Is more sustainable tourism in sight? Well it may just be for me, because right now I am staying on the mainland opposite the Thai resort island of Koh Samet.
And Samet, in common with other tourist destinations around the world, has announced that it is striving to eliminate styrofoam and plastic bags from the ecosystem.
Prayoon Pongpan, the chief of the Khao Laem Ya–Mu Ko Samet National Park, said tote bags have been distributed to all island residents, and that those found using plastic bags and styrofoam containers would face fines.
Tourists may be given a temporary exemption from the laws until word filters through via a publicity campaign, including this (Thai-language) video.
It is in line with a Thailand government announcement in June that all national parks would ban styrofoam and plastics but, as Khaosod English notes, enforcement “appears lacking”.
The news follows the reopening of the Philippines’ Boracay Island, which was closed to tourists for six months to allow for rehabilitation. Before the closure, the once-pristine beach was compared by a government official to a cesspit.
When we read so much bad news about the environment, it’s great to see small steps like this.
Of course, these changes may not always be done with entirely pure intentions — commercial interests dictate that beach resorts be unpolluted — but the outcome is encouraging.
