After the tsunami in 2004, former Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) president Juthamas Siriwan said that Thailand lost almost two million visitors in the aftermath of the disaster. Although tourism dipped significantly, the Andaman region has bounced back and tourism is now as strong as ever. The post-tsunami rebound happened a lot faster than many had anticipated. In a little more than three years, the Andaman region has surpassed its former self in terms of visitor numbers and revenue produced.
Business operators in the Andaman region are looking further afield to attract new visitors to the area. Top priority for tourism in the region has been attendance by operators at tourism road shows around the world in places such as India and the Middle East.
So what is it that attracts people to the Andaman region? Krabi, Phuket and Phang Nga are staple additions to most Thailand visitors’ itineraries, although people come for a variety of reasons. Honeymooners, package tourists, gap year students, divers – the broad cross-section of visitors to the region is testimony to the diverse nature of the different destinations that people can choose from.
At the moment, tourism in Krabi seems to be hitting a rough patch. This year’s low season came a little sooner than expected. Part of this can be attributed to Tiger Air canceling its direct flights from Singapore, while bad weather has put off a lot of other tourists.
During low season, Krabi becomes incredibly quiet, making it the perfect time to visit, if you can handle the occasional downpour. Krabi is a popular destination for its beaches, but it also attracts people in pursuit of activities such as rock climbing and hiking.
The most popular destination in Krabi province is Koh Phi Phi, an island that is at its most beautiful in low season. During high season, the island’s reputation speaks for itself and every tour operator and travel company in Thailand herds tourists to the island as if they were cattle.
You could call this “The Beach” effect. The movie The Beach that was filmed on location on Koh Phi Phi went some way to exploding tourism on the island. Visitors all come in search of their own private island, but many leave disappointed at the large number of people they are forced to share it with.
Krabi is undergoing major change. The area is seeing a large number of traditional buildings ripped down in favor of shophouses, particularly in Ao Nang, which is the most popular part of Krabi. Unusually for Krabi, a lot of this construction began during high season.
In Phang Nga, one of the most popular activities is a sea-kayaking visit to the area’s cave system. Sea kayaking is a symbol of environmental awareness and is seen by many as a better means of transport on the water than using speedboats, primarily because it protects the natural environment.
In keeping with the natural theme, other popular activities in Phang Nga include rock climbing, with some magnificent scenery to be savored, and bird watching, thanks to the large number of species unique to Phang Nga, the likes of which you will not see in places such as Phuket.
A word of warning, however: Phang Nga Bay is becoming increasingly busy during high season. As with so much of the Andaman region, the drive to boost tourism is leading to many visitors feeling a little cramped during their vacations. Problems aside, the beaches are far superior to those in Phuket. The water is clear and the beaches are golden.
There are several points of interest in Phang Nga, primarily focused on the large number of islands accessible from Phang Nga Bay. One of the most popular spots for visitors to Phang Nga is James Bond Island, so called after being featured in the movie The Man with the Golden Gun. The island’s odd needle-like appearance makes it a firm favorite with budding photographers.
The popularity of the Similan Islands has helped cement revenue to the Andaman region. The Similans comprise nine islands renowned for their coral reef and marine life. These islands are perhaps Thailand’s most popular dive destination. The area is a national park and so not all of the islands are open to the public.
Located just 80 kilometers from Phuket is Khao Lak, in Phang Nga. Khao Lak has risen up the ranks slowly to become a popular little resort beach that attracts a large number of divers looking to get to the Similan Islands. Khao Lak, for the most part, has beaches superior to those found in Phuket, although the area is becoming increasingly more visited by backpackers and tourists.
As with Krabi, low season came early in Khao Lak this year, partly due, again, to bad weather conditions. The extended low season will have a negative impact on many businesses in Khao Lak, although some of the more creative Khao Lak tour operators have introduced low-season programs.
Like Phuket, Khao Lak is undergoing constant change, with a focus now being put into driving home new luxury resorts, private residences and fancy shopping malls. This sort of high-end catering is changing the face of the area.
As in Ao Nang, there are a large number of shophouses sprouting up in Khao Lak, which are all but taking over the coastline. Khao Lak is in serious danger of losing all of its charm to shops, bars and restaurants. The rapid change in the last 12 months alone has seen much of the unspoiled beauty of the area give way to commercial development. Residents in Khao Lak had hoped that the same development that has wreaked havoc in Phuket would not grace Khao Lak.
The future in Khao Lak remains uncertain. The area is not the casual beach resort it once was. As with many places in the Andaman Region, tourism is the primary source of income in Khao Lak.
