Temporary closure of Sea Thep Park due to crowds of tourists

More about Si Thep Park

Located in the province of Phetchabun, Sea Thep Park was added to the UNESCO Heritage List this summer. It became the fifth site from Thailand to receive this honor.

The fenced 11-kilometer territory contains a hundred ruins of temples and palaces of the ancient city of Si Thep. The main attractions are the 8th century Khao Klang Nai stupa and the Khao Klang Nok pyramid, the only one in Thailand.

A 20-fold increase in tourists

As soon as the news of the UNESCO listing spread across Thailand, there were 20 times more people than usual wanting to visit the park. If earlier there were about 300 people a day, now - up to 7000.

Such an avalanche of tourists covered the infrastructure of the small rural area around. Chaos ensued - there was a shortage of parking spaces, food, and lodging. Even temporary toilets were queued up.

Fears for the safety of relics

Thailand's chief custodian of historical heritage, the Minister of Culture, was particularly alarmed by the influx on Khao Klang Nok Mountain. In one weekend alone, 30,000 people visited the top of the 20-meter pyramid.

Such uncontrolled crowds could have caused irreparable damage to the fragile relics, some more than a thousand years old. To protect them, the Department of Fine Arts closed the Khao Klang Nok pyramid to free access.

The temporary closure is to prepare infrastructure

In addition to fears for the relics, the reason for the closure was that the transportation and tourism infrastructure in Phetchabun province was not ready for such an influx of visitors.

According to the deputy governor, in the four years since the park was added to the UNESCO tentative list, the local authorities have done nothing to prepare for more vacationers.

Now the provincial governor is urgently meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Culture, to which the park reports. They are working on a plan to modernize the infrastructure so that thousands of people can visit this historic Thai treasure without damaging it.

Hopefully, with improvements in transportation accessibility, tourist flow management and services, Sea-Thep Park will once again open its gates to visitors from all over the world. In the meantime, the ancient relics will get a break from the influx of visitors.