National Park Prices

[lampard10]

Now, I am normally moaning about Farangs who resent paying a tad more for entrance than Thais, but yesterdays experience made me think again.

Going into Pa Thiem National Park in Ubon, we were charged 400 entrance. When we challenged the price( or I did) we were told. " That is the price for Farangs. Thais go free if accompanied by a Farang." We go there quite often, and it has gone up from 100 baht for farangs 20 baht for Thais, thro 200 for Farangs 50 baht for Thais, to this. I showed my Thai license, which normally does the trick, but to no avail. The only saving factor on this was the fact that for that day you could go to any of the parks in Ubon or Sisaket.

[macb]

Yeah the Dual pricing system does get up my nose as well:

We recently went to Bkk and when we visited the Emerald Buddha I had to pay 200 bht Thais paid 50 bht.

I was annoyed because 1. like you I live in Thailand permanently. 2. We feed the monks in the village with rice every day and other food . Yet I had to pay more to visit a Temple I must admit though I didnt know until recently that sometimes your Thai driving licence works, I must give it ago.

[jumnien]

The dual pricing system should be changed. So should the dual paycheck scheme whereby foreigners are paid dissimilar amounts for jobs like teachers and corporate personnel. I heard of one disgusting instance whereby a foreign teacher received 4 times what a Thai teacher received at the same school.

Perhaps the National Parks should charge by the kilo; at least the Thais would still come out substancially ahead!

[Briggsy]

Lampy, unsurprisingly you were misinformed by the park official.

1. The proposed new prices are 400/40 not 400/50. The 50 price was the old 20 admission plus 30 vehicle price.

2. The price increases have been put on hold so the Dept of National Parks seems to have increased the prices without official go-ahead.

3. It is not a farang price but a foreigner price applicable to people from Burundi, Belgium and Hong Kong. It is not always applied to East Asians.

4. Thais do not go free if accompanied by a farang. This is unofficial policy. I suggest you take 10 Thai friends with you.

5. The ticket only gives you free admission to the same national park on the same day at all the checkpoints. It does not give you admission to other parks in the same area. Again this is unofficial policy or simply not true.

I understand your frustration.

[Farma]

I got a surprise entering Pha Taem a couple of months back. They told my wife it was a special day and let us enter with car for 70b.

Edited December 4, 2006 by Farma

[Briggsy]

More inconsistent application of policy which makes life here all the more interesting.

[Tarragona]

We did a few of the parks in Ubon in October and it was a 'special day' too which let us use the ticket in all parks. I got Thai price in the first one and by no. 4 it had been such great value, I paid for another ticket at farang price (200 baht).

Pha Taem initially seemed reluctant to accept the ticket from elsewhere and said that the 'special day' was the day after. When they heard we'd already used it at two sites they gave in. I wondered if perhaps they are losing out on some revenue (official or otherwise) if people already have tickets from other parks.

[sheepshank]

FWIW (How about that for the start to a 1st posting on any web forum, ever, by a superannuated, computer illiterate) I took my TW and our family, comprising her two girls, age 15 and 13, and our daughter, age 4, to Phu Kradaeng National Park, in Loei province, on Constitution Day (Sun 10th Dec). My wife was charged 40 Baht; I flashed my Thai DL for 40 Baht; the two Thai daughters got in for 20 Baht each and the young one was allowed in for free, it also cost 30 Baht to park the car. Total 150 Baht.

I've always found the entrance staff very fair at Phu Kradaeng, as well as at Doi Sutep National Park at CM, BTW. If you are ever asked to part with 400 Baht to get into a Thai National Park (after showing a valid Thai Driving Licence) just turn around, drive away and use the money to buy a case of Chang on the way home, then have a party.

Tip: Are you an active guy, and do you want to find out how serious your Thai GF is about you? Take her to Phu Kradaeng and try to climb to the plateau at the top (it is a tough climb of almost 1,000 metres from base to apex, followed by a 3.8 km walk to the nearest watering hole an the plateau). I took my Issan GF there in Nov 1999 (her idea - not mine). Half way up, after 2 hours of continuous hassle from her, I cracked and quietly said "I go to top now - if you no like, you go down, I no see you again". She got the message, bit the bullet, and gamely staggered to the top without another word. We were married at Banglamung Amphur a year later, and we're STILL together!

[Rinrada]

The dual pricing system should be changed. So should the dual paycheck scheme whereby foreigners are paid dissimilar amounts for jobs like teachers and corporate personnel. I heard of one disgusting instance whereby a foreign teacher received 4 times what a Thai teacher received at the same school.

