Thailand's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation plans to restrict tourist visits to nearly all resort islands, Interfax reports, citing the Thai publication The Nation.
"Due to the huge number of tourists, the islands are national parks "They have turned into mountains of garbage that are left on the beaches, and their waters are covered with oil stains from boats and motorboats, and there is also a lot of garbage on the seabed," said department head Songtham Suksawang.
The agency plans to evenly distribute tourists across Thailand's islands. Piers will be built between the islands to preserve corals. Floating tourist centers are also planned. Electronic tickets will be introduced for entry to the islands to control tourist flow. The Similan Islands will be one of the first destinations to be restricted and new regulations introduced.
According to the department head, if the measures taken do not contribute to the reduction of congestion on the islands and the preservation of the environment, then the cost of recreation on them will increase.
A smoking ban on Thailand's beaches, passed in November last year, came into effect. Now, smoking tourists face a year in prison or a fine of over 1,400,000 baht.
As reported by the Thai Ministry of Environment, the purpose of the ban is to clear beaches of the huge number of cigarette butts that carpet the sand by evening.
International tourist arrivals to Thailand in 2018 are expected to reach 37.5 million.
Source: trn-news.ru