Govt scraps park fees for New Year

Govt scraps park fees for New Year

Entrance fees to all 147 national parks will be waived on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day as part of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's "happiness" campaign, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation says.

Nipol Chotiban, department chief, said the fee waiver is part of a package which the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is preparing for the public.

Mr Nipol said his department will also develop a bike route for tourists at the Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima province because the prime minister has a policy to promote bike lanes.

"We are in the process of arranging the bike lanes for tourists," he said.

"We will also expand the project to other parks, which we aim to complete before New Year."

Campground accommodations inside many popular parks are already fully booked, Mr Nipol said.

Those in the North filled up the fastest, such as Doi Inthanond National Park, Suthep-Pui National Park, and Hauy Nam Dang National Park in Chiang Mai.

Phu Kradueng National Park in Loei and Preah Vihear temple in Sisaket are also full.

Information about which parks still have vacancies be found at www.dnp.go.th.

The department has ordered staff at all parks to prepare for any emergencies.

They are setting up emergency coordinating centres in Moo Koh Chang National Park in Trat, Erawan National Park in Kanchanaburi, Sirinat National Park in Phuket, Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima and Suthep-Pui National Park in Chiang Mai.

Tourists planning adventurous activities, including long-distance trekking, mountain biking, rafting, diving or cliff climbing, must register with forest officials.

Meanwhile, Theerapat Prayurasiddhi, Royal Forest Department chief, said the department is setting up 260 forest communities nationwide as models for sustainable living.

People can get food and medicine from the forest while their community works together to take care of the forest.

The project is in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn's 60th birthday next year.

The department is also working with the Department of Lands to complete a forest boundary map within eight months.

The map would help prevent the Department of Lands from issuing land title documents that overlap with protected forests, as it has in the past.

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