Thailand to collect 400-baht national park entrance fee from foreign visitors

[Naam]

3 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

in theory I am paying Thai income tax on my British income.

...said the milkmaid to a stranger who yawned

[Baerboxer]

When on holiday people usually pay and expect to pay all sorts of charges. But your're on holiday so pay because you are more relaxed. However, when people are being openly told they have to pay 10 times more, for entrance to a park, just because they are a foreigner - that doesn't go down so well.

Tour books and websites will start and note this. A family of 4 will have to cough up ThB 1,200. Many simply won't bother going on trips to places that charge. Or they won't bother coming to Thailand and will go to places that do welcome tourists and don't see them as an exploitable harvest.

 

What's the plan if foreign entrance numbers fall - up the price to 500?

 

But of course, high class foreigners won't worry about such trivia.

Edited March 6, 2017 by Baerboxer

[jgold]

go on tripadvisor and leave a bad review. Probably one of the most effective way to get noticed.

[Jai Dee]

12 minutes ago, Tchooptip said:

 Here are the fees to every Thai national parks in the country for Thais and Farangs  (Sorry absend minded) foreigners 

https://www.thainationalparks.com/posts/new-national-park-entrance-fees-announced

That is an old website... not updated.

 

See the date? 2014-10-16

new entrance fees for national parks effective from February 2015.

[cheapskatesam]

Can i cite Brexit as an excuse to pay Thai price? 

 

Please sir.. £ has dropped a lot. and will drop even more in March when Mrs May goes to Brussels 

Edited March 6, 2017 by cheapskatesam

[DavisH]

42 minutes ago, cocorico2558 said:

Good, many National Parks have too many visitors!

It won't make much difference really. It seems those moaning are the expats who live here and would also have to pay the full price. personally, anyone with a work permit (any pays taxes) should pay the local rate. But that's not not their mentality to do that. 

 lat time I went to the South, the island parks are spoiled by way to many tourists. Only very high fees will cut tourist numbers, and the local tour operators don't want that as it cuts their income. 

[Kabula]

The majority of the tourists and expats have much more available cash than many Thai citizens, so it's only fair they charge citizens less.

 

Most all foreign countries have the same double standard.

 

So many negative comments.  No wonder they charge us more.  Keep it up and they may not issue you a visa extension next time!

[Shawn0000]

32 minutes ago, deepcell said:

sorry, I meant fair. well, does it works? All we see is corruption escalating over the years. In theory the system is perfect, the world is beautiful, but in practice it sucks!

 

The national parks are doing well in places, not sure about everywhere but they have success stories, the only tiger population in SE Asia that is not only not shrinking but actually increasing in numbers, is that worth supporting or would you rather imagine that everything is broken and giving them money would only be throwing it away?  To be honest it makes me laugh all the uproar over a few hundred baht that many of the same people happily part with on a daily basis in exchange for a seat on a bar stool!

[Shawn0000]

22 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

When on holiday people usually pay and expect to pay all sorts of charges. But your're on holiday so pay because you are more relaxed. However, when people are being openly told they have to pay 10 times more, for entrance to a park, just because they are a foreigner - that doesn't go down so well.

Tour books and websites will start and note this. A family of 4 will have to cough up ThB 1,200. Many simply won't bother going on trips to places that charge. Or they won't bother coming to Thailand and will go to places that do welcome tourists and don't see them as an exploitable harvest.

 

What's the plan if foreign entrance numbers fall - up the price to 500?

 

But of course, high class foreigners won't worry about such trivia.

 

 Those bothering are expats, they don't go out much like tourists and are outnumbered by them 20 to 1, no one cares what the expats think about dual pricing, it is irrelevant to the issue and tourists pay without getting someone to translate the Thai side of the board and so never even learn that there are two prices.

[darksidedog]

Personally, it is not affordability or not, that determines so much where I go, but fairness. Double tiered pricing is wrong, wherever it happens, and I just won't frequent anywhere that does it.

[Shawn0000]

20 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Personally, it is not affordability or not, that determines so much where I go, but fairness. Double tiered pricing is wrong, wherever it happens, and I just won't frequent anywhere that does it.

So you wont be taking advantage of the tourist discount on some Swiss trains then, nor the tourist discounts available in Japan, or is it only when the double tiered pricing is not in your favor that you boycott?

