourist tax increase.
What is Thailand’s tourist tax increase?
The tourist tax increase in question is Thailand’s international departure tax. It’s a tax charge on every departing international flight, built into the plane ticket price. It’s going up, but only for the country’s 6 busiest airports.
Many different public policy measures are often called a “tourist tax” interchangeably.
There are 3 main types of tourist taxes that many countries charge:
- Arrival tax
- Lodging tax
- Departure tax
An arrival tax is usually a special fee to enter the country or get a visa. A lodging tax is usually a special tax included in the price of lodging. A departure tax is usually a special tax included in the price of departing flights.
How much will Thailand’s tourist tax increase be?
Currently, international flights departing from Thailand include a 730 THB departure tax.
For the 6 main airports, that tax will increase by 53% to 1120 THB.
It’s not much, obviously.
Especially for us Canadians; we’re used to insane taxes. We have some of the highest airfare taxes in the entire world.
(PM Carney has recently opened the door to completely reviewing Canadian airports’ archaic business model; that would be amazing, but it’s far from certain!)
Still, with the recent increase in jet fuel costs (maybe you’ve heard about it😂), it’s another layer of added cost to plane ticket prices.
The current high prices, especially to Asia, make one thing way more valuable: flights booked with airline points, at guaranteed fixed prices that aren’t related to the cash prices (like with precious Aeroplan points, or with yesterday’s new record-high RBC Avion deal).
I am thinking of finally attending the Extraordinary Travel Festival (for serious travelers) in Bangkok in October, so I could be a victim of this tourist tax increase myself.
In which airports will Thailand’s tourist tax increase?
The higher departure fee will only apply to these 6 Thai airports:
- Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi (BKK)
- Bangkok-Don Mueang (DMK)
- Chiang Mai (CNX)
- Chiang Rai (CEI)
- Phuket (HKT)
- Hat Yai (HDY)
All 6 are served by AirAsia, which offers flights for as low as 50 CAD. Soon enough, those routes might be operated by Canadian-built A220s, in case you missed the biggest order in the Canadian aircraft’s history this week.
When will Thailand’s tourist tax increase take effect?
The new prices take effect in just over a month on June 20, 2026.
To be clear, this applies to all flights taking place on or after that day. The flight date is what matters, not the ticket-issuing date.
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Summary
Thailand is increasing one of its tourist taxes by 53%. Indeed, starting on June 20, 2026, Thailand’s international departure tax will go from 730 THB to 1120 THB. This tax is built into the price of any international flight departing from the 6 Thai airports affected.
What would you like to know about the Thailand international departure tax? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Phi Phi Islands, Krabi, Thailand (photo credit: Lucas Hemingway)
