Curbs on the number of daily visitors to the Similan Islands off the Andaman Coast will not be rolled back, says Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat.
Operators of tourist boats travelling to the Similan and Surin islands have cried foul over the measure that limits the number of visitors to the Similan Islands at 3,325 a day and that of divers to 525.
The measure was recently introduced by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Mr Weerasak said on Wednesday he believed all stakeholders agreed that protection of the environment must be given priority. The department is responsible for determining quotas of travellers, he said.
Asked how the government could assist the tour operators, he stressed priority must be given to the protection of natural resources. "If we want to make changes, we have to set a main objective as the key," said Mr Weerasak.
He also voiced sympathy for tour operators as they had never faced limits on tourist numbers to the islands before. "However, nature should be given priority. If we had not started now, when would it have been done?" asked Mr Weerasak.
Speaking of efforts to salvage the tour boat Phoenix, which capsized off Phuket on July 5, killing 47 Chinese passengers, the minister said the task could be completed this month.
Authorities cannot determine the cause until the boat has been retrieved, he said.
"The Chinese are concerned about safety and they want to know the cause of the accident," Mr Weerasak said.
