本月起泰國旅遊落地籤費用翻倍

Thailand is raising the fee for visa on arrival for visitors from 19 countries and regions.

泰國將對來自19個國家和地區的遊客上調落地籤費用。

From Sept 27, the charge for a visa on arrival allowing visitors a 15-day stay will go up to 2,000 baht from 1,000 baht.

9月27日起，允許遊客在泰國停留15天的落地籤費用將從1000泰銖(約合人民幣190元)漲至2000泰銖。

The countries and regions affected by the hike include the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, India, Saudi Arabia and Maldives.

受到本次漲價影響的國家和地區包括中國大陸和臺灣、印度、沙特阿拉伯以及馬爾代夫等。

China generated 7,954,791 visits in 2015, up by an astounding 71%. This year, it is likely the tally will reach 10 million.

在2015年，中國共計有795萬4791人次前往泰國，漲幅達到驚人的71%。今年這一數字有可能將會達到一千萬。

A Thai government spokesman said the reason for the doubling of the fee was due to the fact that many tourists applied for visas at immigration checkpoints in Thailand rather than applying at Thai embassies or consular offices overseas.

一名泰國政府發言人表示，落地籤費用翻倍的原因在於許多遊客選擇在泰國的入境口岸申請簽證，而非在泰國駐海外大使館、領事館申請簽證。

This, the spokesman said, has caused congestion at immigration checkpoints and also compromised immigration checks "which may pose a security threat and allow undesirable elements to enter the country more easily".

該發言人表示，這導致了入境口岸擁堵，同時也令入境檢查效果打了折扣，"可能造成安全威脅，使不法分子更易進入泰國"。

The fees for applying for a Thailand visa ahead of travel haven't changed.

目前，提前辦理泰國簽證的費用並未調整。