Chiang Rai’s White Temple to Charge Foreigners Entrance Fee, While Thai Citizens are Free

Foreign visitors will now have to pay 50 baht per person for a stroll around the famous Wat Rong Khun, better known among foreigners as the White Temple. Thai National’s will still be able to tour the temple for free.

Artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat, who founded Wat Rong Khun, explained the temple’s committee and patrons thought it was necessary for the temple to have its own support fund, to be able to exist properly in the future when he retired.

Chalermchai said the temple welcomes over one million visitors each year. But only a few of them buy the temple’s photo books which are its main source of income. The must-see attraction of Chiang Rai has been open to visitors free of charge for 19 years.

The collected fees will be used for its maintenance and management Chalermchai said.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to promote Chiang Rai as a meetings and events destination focusing initially on the China market. The initial promotion to showcase Chiang Rai’s potential in the meetings market was undertaken at the recent IBTM CHINA 2016, held in Beijing.

The objective was to introduce the far-north province to China’s meeting planners for small meetings with a green tourism branding.

By  Vipaporn Pooritanasarn