Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has earned about million baht a day in entry fees, charged to tourists for visiting the Phi-Phi islands, since the e-ticket system was introduced last July.
Rakchanok Paenoi, chief of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi-Phi National Park, said revenue from entry fees from the sale of e-tickets have increased by 20-30% to an average of one million baht a day, or a total of 137 million baht since the e-ticketing system was introduced. About 4,000 tourists are visiting the islands daily.
In April alone, she said that the number of visitors has increased 2-3 times compared to April last year, with most being tourists from Russia and Europe, adding that she expects more tourists during the Songkran festival next week.
She admitted, however, that there is a problem because park officials cannot check the e-tickets of some visitors due to the poor telephone signal, which must be quickly fixed.
She also said that the e-tickets cannot be used for tourists wanting to continue their travel to other islands, such as Ko Phai and Phi-Phi Don, due to the poor telephone signal.
The department head, Atthaphon Charoenchansa, said that they will try to promote increased use of e-tickets to cover entry fees to all national parks within two years.
After the closure of the Hat Noppharat Thara Mu Ko Phi-Phi National Park for about two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said that the environment and ecological system of several islands have improved, citing the case of Maya Bay, to which several black-tipped coral sharks have returned.
