Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants New Price List
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants
Here is an announcement from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants, dated 22 November 2007, detailing a new pricing schedule for entrance fees to national parks. Since there has been a fair amount of discussion about this in the past on Thaivisa.com and it should be in most people’s interest to know, the original Thai documents have been translated into English.
Summary:
The pricing scale has been determined according to the estimated tourism potential, natural beauty, impact sensitivity, availability of public amenities and state of infrastructure for each individual national park.
The parks are now classified as belong into 1 of 4 entrance fee groups.
Group 1 charges 400 baht for foreign adults, 200 baht for foreign children, 80 baht for Thai adults and 40 baht for Thai children.
Group 2 charges 200 baht for foreign adults, 100 baht for foreign children, 40 baht for Thai adults, and 20 baht for Thai children.
Group 3 charges 100 baht for foreign adults, 50 baht for foreign children, 20 baht for Thai adults, 10 baht for Thai children.
Group 4 is everywhere else than those places belonging to 1, 2 and 3, and is completely free for everyone.
Once the entrance fee to a national park has been paid, it is valid for one day. If a person visits more than one national park on one and the same day, they will not be charged twice, provided they can show the ticket from the previous place of visit.
However, if the fee for the second place visited is higher than the first, the difference between the higher and the lower fee has to be paid at the second location. (I.e. if one visits a park which is 200 baht, and later that day goes to a park which is 400 baht, one will have to pay an additional 200 baht at the second location. If the fee at the second location is 200 baht or lower, no additional fee will be required.)
(As far as I have been able to make out, this document does not explain the situation for tourists who go to Koh Chang and stay, whether they will be required to pay each day, or just once for the entire trip.)
The announcement makes only one distinction: ‘chaaw thai’ (Thais) and ‘chaaw dtaang bpratheed’ (foreigners). There is no discussion of foreigners who are long term residents, exchange students, holders of Thai work permits or hold Permanent Residency in
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Thailand National park fees reduced for foreigners
source: Bangkok Post: 7 Dec 2007
The National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department has cut the entrance fees for foreigners to national parks countrywide in a bid to lure more overseas tourists.
The reduction came after the department received a number of complaints from foreign visitors that the fees are too high, compared with the poor facilities for tourists at the parks.
Effective from Dec 1, entrance fees for adult foreigners have been cut from 400 to 200 baht for the most popular parks, and by 75% for the less popular ones, according to the department.
Among the most popular sites where the fees were cut by half for foreigners include the marine national parks of Mu Koh Lanta National in Krabi, Mu Koh Chang in Trat, Mu Koh Angthong in Surat Thani and Mu Koh Tarutao in Satun.
The entrance fees for the top national parks in the North and Northeast such as Doi Suthep-Pui and Doi Inthanont in Chiang Mai, Jae Son in Lampang, Khao Phra Viharn in Si Sa Ket and KhaoYai in Nakhon Ratchasima have also been cut by half.
The entrance fee for the famous Mu Koh Surin and Mu Koh Similan in the tsunami-hit Phangnga province is still set at 200 baht for children and 400 baht for adult foreigners.
To lure more tourists to lesser-known national parks, such as Khao Lak-Ramru in Phangnga and Tap Lan in Prachin Buri, the rate for foreigners has been cut from 400 to 100 baht for adults and from 200 to 50 baht for children.
Department chief Chalermsak Wanichsombat said the fee adjustment was aimed at promoting tourism.
While foreigners enjoyed a sharp reduction in national park entrance fees, locals will be charged more at some popular sites.
For example, the entrance fee for Thai tourists visiting Doi Suthep-Pui, Huay Nam Dang and Ob Luang in Chiang Mai and Tung Saleang Luang in Phitsanulok has been increased from 20 to 40 baht for adults and from 10 to 20 baht for children.
The higher fees give the department a bigger budget to maintain the parks, said Mr Chalermsak.
Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a leading marine biologist at Kasetsart University, said lowering the entrance fees would only benefit tour operators.
Foreign tourists mostly buy a package tour from local operators which includes the park fees. So the new rates are unlikely to lure more foreign tourists to the national parks, he said.