Tourism is greatly affecting the scenery in Phang Nga. A lot of the coral reef at Phang Nga Bay has now died. Low-cost tours are partly to blame for this because inexperienced guides lead multiple tour groups to some of the area’s natural wonders. Education of future generations to protect the area is essential. In Phang Nga especially, the carrying capacity is often far exceeded by the actual number of tourist who visit natural attractions.
Phang Nga Bay has always attracted visitors because of the environment it has to offer, but mismanagement of the area has denied Phang Nga Bay the Unesco World Heritage status it so deserves. Tour numbers must be limited and better care taken of Phang Nga Bay.
Phang Nga Bay’s future should lie in eco-tourism, but action needs to be taken or else it will succumb to mass tourism.
Phuket is currently experiencing something of a tourism boom. Predicted figures for the province for 2007 put visitor numbers at more than five million and tourism revenue at more than 70 billion baht.
Phuket has long been a firm fixture on the backpacker trail. Twenty years ago, Phuket was a sleepy island. Its rapid transformation has seen it go through several phases. While once the main draw was its cheap backpacker guesthouses and pristine beaches, now Phuket is a hive of major developments and package tours.
While Phuket does have beaches, the best ones are away from the main tourist spots. Beaches have become almost an afterthought for tourism in Phuket. What the island is now pushing for is massive amounts of property, malls, cinema complexes, restaurants and accessible entertainment forms, such as paintballing and jungle trekking.
With the rapid development of Phuket has come money. The marine industry is a prime example. Phuket is now attracting some serious players who have a lot of money behind them. People are continually investing in property on the island.
Phuket’s reputation precedes it. It attracts people because of its size (543 square kilometers) and because people have been going to the island for years. It is easy to reach, served by buses and Phuket International Airport. With flights from Bangkok to Phuket so cheap, and with more international airports serving the island, Phuket is a breeze to get to.
In many ways, Phang Nga and Krabi are far more desirable locations, but Phuket is tapping into new markets, such as Russia, India and South Korea.
Phuket is the logical travel hub for Southern Thailand. The island is within easy reach of Krabi, Phang Nga, the Phi Phi Islands and many more destinations. With tourism being such big business, there is fierce competition to ferry tourists to destinations outside of Phuket. As well as government transport, namely buses, there are countless tour operators offering buses and boats and ferries.
With TAT continually looking to fresh markets and with property developers and tour operators doing so in unison, there will always be new people to bring to Phuket. The big question is: how long can it last if the future of tourism lies in eco-tourism?
Eco-tourism is a trend that continues to gain in popularity. While Phuket does have resorts that fit the eco-tourism bill, as an island and a province, it falls a long way short, even of Krabi and Phang Nga.
Phuket produces twice as much garbage as the island’s sole incinerator can cope with. The roads need resurfacing. Public transport is a disaster. Prices are skyrocketing. To truly develop into the sort of destination it could be, Phuket needs buses, metered taxis and more. People also need to feel safe, and with the recent attacks on foreigners riding motorbikes in Patong, Kata, Rawai, Chalong and so on, there needs to be an improvement in the way the authorities deal with crime.
There are plans for several mega-projects on the island. This is the direction that many people want tourism in Phuket to take. These same people want the island to be similar to Dubai, filled with high-end 8- and 9-star resorts. One such mega-project is the Ao Phuket project, which would see a 100-billion-baht marina and convention center built on land in Phuket Bay. As with many of Phuket’s mega-projects, such as the tunnel through Patong hill, there has been a lot of talk, but not much action. A recent public hearing about Ao Phuket was met with a lukewarm reception.
However, while Phuket may have its ambitions high, there will always be the sort of mass tourism that Phuket cannot escape from. Patong is the busiest area of Phuket. Nana Plaza, an offshoot of the plaza of the same name in Bangkok, is set to open in the near future in the heart of Patong, highlighting the nature of tourism in that area.
There are those who would like to see Phuket become an eco-tourism destination, but the reality of the matter is that this is unlikely. “Quality” tourists are not visiting Phuket in the numbers they used to. Rather, mass tourism and cheap property is swarming Phuket.
In terms of eco-tourism, the Andaman region has a long way to go before it can compete with efforts in places such as India, where tourism is shifting to high-quality, low-volume markets. This type of tourism is becoming increasingly popular as the general public becomes more eco-aware.
If Southern Thailand is to keep up, the area needs to be better protected and low-quality development needs to slow down.
The future is in our hands.
By MC for Tropical
