Welcome to Koh Chang and the Land of Smiles - that will be 320,000 baht please

[jobsworth]

koh chang is very beautiful. koh means island and chang means elephant, which are all long gone. do not go to koh chang. do not pay 200 THB. never been there myself.

[RBOP]

13 minutes ago, Bcgardener said:

I have visited Koh Chang many times driving my own car and taking it across on the ferry. I have driven the car to all parts of the island both on the tourist side and the non tourist side where there are no beaches. I have never been asked to pay a National Park entry fee unless I choose to enter one of the waterfall areas where there are payment booths. What about all the foreigners that live on Koh Chang. Do they pay an entrance fee each time they return to the island?

Unless the Cruise ship visitors entered the waterfall areas where there are payment booths then they should not have had to pay an entry fee. This is just another money grabbing attempt by the hopelessly corrupt Government officials that run this Country.

Who goes to Koh Chang without visiting the famous water falls?

[Rent in Chiang Mai]

Its a huge confusion here.

First, they talk about Koh Chang Noi. Note it is not the same as Koh Chang!

Koh Chang Noi is located in Andaman, in Ranong province.

But later they talk about "Thai tourism officials in Trat", so it must be related to Koh Chang and not Koh Chang Noi.

On top of that, there is yet another, very small island near Koh Chang named Koh Chang Noi. But this island is too small and completely uninhabited, the liner could not come there.

 

So, where all that really happened??? 

[bark]

2 hours ago, angsta said:

Stupider and stupider. Go Thailand!! 

Stupider and stupider, is not a word.

[bmanly]

I have had several cruises on cruise ships before and I have never had to pay to go onshore anywhere. If I had to pay then I wouldn't go. I have also been to Koh Chang many times, never ever did I ever have to pay an entry fee to visit the island. This was nothing but a scam.

[american12bthai]

easy solution, contact cruise liners and their staff and employees using ONLINE SEO  to promote OTHER BETTER DESTINATIONS that dont try to RIP OFF people trying to relax on vacation.   actually, im going to contact this cruisliner  and make a few suggestions of better islands.    .... .... well looks like  Pacific Eden  has made up their mind already for better destinations.   THEY ENTERED THAILAND WITH OUT VISAS MAKING THEM ALL BAD GUYS,    remember, when you mix good guys in bad guys out, you actually keep ALL guys out.   Since i helped the company understand thai law. I Dont ever expect this to ever happen ever again.  

[Eli1]

3 hours ago, Cockwomble said:

This is truly idiotic, and shortsighted. Visitors to Koh Chang do not need to pay to step foot on the island, so this is total bullshit and a shakedown. They have probably made sure that this ship will not visit Koh Chang again, so well done to the greedy Somchais who decided to enforce this charge.

They should call it the land of  Thieves and not smiles, mate your on the money in your comment.

Fancy doing that to a group that just spent 2.4 ml baht in one visit. The Cruise company should boycott that Island for sure word will get around quick..... now Thailand knows why quality tourists  don't going there Thailand only attract scum and that's all it's known for...

[Bcgardener]

13 minutes ago, RBOP said:

Who goes to Koh Chang without visiting the famous water falls?

Me ! Been once when you could still get in at Thai prices with a WP or DL. Not now though , they're not worth 200 Baht.

[Thian]

They also should make them pay the 500 baht for leaving thailand. For airflights it is allready in the total sum so we all pay it.

[lostinisaan]

Jakraphan Tawethikun of the Trat Tourism office had said that these are just the kind of visitors the island  and country needs. It was estimated that they spent 2.4 million baht at souvenir shops, restaurants and on transport in one brief visit. 

 

That equated to about $40 US dollars or 1,500 baht each.

 

The TAT were thrilled that the liner came here as not too many drop in at Asian ports. They have a policy of trying to attract what they call "quality" tourists who will spend big and they were delighted that the "high end" tourists felt it was safe here and they would be assured of a great welcome.

 

  And I thought they don't want high backpackers? 

[denkiblue555]

Still, if only 1,400 people entered the 'kingdom' then the cost of Bt320,000 was 'at least' Bt40,000 more than 200B/adult.

 

But I doubt anyone was really counting....lol

 

EDIT: added the missing zero...

[tomacht8]

Confusion here.
It gives 3 "Chang" islands in Thailand

Koh Chang, Ranong
Koh Si Chang, Chonburi
and
Koh Chang, Trat with Mu Koh Chang Nationalpark, Trat

Who go here to the island in the national park, where no park entrance is demanded. Admission paid the visitor only when someone wants to visit the island's waterfalls further (THB 200 per foreign countries), or approaches on an excursion boat the beautiful island of Koh Rank with the great reefs (also day entrance 200 THB).

The great islands of Koh Chang Noi, Koh Khlum, Koh Wai, Koh Lao Ya and Koh Ko May in the archipelago are admission free visitable.

Looks as if some small officials have only thought of a quick buck here.