[Gandtee]

53 minutes ago, Tchooptip said:

 Here are the fees to every Thai national parks in the country for Thais and Farangs  (Sorry absend minded) foreigners 

https://www.thainationalparks.com/posts/new-national-park-entrance-fees-announced

Khao Yai?

[Tchooptip]

28 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

That is an old website... not updated.

 

See the date? 2014-10-16

 

 

How on earth I have not seen it please mod can you supress it 

fortunately eagle eye like Jai Dee saw it in matter of seconds 

I'm ashamed but it has nothing to do with old agePffff Spidermike007 gave a link to the NP website that was not working, so I went to their website with Google ...

[dictater]

7 hours ago, Naam said:

correct! when our son visited us he got a Florida driver's license  and saved a big bundle visiting Disney, MGM, Seaworld and some other attractions.

Those are private business. Do you know of any state or federal properties or recreations that charge 10x the amount for foreigners to enter? 

[darksidedog]

Just now, Shawn0000 said:

So you wont be taking advantage of the tourist discount on some Swiss trains then, nor the tourist discounts available in Japan, or is it only when the double tiered pricing is not in your favor that you boycott?

I first encountered the practice when working in India. I was paying tax there, so could enter at the local price. However, on principal, I decided against entering places that had to my mind an unfair policy.

Would I take advantage of an OAP fare in England? Yes, I would. A Tourist discount? If I qualified to the criteria,Yes, I probably would. That is an incentive put in place by local authorites, to encourage usage.

A policy of overcharging, is not the same though, is it? Especially when done on racist lines. I reiterate my position Double tiered pricing in this setting is just wrong.

[expatoz]

When Thai's visit foreign National Parks they should be made to pay 10 times more than the locals there. That is a good idea to be put to foreign Governments.Treat Thai tourists the same as they treat Farangs. 

[Shawn0000]

12 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I first encountered the practice when working in India. I was paying tax there, so could enter at the local price. However, on principal, I decided against entering places that had to my mind an unfair policy.

Would I take advantage of an OAP fare in England? Yes, I would. A Tourist discount? If I qualified to the criteria,Yes, I probably would. That is an incentive put in place by local authorites, to encourage usage.

A policy of overcharging, is not the same though, is it? Especially when done on racist lines. I reiterate my position Double tiered pricing in this setting is just wrong.

So to confirm, you would not take advantage of tourist discounts on the notion that this is racism?

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I have been reading about this national park double pricing 10 years before I even moved to Thailand and never really understood why so many expats and tourists complain about it.... especially since most of complainers will never even entertain a visit to a national park, but rather have another quality barstool night at the local pub.

 

There is double pricing of foreigners everywhere. I find it, for example, hypocritical that Canadians complain about it when Vancouver recently introduced a 25% real estate tax on foreign investors. How would this go in Thailand if "Farang" was about to purchase a condo and was informed (after paying a 20% deposit) that there will be an additional 25% tax added.... without any advance notice whatsoever? I think Thai Visa would crash.... but this is exactly what happened in Canada. When I call this a racist tax on Canadian forum, I get banned.

 

Also, the price of university education is different for foreign students and locals... about 2-3 times.

 

It's a 400 baht ticket price to a park..... which 95% of quality "farang" on this forum will never visit. If this is what gets you worked up then you must live a very privileged life. There are other more serious things that bother me about Thailand which will eventually cause me to leave. Who gives a flyin' about 400 baht fee. Absolutely ridiculous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[simonuk]

I don't enter Thai national parks for this reason. They don't get it though , they just think you are stingy if you refuse to pay.

[Shawn0000]

3 minutes ago, expatoz said:

When Thai's visit foreign National Parks they should be made to pay 10 times more than the locals there. That is a good idea to be put to foreign Governments.Treat Thai tourists the same as they treat Farangs. 

 

This has nothing to do with farangs, what on earth are you thinking?  This is about non citizens of Thailand, the majority of those effected are actually Asian.  And Thai's have to pay the going rate wherever they go, if they go to Peru they pay the 30 times rate for foreigners the same as you would have to, assuming you are not Peruvian, when they go to the lake district in the UK they pay the same rate as British people, except the locals from Cumbria who get charged a locals rate, these systems are in place all over the world, your world is clearly a little small as you seem to imagine this is a Thai thing.

[Shawn0000]

If there is one thing that will drive me to leave Thailand it will be the incessant whining from the expats, this thread being the epitome of expat petulance.

