Amid Covid-19, Thailand takes a bold move to make tourism industry more sustainable and curb environmental damage
Hindustan TimesThai Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa has wanted for decades to give the country’s national parks time to recover from the damage caused by an endless stream of tourists. Thailand takes a bold move for tourism after ‘benefits of Covid-19’ seen in national parks Now, able to see the benefit of giving nature a respite, Varawut is going further. It’s a bold move to make the nation’s vital tourism industry more sustainable — one that puts him at odds with many businesses in hotspots like Phuket that are being crushed by re-opening delays. “Higher-end or more affluent tourism does support a bit more in terms of jobs and GDP, but in terms of flights coming in, hotel rooms you need — that’s dependent on the number of guests.” Suvarin Mayazes, vice president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said the government should worry more about damage from illegal activities rather than tourists. Mobility restrictions “caused a huge blow to the tourism industry, but did enable our environment to ‘rest and recuperate,’” said the municipal tourism office in Donsol, a Philippine dive site that’s home to endangered whale sharks.