Perhaps the National Parks should charge by the kilo; at least the Thais would still come out substancially ahead!

Agree ...Thai and foreign teachers should be paid at the same rates

(Thai rates...yeah) and anyone.... including all those unnessary so called foreign experts/advisors /consultants from what ever country they hail from should start on the basic national local wage of........wot ....say...18 bt an hour......

x 40 hours = 720 bt a week.....

Even then I am sure the Robbin Bs would STILL charge Foreigners at least double as much to go and look at a tree....

[mijan24]

The dual pricing system should be changed. So should the dual paycheck scheme whereby foreigners are paid dissimilar amounts for jobs like teachers and corporate personnel. I heard of one disgusting instance whereby a foreign teacher received 4 times what a Thai teacher received at the same school. Is eliminated and all receive the same which would then allow all to pay the same entrance fees at the National Parks etc.[/size]and then we could initiate a poll to show the CNS the amount of farangs that would support this hub of an idea??

Perhaps the National Parks should charge by the kilo; at least the Thais would still come out substancially ahead!

cheesy: Thai response

: Mixed response from Farangs

Apologies to the OP for kiddingnapping his thread.

Edited December 15, 2006 by mijan24

[jayenram]

If you are ever asked to part with 400 Baht to get into a Thai National Park (after showing a valid Thai Driving Licence) just turn around, drive away

This is even more effective if there is a queue of traffic behind you at the entrance and they all have to back up to allow you to turn around.

[sriracha john]

Sorry to have not noticed this month's version of this monthly thread earlier:

I have never heard of a tax id and work permit in tandem NOT get someone in at local prices.

Just off the top of my head and to be quite specific from personal experiences, the following parks would accept ONLY Thai National ID cards for admission at Thai prices:

Pang Sida National Park

Huay Huat National Park

Khao Sam Roi Yot National Marine Park

It is a highly inconsistent policy extended across the country which lends itself to abuse and charges of racism/favoritism, and creates a great deal of resentment. Certainly not worth the ill will it generates.

It's a shame when those in power to effect change ignore the recommendations of those with brains. The solution is right in front of their noses:

Dr. Adis Israngkura, an economist at Chiang Mai University and a consultant to Thailand's first and foremost "think tank" (Thailand Development Research Institute) conducted a research project for TDRI on this very topic and wrote the best paper, "Determining entrance fees to national parks: the case of Thailand" that I have ever encountered on the subject.

The paper, published in 2001, made the following recommendations:

1. Higher fees, for all, to the more popular parks with many facilities, which can subsidize the smaller parks with very few facilities.

2. Higher fees, for all, on long week-ends/holidays when parks tend to be heavily visited to help ease congestion and lessen environmental degradation, which will result in increased visitor satisfaction.

3. Annual memberships and lifetime memberships should be offered and available to all.

4. Both Thai and foreigners should pay the same entrance fee, but special services should be made available to the foreign visitor for additional higher fees, such as English-speaking tour/travel guides or English-language information booklets/maps. "The current policy unnecessarily jeopardizes the the image of the overall tourism industry."

5. Entrances fees should be exempted for the elderly, the handicapped, and children visiting on school trips.

I think when experts, and Thai himself, recognizes it as a problem, it's VERY telling....

[Spaniel]

We (Thai wife and 16 y/o son) went camping in Khao Yai national park on 27 Dec for 3 days and I was charged 40 bhat enterance fee. We entered the park from the Prachinburi entrance not the main entrance in Pakchong. I think it just depends on how the person at the gate feels that day. Although when we go I always let my wife pay and she just hands them the Thai price for each of us.

[sriracha john]

Thanks for the info, Spaniel.

It further confirms and reflects:

It is a highly inconsistent policy extended across the country which lends itself to abuse and charges of racism/favoritism, and creates a great deal of resentment. Certainly not worth the ill will it generates.

[Andyfez]

Two POSITIVE experiences to share;

We went to Chiang Mai zoo recently to see the pandas. At the entrance to the panda section they write the Foreigner price in English, but the thai price in long Thai (not even using Thai numbers). I told the girl behind the counter what I thought of this underhand way of doing things (in Thai) and she charged me the Thai rate without me showing my driving licence.

But even better; I regularly take my son for a walk in Prasat Hin Phimai. It's the nearest thing we have to a park around here, and they know me so well that they always let us in free. So imagine my satisfaction when I went in with a group of Thais at New Year. The leader announced 6 adult Thais, 4 children and one farang. Imagine the look on his face when the girl told him that he had to pay, but I go in free!!