Family Day brings free entry to national parks as Songkran visits near 300,000

Thailand’s national parks are opening their gates free of charge to Thai visitors on April 14, Family Day, after visitor numbers during the first three days of Songkran surged to nearly 300,000 nationwide. Saisudjai Chunchaowarit, director of the National Parks Office, said cumulative visitor numbers from April 11 to 13 reached 299,666, with 127,340 visits recorded on April 13 alone and more than 21.1 million baht collected in fees over the three-day period.

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said the Family Day waiver covers national parks, forest parks, wildlife sanctuaries, non-hunting areas, botanical gardens and arboretums across the country, in a move aimed at encouraging families to spend time together in nature.

Officials said they had stepped up preparations for family visitors, including site management, stricter safety measures and waste handling under the “take your rubbish home” campaign. Saisudjai said rescue teams and rapid-response units had been placed on 24-hour standby, with extra attention focused on high-risk areas such as fast-flowing waterfalls and steep viewpoints. A total of 29 accidents were reported during the first three days of the holiday period.

Among the incidents, park officials and medical staff at Khao Nan National Park in Nakhon Si Thammarat helped revive a foreign girl who had drowned at Sunanta Waterfall before transferring her to hospital. In another case, officials at Lam Nam Nan National Park in Uttaradit gave first aid to a tourist who slipped near a floating raft accommodation area and rushed the visitor to Tha Pla Hospital.

The department said it wanted this year’s Songkran holiday to be both safe and enjoyable, and urged visitors to follow officials’ instructions closely, avoid alcohol and travel responsibly to help protect Thailand’s natural resources.