The current entrance fee for foreigners is B400 for adults and B200 for children. For Thais the prices are B80 and B40 respectively.
“The new fee will be B500 for [foreign] adults and B300 for [foreign] children. For Thais the new fees will be B100 for adults and B50 for children,” park chief Nut Kongkasorn said.
The new prices for foreigners represent a 25 per cent rise for adults and 50 per cent for children, and for Thais 25 per cent.
The prices will be the same for the Surin Islands.
For Phang Nga Bay the fee for foreign children remains unchanged at B100 but the fee for adults will rise from B200 to B300. For Thais the prices will rise from B20 to B30 for children and from B40 to B60 for adults.
Mr Nut noted that the fees had not been increased for “more than 10 years”, adding that the decision had been made by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP).
In 2006, the DNP attempted to double all the fees but this caused such an outcry that the DNP backed off and left the fees as they were.
The new prices were originally set by the then-DNP boss, Damrong Pidech, as he approached retirement in 2012. That hike, too, was cancelled, by his successor, Rerngchai Prayoonwet.
“This new entrance fee was announced by the DNP,” he said. “There is no [official] benefit for us.
“The fee will normally will paid [by the tour operator] when the passengers arrive at the island. There are no discounts or cheaper prices,” Mr Nut stressed.
A tour operator who asked not to be named said he was not happy with the new fee.
“For the trip to the Similans our prices start at about B2,500,” he explained. The ticket price includes fuel, staff costs, food, transfer costs, commissions for tour agents and the park fee. “When the [park fee] increases, how can we make profit?” he asked.
Despite the “no discounts” assurance from Mr Nut, the operator said, “We might get a cheaper price if we bring a lot of passengers. It depends on how close our relationship is with a staff there,” he explained.
“At least they have given us plenty of advance notice [about five months] so that we can make decisions on the new fare,” he added.
In the past, fee increases just before the high season caused an uproar in the tour industry because many operators had already contracted with their suppliers overseas at specific prices, meaning that they had to swallow the extra cost themselves.
“At this stage, I cannot confirm whether or not the price of a trip to the Similans will have to increase,” the operator concluded.
No mention has yet been made of any rise in fees for entering the Phi Phi Islands National Park, home of famed Maya Bay.