All duty-free shops in the arrival areas of eight international Thai airports will be closed. This decision was made by the Thai Cabinet to increase revenue for domestic stores by 3.5 billion baht annually.
According to Thai customs, the three duty-free operators at these eight international airports—Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hat Yai, U-Tapao, Samui, and Krabi—sold goods worth approximately this amount last year. It is in these airports that duty-free shopping will be discontinued.
Deputy Government Spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek stated that this move would promote Thailand as a commercial hub and stimulate the national economy.
It is expected that with the closure of duty-free shops, each foreign visitor will spend an additional 570 baht (approximately 13 USD) per year in Thai stores.
The changes do not require any legislative amendments, as all three operators have agreed to voluntarily close their duty-free shops.
The Ministry of Finance anticipates that, partly due to this initiative, Thailand’s GDP will grow by 0.012% annually.
