trolls

Troll alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Casey

To Dee. I don't think you could compare the cost of a University course to the entrance fee to a National Park. A large percentage of our taxes goes to education. Therefore a foreign student, who's parents do not pay taxes in this country, have to pay the cost of the education. We don't charge you 10 times the going rate.

phoenix

Just returned from 3 weeks in Thailand. The biologist we went with to Doi Inthanon commented that the extra cost to enter the parks for foreigners was really a problem in that many of the tour companies (which operate on a very thin profit margin) will just drop the parks from their itinearies. The cost really isn't huge for most of us (200 Baht per person in Doi Inthanon plus 200 Baht for the guide for the 3 of us)--but could be for someone on a budget. We met backpackers in Chiang Mai who were staying for 250 Baht a night per person(350 Baht on up is the going rate for AC). For the poster interested in birding near Chiang Mai--Doi Inthanon was beautiful. Go early to catch more birds. We saw silver pheasants and the green-tailed sunbird.

KellyF

Not only is it fair to charge us more -- because we don't pay the taxes the locals do -- but in the end, yes, it's a question of supply and demand. The only real question to consider is this: is $3 worth it to you to see the park? If so, then pay up and shut up. Furthermore, recognize that 30 cents may be worth as much to a local in terms of buying power as $3 is to an American.

bobludlow

KellyF is absolutely right - how is this different from the exorbinant hotel taxes that every major US city charges? Almost every tourist attraction in Hawaii has special discounts for "kamaainas" (locals). Get off your high horse and realize that if airlines, hotels, cell phone companies, and countless other industries can charge differential pricing, then so can the Thai National Parks.

Ryan

This is not a question of fair or unfair, in many developing countries it is a question of land use for national parks versus land use for development.<BR><BR>As has been seen in the Amazon, the land comes under a great deal of pressure in a society that is in a development stage when locals view the development of that land as an economic benefit that provides immediate satisfaction versus the longer term benefits of things like eco-tourism. <BR><BR>One way to make the locals support the need to preserve forests, jungles, wildlife, etc. is to give them access to these parks so that they understand the natural beauty, fight to preserve it, and view the land as a part of their national identity. <BR><BR>In places like Kenya, for example, WWF programs that are designed to bring young Kenyans to National Parks like Masai Mara, have helped in the battle against poachers. Without high park fees from tourists, and without low cost access to fairly poor locals, much of the remaining African plain would likely be gone within 15 years.<BR><BR>