Increasing national park entry prices 'will damage tourism'
Tourist operators from the Andaman coast protest at a public park in Phuket’s Tha Lang district over the hike in entry fees to national parks.
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A group of about 500 tour business operators yesterday gathered outside a Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Phuket to submit a letter of demand asking that national park entrance fee rates not be raised as scheduled in September.
The letter said the new rates - Bt80 from the previous Bt20 for Thai tourists and Bt400 for foreigners, up from Bt200 - which are to apply nation-wide, would adversely affect the tourism industry on the island province and neighbouring Phang Nga and Krabi, as more than 80 per cent of local tourist attractions were situated in the vicinity of land and marine national parks.
The new rates will take effect on September 15. The rate was last raised in December last year.
All tour operators based in Phang Nga Bay also stopped serving tourists yesterday to show support for the group that gathered and submitted the letter of demand.
Sarayuth Mallam, a deputy head of the Tour Operators' Association in Phuket, said small-time operators, restaurant owners and souvenir makers would also be affected by the raise in national park entrance fees.
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