National Park Fees & Phuket Dive Regulations

[NBT TV Phuket]

1. The National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation Department’s announcement dated May 18th 2006 on the increase of national park entry fees, initially scheduled to take effect from September 15th onwards, has now been postponed until next year. According to the announcement, it stated the fee hike for Thai nationals entering 28 parks was to be increased from 20 baht to 40 baht per adult and from 10 baht to 20 baht for a child. It also stated that the fee for foreign adult visitors will be increased from 200 baht to 400 baht per head and from 100 baht to 200 per child. The new fee regulations covered national parks including several in this area such as Surin, Similan, and Phang-Nga bay, as well as popular national parks in the south like Tarutao in Satun and Ang Thong in Surat Thani.

The announcement led to local operators of the Andaman region to protest, especially in Phang-Nga where most of famous marine parks are located. They demonstrated their unity and submitted a petition for review through the Tourism Authority of Thailand or TAT local office in Phuket to pass on to the Minister of Tourism and Sports and the Natural Resources and Environment minister. The local operators claimed that they had signed contracts on tour packages with overseas agents at least one year ahead. They said if the new regulation took effect, it would have meant the local operators shouldering the extra fees themselves. Also local authorities like Phang-Nga and Phuket governors commented that the move would have hurt local tourism which was reviving after the 2004 tsunami.

In response to the tourism operators petition, the Department of Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation has now issued a new relaxed announcement, signed by its Director General Damrong Pidet, on August 23rd 2006. It stated that to ease the operators’ burdens, the department will postpone the new admission regulation and continue to apply the existing rules until November 30th 2007. It asks the tourism operators to submit their requests, if they want to stay under the old fee rules, to the national park division by September 30th.

Welcoming the department’s decision was Pakdee Kutanang, Phang-Nga Eco-Tourism Association president who expressed her appreciation that the relaxed rules will lift the burden on the local operators’shoulders and that it would retain the overseas agents’ confidence in dealing with Thai tourism operators.

According to Pakdee, this year’s green season is more active with a large number of visitors, especially for Phang-Nga bay. She said apart from Asian tourists, there are Italians and Scandinavians in greater numbers. The Department’s decision would certainly give some room for the marine tourism operators in the region of Phuket, Phang-Nga and Krabi after they experienced a turbulent year since the tsunami disaster in the Andaman area.

minivideo on http://www.thaisnews.com/news_detail.php?newsid=185306

2. The Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura on Friday 25th August signed the new regulations banning activities which are harmful to natural resources and the environment in the Sea around Phuket. The regulations take effect on September 1st 2006, and cover two business activities which are all types of diving activities and all kinds of boat races. The business cannot be carried out without permission from the local authority.

According to the new regulations, all dive operators are required to register with the authority and report documents on their business operation, information on Thai and foreign employees, records of salaries and wages while organizers of “boat races and speedboat races” must also obtain permission.

The new announcement prompted concerns from the dive operators in Phuket. Yesterday morning a member of Phuket Dive Operator’s Club Pakdi Kutanang submitted a letter to the local authority at the provincial hall requesting that the club have a meeting to participate in and explain their opinion on how it will affect the operators and tourists as a whole.

On the authority’s side, officials explained that the announcement was issued to regulate the dive industry and prevent foreign business from exploiting and damaging the Andaman sea natural resources. The dive companies are required to register with Phuket Marine Office by September 30th 2006.

mini-video on http://www.thaisnews.com/news_detail.php?newsid=185467

Both from Andaman News TV11 (VHF dial) + Radio Thailand FM90.5 Phuket City, both broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces, 8.30am & later on Phuket Cable channel 1 at 12 midday, 10.30pm, & 01.30am & www.Thaisnews.com { Our news text and mini-videos can be freely copied and posted on other websites, but please give credit to Andaman News TV11 Phuket}