Tour operators demand for Krabi's national park to cut entrance fee for foreigners

KRABI, THAILAND, February 22 (TNA) - About 500 long-tail boats and speed boats in Thailand's three southern resort provinces have floated in protest outside a national park in Krabi, calling for a half cut of the entrance fee for foreign tourists. The boats of tour operators from Krabi, Phang-nga and Phuket have blocked a channel in front of the Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, demanding the national park to cut its entrance fee for adult foreign visitors from 400 baht to 200 baht and for foreign children from 200 baht to 100 baht. The protesters claimed that the high fee has resulted in a drop in foreign tourists taking their boats to visit the national park and their earlier call for a solution to the problem has not been addressed. More than 300 local soldiers, police and national park officials have been deployed to monitor the protesting situation. Meanwhile, the head of the national park said on Wednesday that the entrance fee cannot be reduced, as it is an official regulation. (TNA)