Similian park may restrict visits to preserve its nature



PHUKET: -- The Natural Resources and Environment Minister has instructed the chief of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (DNP) to restrict the number of visitors to the Similan national park following the surge of visitors beyond its capacity to handle, thus threatening its natural environment.

Such restriction includes fixing opening and closing hours for visiting the marine park.

The instruction was given at a meeting with relevant officials in charge of marine parks.

Gen Dapong Rattanasuwan, the minister of Natural Resources and Environment, said he has learned with grave concern that the Koh Tachai which is an islet of the Similan National Park in Phangnga province normally can handle about 200 tourist a day, but now over 1,000 tourists visiting the island.

He said overcrowded tourists could be a threat to environment, particularly its coral reefs.

According to report he received, Koh Tachai is at risk of environmental degradation, in the form of spoiled coral and mounting rubbish, resulting from a surge in the number of tourists.

Therefore he instructed that it was high time that measures to regulate tourism management at marine national parks in the Andaman Sea should be worked out.

Other small islands in Mu Ko Similan National Park are also facing same problems arising from too many tourists, he said.

As the government relies on tourist revenue to develop the country, so any measures that are introduced and implemented should be sensitive to the issue as well, he said.

According to Bangkok Post, Gen Dapong said he would assign the Marine and Coastal Resources Department to provide training on the protection of marine ecological systems for national park employees so they would have a better understanding of how to take care of the environment.

He also instructed that in the long term plan, the number of visitors should be restricted and opening and closing hours should be fixed, with focus on low quality visitors.

A quota system might be introduced to restrict visitors while booking visits could be made online via tour companies, it was proposed during the meeting.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/similian-park-may-restrict-visits-to-preserve-its-nature


-- Thai PBS 2015-03-12

Focus on low quality tourists? What?

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Focus on low quality tourists? What?

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Yeah, finally they've seen the light. The bulk of income comes from low quality tourists, though I would suggest giving this category of tourists a somewhat less derogatory name, like for instance independently travelling tourists.

On second reading though, do they maybe mean low quality tourists should be kept out?

I think they are referring to daytrip visitors.

Cut off the polluting and noisy speed boats with hordes of Chinese non swimmers and the problem is solved, when it comes to protecting the islands.

But then Mia Noi doesn't get a new car...

Authorities Mull Limiting Visitors to Similan Islands
By Khaosod English

PHANG NGA — Authorities in Phang Nga province are considering limiting the number of tourists on the Similan islands to 250 people per day in an effort to stem overcrowding on the national park land.

Nat Kongkasorn, head of the Similan National Park, said at a meeting with tour operators yesterday that there have been numerous complaints on social media about the impact tourists are having on the islands’ natural environment.

Renowned for their picturesque beaches and coral reefs, the Similan islands are popular destination for Thai and foreign tourists in southern Thailand. Trips to the islands are typically arranged by tour companies from mainland provinces like Phang Nga, Krabi, and Phuket.

Representatives of 16 tour companies were present at yesterday’s meeting. In addition to setting a limit of 250 visitors per day, which Nat said would be divided among the tour operators, the park is also considering the following new policies:

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1426156347


-- Khaosod English 2015-03-12

Train the operators. Impossible to keep an eye on all the tourists. And impose heavy fines for those violating the laws.

"Representatives of 16 tour companies were present at yesterday’s meeting."

Too many tourists or tour companies?

I've never been there but planning to spend some time non khao lak next time I come in high season. How many nights do you all think is sufficient? I was thinking 4. Spend one day at similans, 1 at tachai and 1 spare for anything else. Too short or is that about right?

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I've never been there but planning to spend some time non khao lak next time I come in high season. How many nights do you all think is sufficient? I was thinking 4. Spend one day at similans, 1 at tachai and 1 spare for anything else. Too short or is that about right?

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You cannot stay overnight at Koh Ta Chai, but you can at the Surin Islands which you don't mention. To all those destinations you can also take day trips from Khao Lak or Phuket.

Not the first time there is discussion about limiting the number of visitors to the marine national park. First see, then believe.

I just spent 3 days there. It was a circus at the snorkel spots. So much so that we chose to just stay on the island (#4) the 2nd day. There was not a huge amount of tourists on the side with the camping, or after lunch, when they all moved on to other spots. I have no idea how many camped on the island, but the snorkeling (again after the lunch horde left) was great if you were staying there.

But watching the speedboats come out from the mainland from the view point in the morning was like watching offshore boat races.

I hope they are able to preserve them somehow. Some of the only places left without guesthouses on top of each other.

Paradise lost more than a decade ago. In 1999 reefs in Koh Tachai, Similan island 8 and others were already heavily trampled by reef walkers, while reefs on Surin were already suffering from bleaching, whale sharks and other pelagics have rarely been seen in recent years. What could there possibly be left to see in 2015 now they are running mass Chinese tourism assaults on a daily basis. TAT is kidding themselves. The place is already plundered as the DNP contemplates reducing tourist numbers to 250 per day, a number that was way over capacity years ago. Marine park management in Thailand is a complete joke, as managers all graduated from forestry school, never having received training in marine science or park management.