Tourism is a big deal for many developing countries; it brings in a lot of money. But it is also a disruptive force and ruins a lot of good things.
Thailand is fortunately unique in several ways as a tourism haven. It has a wide range of natural resources from rain forests and mountains with great views and beautiful waterfalls, to beautiful beaches and underwater coral reefs. And, of course, the food.
One of the country's most valuable assets is its people's smiles. Some make snide remarks about the Thai smile. I can understand that. The famous Thai smile may have lost some of its sheen. It's sometimes hard to wear a genuine smile on your face when there's great pressure to keep your stomach full or try to keep pace with your neighbours.
But seriously, Thais in general love to please other people, particularly those from foreign lands. The charming smile is still there in places far from cities and major tourist attractions.
The problem is while we know we have good things to offer, we don't know how to take care of them. We take in more and more tourists every year but neglect to invest in maintaining the very resources that tourists find charming.
It has become a common horror story that once a place is known for its beauty, pretty soon large crowds will descend upon it and bring ruin to it with overdevelopment and pollution of all kinds.
There are people who make it a point once they came upon a place worth repeat visits to keep it secret from others for fear of finding the place in ruin on their return visit.
Since 1960, every government has latched on to tourism as the holy grail of income generation. By any measure, Thailand has been overwhelmingly successful in attracting visitors from all over the world.
I remember many years ago when tourist numbers hit the one-million mark, there were celebrations in the government and the press. Now we are talking 30-something million, pushing toward 50 million. It's a ridiculous number.
Honestly, I don't think we are prepared to welcome so many visitors despite what the government says. With the influx of such a large number of tourists, there are bound to be great impacts, particularly on the natural resources that draw them here in the first place.
An aspect less talked about is that it disrupts the local way of life and economy. Cost of living often rises, causing hardship to low-income residents. It also makes it hard for Thais to enjoy places overrun with foreign tourists.
It used to be that overcrowding at attractions occurred on major holidays. But now it happens practically every day at every well-known attraction. On major holidays you might as well forget it.
I am somewhat appeased by recent news that two diving attractions -- Maya Bay and the Similan Islands -- have been closed to visitors to allow nature to restore itself. Officials also are contemplating implementing the long-overdue concept of carrying capacity by limiting the number of visitors at most attractions to prevent irreparable damage.
Not surprisingly, these measures have been met with howls of protest by tourism operators. "What will happen to people employed in the tourism sector?" they complain. They demand that the closure be lifted as the peak season is approaching and they have already accepted bookings from foreign clients.
It's undeniable that tourism contributes a great deal to the economy, granted however that income distribution has been uneven at best. Revenue from tourism for the first quarter of this year has reportedly reached one trillion baht, a whopping increase of 16% year on year, with foreign tourists contributing nearly three-quarters of that amount.
However, park officials have so far stood firm in their determination to keep the islands closed to allow natural rehabilitation to continue uninterrupted until it's safe to receive visitors again. Besides, their decision was made on scientific grounds, not spurious reasoning.
Officials at other marine parks, such as Tarutao National Park, have indicated they may follow suit.
But not all park chiefs realise their main duty is conservation, not tourism promotion. Recently, the Kaeng Krachan National Park chief raised a hue and cry with his plan to lay a concrete road to Khao Phanoen Thung, a scenic mountain normally accessible only by a dirt road.
The chief explained that the concrete road would facilitate officials on patrol, and was not just to make access for tourists easier, despite examples in other parks where good access roads have led to the deterioration of natural attractions and many road deaths of wildlife.
In my years of visiting national parks, I have learned that park chiefs have great power within their areas of responsibility -- too great, in fact. They can initiate projects without consultation even though their own expertise is limited.
At many attractions, unnecessary construction has ruined the aesthetic value of the places. Easy access also means easy destruction because of lax supervision. It's meaningless to give assurances that a project will not lead to ruination because once natural ruin occurs, it is well-nigh impossible to bring it back.
Any decisions made affecting the natural state should be based on firm scientific evidence and involve a public consultation process, not on the whim of any one person.
Wasant Techawongtham is former news editor, Bangkok Post.
