Billionaire hotel tycoon Bill Heinecke asks Thailand to charge foreigners more per room to aid industry’s economic recovery

National —

American-Thai billionaire and hotel tycoon Bill Heinecke advises Thailand to charge international tourists an extra 300 baht (US$8) per room per night to aid the hotel industry’s post-pandemic economic recovery.

Heinecke wrote in his open letter addressed to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha that a surcharge, “will help Thailand’s hospitality sector survive this difficult environment of depressed demand and rising costs.”

The hotels needed to charge more because the tourism industry is dealing with high inflation and rising costs of raw materials, wages, energy, and fuel prices, said Heinecke who chairs Minor International Pcl, which runs more than 500 hotels worldwide.

The plea from the billionaire comes after Thailand is on course to achieve its goal of attracting 10 million foreign visitors this year.

“While the goal to welcome over 10 million international tourists in 2022 poses a significant uptick year-on-year, it only amounts to a quarter of the 2019 level,” Heinecke said. “Even the projection in 2023 of 18 million is only 45% of pre-Covid.”