Finance Ministry studies 1,000-baht exit tax; brokers warn of pressure on tourism and aviation stocks

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The Ministry of Finance, through the Revenue Department, is studying the collection of an outbound travel tax, or exit fee, from travellers leaving Thailand. The latest approach covers travellers of all nationalities, both Thai and foreign, unlike an earlier concept that focused mainly on Thais. Initially, the proposal is to collect the fee only from those departing the kingdom by air, at 1,000 baht per person per trip, with a maximum tax ceiling of no more than 5,000 baht per trip, and exemptions may be set for certain categories of travellers. Public consultation on the principles of the draft Outbound Travel Tax Act is currently open from 30 September to 29 October 2026. If the draft law passes the review process and is published in the Royal Gazette, it will take effect 180 days after the date of publication. DAOL Securities (Thailand) said in an analysis that if the exit fee is actually collected at 1,000 baht per person per trip, it would be a negative sentiment for tourism and aviation stocks. Based on 2025 data, with about 15 million Thais travelling abroad and about 28 million foreign tourists excluding Malaysians, full collection could generate total revenue of about 43 billion baht per year, while the 1,000-baht tax represents about 2.1% of the average tourist spending per trip of roughly 48,000 baht per person. TISCO Securities estimates that if a 450-baht country entry fee for foreign tourists is collected alongside the 1,000-baht outbound travel tax and AOT's international departure passenger service charge, or PSC, which rose to 1,120 baht from June 2026, the travel-related cost burden for foreign tourists would rise to about 2,570 baht per trip, from about 730 baht before June 2026. It views airlines as the parties responsible for collecting the tax, with AAV at the highest risk, followed by THAI and BA.

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