Cigarette consumption among foreign tourists in Thailand

Abstract

Objective: To explore the cigarette consumption among foreign tourists in Thailand. Material and Method: The data in this cross-sectional survey is collected by interviewing 655 foreign tourist smokers with questionnaires in congested areas including Suvarnabhum International Airport, Khao San Road, shopping centers and tourist attraction sites. The data was collected in October, 2010, analyzed by descriptive statistic and the crude magnitude of cigarette consumption was calculated. Results: The findings indicated that 62.9% of tourists were male and 58.9% were from European countries and 22.7% were from Asian countries. 59.2% smoked cigarettes sold in Thailand and were taxed legally. In that amount, 55.7% smoked imported cigarettes and only 3.5% smoked Thai cigarettes. 40.8% had brought cigarettes from their countries or bought cigarettes from Duty Free shops with the amount allowed by Thai law. The top 2 popular brands were Marlboro and L & M. The main reason why they bought imported cigarettes in Thailand was that the price was cheaper or the same when compared with that in their countries. The cigarette consumption share crudely calculated was around 8.90 million packs. Conclusion: Foreign tourists smoked imported cigarettes distributed in Thailand and cigarettes brought from abroad. So, Free Trade Agreement in bilateral level or multilateral level need to be reviewed and should separate cigarettes from other goods. The tax barrier, excise tax measure and permission law of carrying in 200 sticks should be reviewed in order to control cigarette consumption effectively.