 

[lostinisaan]

29 minutes ago, jobsworth said:

koh chang is very beautiful. koh means island and chang means elephant, which are all long gone. do not go to koh chang. do not pay 200 THB. never been there myself.

Jakraphan Tawethikun of the Trat Tourism office had said that these are just the kind of visitors the island  and country needs. It was estimated that they spent 2.4 million baht at souvenir shops, restaurants and on transport in one brief visit. 

 

That equated to about $40 US dollars or 1,500 baht each.

 

The TAT were thrilled that the liner came here as not too many drop in at Asian ports. They have a policy of trying to attract what they call "quality" tourists who will spend big and they were delighted that the "high end" tourists felt it was safe here and they would be assured of a great welcome.

 

  And I thought they don't want high backpackers? 

[lostinisaan]

4 minutes ago, denkiblue555 said:

Still, if only 1,400 people entered the 'kingdom' then the cost of Bt320,00 was 'at least' Bt40,000 more than 200B/adult.

 

But I doubt anyone was really counting....lol

 

 320 baht, or 320,000 baht? Let's eat grandma, or let's eat, grandma? BTW, it's 228 baht and 50 Satang for each. 

 

        39,900 baht more for the island mafia in brown. 

[salavan]

why would they tell them  beforehand if they did they might not come much safer to sting them after

[lostinisaan]

3 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

 

Why, did they fly out?

 

 

This kind of visitor is exactly what they dream of. Arrive, spend and bugger off in a few days with loads of worthless crap.

 

 

 Polished coconut shells for only 999 baht, perhaps?

[Gracas]

Well at least we now know what a "Quality / High end" tourist looks like, the bench mark has been set. This photo should retained for future reference.

There was a post earlier this week discussing what a "Low end" tourist is.

[walkoff]

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

 

  

 

Alright there's a charge to visit and the cruise company should be aware (and should thus absorb it), but doesn't stop this comment from making me heave a little.

Agree that the charges should be known(I note SHOULD be known) and incorporated into the cruise price. If you don't want to get off, so what, it's already in the deal. However, a list of "National Parks" or other venues that might require an entrance fee doesn't show Koh Chang(sorry if I missed the listing). Money for nothin' as the song goes but please enjoy our beautiful country to your heart's content. Please don't play the well off foreigners tune so what is 200 baht?(very true, it's not much). You saw your ship coming in Koh Chang....had to say it. 

[givenall]

4 hours ago, clockman said:

The world does not understand, Thainess!

that is why Thailand wants quality tourist, so they can rip them up when they arrive instead of waiting till they are touring.....

[lostinisaan]

2 minutes ago, Gracas said:

Well at least we now know what a "Quality / High end" tourist looks like, the bench mark has been set. This photo should retained for future reference.

There was a post earlier this week discussing what a "Low end" tourist is.

 

    A lot of high end tourists who come to Thailand and land pretty low from the twenty seventh floor...

[TSF]

Sounds like a BS shakedown to me. I've been 3 times to Koh Chang now and there's no such thing as a National Park fee to go to the island. Koh Samet, yes, but not Koh Chang.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, cumgranosalum said:

Koh Samed is a National Park and you pay to go on the island - as far as I'm aware the National Park on KC doesn't cover all the island and the PUBLIC ARE NOT ADMITTED - so tell me I'm wrong but at present I can only conclude that this is a barefaced scam.

 

Someone local to the area really needs to clarify:

 

--If the place where the tourists would disembark the ship is considered part of the National Park there, then I can see how a park entry fee could be demanded?

 

on the other hand...

 

--if the place where the tourists would disembark the ship is NOT part of the National Park but just nearby, then of course no fee should have been charged.

[reptile91602]

Oh,   Thailand! It really is too funny to make further comment!

[geisha]

Nobody has asked how they disembarked ? Did the long tail boats have a deal with the cruiser? I quite agree that Chang is not an island to cater to big ships, there's hardly any infrastructure, toilets etc. I'm sure the little shops would welcome more custom, but what else would these tourists do there, lie on the beach ?

[reptile91602]

Ok, a penny wise and a pound foolish!

[mogo51]

Very typical Thai response and just another reason the country is going down the toilet, despite what the Junta would have you believe.

[dominique355]

3 hours ago, DLang said:

 

What, you mean charging people the correct price for entering a National Park.

 

How DARE they.

Kho Chang is NOT a National Park. I have been there dozens of time and never was charged with any kind of admission fee.

 

My advice to the cruise ship company: Avoid Thailand alltogehther!

And what exactly is a "High end tourist"?

 

 

 

 

[Knocker33]

Looks like they have just lost a very lucrative form of income as I doubt if any other cruise liners will be pulling in here from now on.

Som Nam Na

[Puccini]

4 hours ago, Cockwomble said:

...Visitors to Koh Chang do not need to pay to step foot on the island...

 

Also not to step foot on the part of the island that is a national park?

[true blue]

cruise ships visit patong on a regular basis,Wonder what they pay there.