Tourism is the lifeblood of Thailand, but the overwhelming number of foreign arrivals is not all positive. As Thailand’s Tourism Minister Weerasak Kowsurat points out, “tourism can create, and at the same time, tourism can disrupt”.
Tourism in Thailand is booming, with around 40 million foreign arrivals expected in 2019; but with this comes concerns of overcrowding and more destruction to the natural environment.
Thailand’s Tourism Minister Weerasak Kowsurat spoke to Bloomberg of his concerns about over-tourism in Thailand.
“Congestion is no good for anyone, including the hosts and the guests.”
Thailand’s Tourism Minister Weerasak Kowsurat
In a bid to solves these problems, the minister wants to promote more travel to lesser-known parts of Thailand. Although in doing this, it will be vital to preserve the character of local communities and heritage sites.
Thailand’s Tourism Minister Weerasak Kowsurat.
He points to countries like France and Italy, saying they get heavy tourist traffic but manage to disperse visitors.
“That is the pattern we want to see…The numbers keep increasing. It all depends on how you manage them,” he said.
He is also encouraging domestic and international travellers to be responsible- not only to the culture but also to the environment.
In May we reported that Thailand’s Maya Bay (made popular in Leonard DiCaprio’s ‘The Beach) was being closed to tourists for four months to undergoe much-needed environmental rejuvenation.
And just last month a whale died in Thai waters after swallowing 80 plastic bags.
Even with the wear and tear on the country, Thailand will continue to rely on tourism with the economic injection from foreign tourists projected to be over US$60 billion next year.
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