Park officials make changes after overcrowding at Naga Cave
Park officials at the popular destination for Thai tourists, Naga Cave, are stepping up to limit the number of visitors after the site was so crowded with visitors that hundreds were stuck on the mountain waiting to get down. Following the incident, Phu Lanka National Park officials set stricter measures and made changes to staffing.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa shared with Thai media that he had already discussed with the Phu Lanka National Park authorities that the visitor limitation will now be at 700 people per day starting. He says CCTV cameras and other methods of tracking visitors are in place to ensure that there are no large groups in the cave at a time.
Local tour guides have been advised to follow park rules. Guides have to wear shirts from the authorities and queue up to serve each group of visitors. There will be no more advance registration for the tour guides. From now, visitors can only reserve a visit on the QueQ applications and there will be no more special deals with tour guides or authorities. The national park will also hire more staff in order to provide a better service for all visitors.