PHANG NGA — The Similan Islands will be closed annually from May 16 to October 14, with the 2025 closure starting tomorrow. Upon reopening, a new E-Ticket system will require advance planning for tourist visits.
Acting head of Similan Islands National Park, Warawut Saengthong, stated on May 15 that the park will close for five months, ceasing tourism and overnight accommodations, following the directive of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, which also ordered the closure of Surin Islands during the same period to allow nature to recover and prevent dangers from unpredictable weather conditions during the monsoon season.
During this time, officials will work to improve infrastructure, hold meetings with tour operators for planning, management and reciprocal agreements on marketing, tourism services, boat tour preparation, permitting procedures and conservation efforts.
The Similan Islands National park will also work with local communities and partner networks to organize environmental initiatives such as beach clean-ups, energy conservation campaigns and conservation activities.
“Based on the experience so far during the opening season, there are still some issues that need to be addressed,” said Warawut. “Some boat operators fail to educate tourists about park rules and responsible behavior. Others ignore the impact on the environment or even engage in illegal fishing within the marine national park.”
The park has outlined six key management strategies to balance resource use with marine and coastal ecosystem conservation:
Conducting baseline and ecosystem change surveys across all marine ecosystems.
- Developing interpretive communication systems focusing on marine biodiversity, coral reef ecosystems, and human activity impacts.
- Enhancing and maintaining boundary markers and buoys to clearly demarcate protected areas.
- Implementing quality patrols covering at least 80% of the park area with consistent frequency.
- Advancing innovations and technologies to prevent and enforce against environmental violations.
- Preparing disaster response plans, including surveillance, early warning systems, and standardized rescue protocols.
The Similan Islands National Park will reopen on October 15 and implement a mandatory E-Ticket system, along with five other national parks. All Thai and foreign tourists must buy their tickets online and provide identification. Thai visitors will use the ThaiID system, while foreign tourists will use their passport numbers.
Tickets can be bought in advance or on the day of visit until 8:00 a.m., after which the final tourist count for the day will be conducted.
If tour operators are found providing false information about visitor numbers or nationalities compared to E-Ticket records, penalties will be enforced:
- First offense: 5,000 baht fine.
- Second offense: 20,000 baht fine.
- Third offense: 100,000 baht fine.
For repeat violations, the park will review the operator’s eligibility for conducting tourism activities in the upcoming season.
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