[kannot]

4 hours ago, bikerbri said:

Simple answer. DON'T GO!

 

simpler  answer.......i  dont

[kannot]

9 minutes ago, Shawn0000 said:

If there is one thing that will drive me to leave Thailand it will be the incessant whining from the expats, this thread being the epitome of expat petulance.

If  u promise, Ill whine all day

[SoilSpoil]

Once you live here, pay taxes, work, support a family and basically are part of Thailand, it's nothing but normal to pay the local rates.

 

[ChiangraiTony]

At some point us expats have to consider other options. We live here, we pay taxes. Taxes at the land office, shopping, gasoline, and dozens of more things we contribute to Thailands economy.

 

Knowing that they apparently do not respect us maybe it's time to come together and start posting this article and articles such as this on social media outlets.  The blatant rip-off news report is pretty much local but I think the FB community and others have a right to know the news too, and before they arrive in Thailand...

 

What are your thoughts?

 

Why wait to tell all the foreigners coming here, that they will have to pay 10 times more than the Thai's. No one likes these type surprises, so maybe many more people who know about this before they travel to Thailand, then maybe they will consider other alternatives. After all, no one likes to be cheated. We all are looking to be treated fairly. This is not fair by standard.

 

Its time that the foreigners have a voice about Thailand and the unfair practices. 

 

On another note: Do you really think there is fair trade between Thailand and the USA?  Check the local Thai shopping malls and grocery stores and the prices. This does not look like fair trade to me. 

 

Maybe the new administration in the US, needs some good examples of how other countries take advantage of them and their citizens. 

 

When expats live in Thailand and bring friends and family to visit, they are stimulating the Thai economy. The expats are doing good things for Thailand but Thailand keeps introducing ways to hurt us economically.

 

 

[PremiumLane]

Double priced I would be OK with, but 10x, no way.

 

I used to go riding through Khao Yai at least 2 or 3 times a month, but now never go in, just go around. I used to pay the Thai price, when showing ID of working here, and it was 70 Baht, now it is 430 Baht.

 

I feel sorry for the people who live on one side of Khao Yai and used to go through the park to get to Pak Chong or Prachinburi. Before it was like a reasonable toll fee, now it is extortion. 

 

[Shawn0000]

9 minutes ago, kannot said:

If  u promise, Ill whine all day

 

And if I don't you will break up the monotonous whine with the odd cynical post, great stuff, so glad you came.

[Artisi]

24 minutes ago, Shawn0000 said:

 

This has nothing to do with farangs, what on earth are you thinking?  This is about non citizens of Thailand, the majority of those effected are actually Asian.  And Thai's have to pay the going rate wherever they go, if they go to Peru they pay the 30 times rate for foreigners the same as you would have to, assuming you are not Peruvian, when they go to the lake district in the UK they pay the same rate as British people, except the locals from Cumbria who get charged a locals rate, these systems are in place all over the world, your world is clearly a little small as you seem to imagine this is a Thai thing.

nothing wrong with the locals Cambrian's paying a local rate as I guess they already subsidise the local area by local taxes / rates , while tourists, whether English or foreigners are treated equally unlike Thailand - one price for all Thai's and  10 times for foreigners - so nonsense argument on your part.

[johnmcc6]

May as well make it a thousand and get done with it. They really only see the money and have no clue that tourists simply won't go. I Can just imagine each couple paying 800 entrance or a family of 4 paying these fees just to see trees and the odd waterfall. When the island parks start to grow broke with only Thai visitors perhaps they will come to their senses. typical of every poorly run bureaucracy to run out of money and think all they have to do is tax more.

[Shawn0000]

2 minutes ago, PremiumLane said:

Double priced I would be OK with, but 10x, no way.

 

I used to go riding through Khao Yai at least 2 or 3 times a month, but now never go in, just go around. I used to pay the Thai price, when showing ID of working here, and it was 70 Baht, now it is 430 Baht.

 

I feel sorry for the people who live on one side of Khao Yai and used to go through the park to get to Pak Chong or Prachinburi. Before it was like a reasonable toll fee, now it is extortion. 

 

 

The other day, I explained that I was not visiting Khao Yai, merely passing through, and they gave me the Thai price.  The thing is, it is up to their discretion, speak to them wrongly and you have no chance, speak to them in a respectful way and you have every chance.