Thailand launches e-ticket system in marine parks
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) will officially introduce a fully operational e-ticket system on October 15 across six key marine national parks, marking the beginning of the tourist season.
This pilot project aims to boost park revenue by 10% and improve transparency in collecting entrance fees.
During a press conference yesterday, April 28, Director-General Attapol Charoenchansa highlighted the department’s dedication to tackling persistent public concerns about corruption in ticket sales.
An earlier version of the e-ticket system has been trialled at selected parks since 2023. However, issues such as user-friendliness and limited functionality in remote areas necessitated enhancements.
The improved system will first be implemented in six marine parks, with plans to extend it to the top 10 national parks generating the most visitor income.
Attapol stressed the importance of entrance fees as a vital funding source for the department, supporting forest protection, conservation, and the advancement of sustainable nature tourism.
The current revenue distribution model allocates 5% of entrance fee income to local administrative organisations (a total of approximately 102 million baht this fiscal year), 20% to individual park management teams (around 316 million baht), 60% for park conservation activities (1.22 billion baht), and 15% for emergencies (around 540 million baht).
From October 1 last year to April 20 this year, Thailand’s national parks welcomed nearly 12 million visitors, a 2.36% rise from the same period the previous year.
Revenue during this period reached 1.55 billion baht, increasing by 2.6%. Marine parks contributed nearly 66% of total entrance fees, with Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park in Krabi generating the highest revenue at 450 million baht.
Attapol expressed hopes that the e-ticket system would prevent revenue losses and eliminate corruption opportunities.
“The income is crucial to our mission of conserving natural resources and promoting sustainable tourism. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting nature despite any controversies that may arise.”
Looking to the future, the director-general noted that additional revenue from the e-ticket system will aid a new initiative intended to support communities residing within forest zones, reported Bangkok Post.
The e-ticket system will be fully implemented in the following marine national parks: Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi (Krabi), Ao Phang Nga (Phang Nga), Than Bok Khorani (Krabi), Mu Ko Similan (Phang Nga), Mu Ko Surin (Phang Nga), and Mu Ko Lanta (Krabi).
Latest Thailand News
Follow The Thaiger on Google News:
