Will Koh Phi Phi Be 'Koh' Finished Soon?
If studying tourism, please have a look at my i-book 'Tourism A Unit of Work for KS3, GCSE & IGSCE' by Alison Potter
Article by Bella Papadopoulou Dobrowolska
Thailand has become the most popular tourist destination in South East Asia. The fact that this country has to offer everything from beautiful white sandy beaches in the South to trekking among the hill tribes in the North. The increasing ease and inexpensive price of traveling to and within Thailand, has led also to a major increase in the number of tourists flocking to this Southeast Asian nation annually. But at the same time that the economy is expanding, the environment is taking a strong hit. Unfortunately the negative environmental, cultural, and biological impact of tourism in Thailand is increasing, and the government has been fairly passive in dealing with the various related problems.
Koh Phi Phi 2013
So, what are the impacts of tourism on Koh Phi Phi?
Koh Phi Phi over time.....
2007
2005
2002
1992
It may not come as a surprise to anyone that tourism is the
largest foreign exchange earner for Thai trade, and it thereby plays an
unquestionably important role in the countries economy. This has lead to an
increased development and economic growth but also to environmental and
cultural deterioration. Many locals are edged or forced out by government or
foreign entities interested and able to pay for the construction of tourist
facilities.
From the destruction of coral and marine life due to water
activities such as boating and scuba diving, and waste dumping by hotels and
restaurants, as well as the uncontrolled building of tourist facilities on
islands such as Koh Phi Phi, Koh Samui and Koh Phang, Thailand can be seen as
fast approaching a crisis situation.
Koh Phi Phi, a national park, has within a very short time
begun to follow the same path as Samui, regardless of its designation as a
protected area. The island is known for its fancy resorts and renowned yacht
club and marina.
When tourists arrive in Kho Phi Phi Island, before allowed
on to the island, they are forced to pay a fee that is supposed to “keep Phi
Phi clean” as the Municipal official responsible for cleanness and public
relations state. What is interesting though is the fact that most of the
beaches are polluted and there is garbage lying around at the beaches.
Jennifer Blunt visited Kho Phi Phi this year and was
disgusted by what she saw.
“I was quite disappointed and shocked to see all the litter
in the water and was surprised to see that the Thai’s were quite blatant about
throwing rubbish over board. I found it quite ironic that your expected to part
with 20 baht in order to actually step onto the island which supposedly is a
contribution towards maintaining cleanliness of the island. I have been to many
other holiday locations where payment is not required and the beach is much
cleaner and noticeably maintained. I was also put off swimming in the water due
to witnessing various other people urinating into the seas upon nighttime. I
think that there need to be some stricter rules imposed on holidaymakers and
young adults” she says.
The question is if Phi Phi island is at a risk of losing its
beauty to commercialism? Obviously
tourism has a great impact in all aspects and this is why it is significant to
consider a balance between nature and commerce.
Unfortunately, the very fragile coastal, marine and small
island environment upon which tourism has been built has come under increasing
pressure as a result of the largely uncontrolled, and hardly anticipated,
tourism boom. The phenomenal amount of construction work which has taken place
over the last decade or so has, in the main, proceeded unbridled by planning
controls. Such building restrictions that exist have been largely ignored,
often quite willfully. As a result, the coastal landscape, so important an
element of the aesthetic environment, has in places been changed quite
dramatically.
The marine environment has suffered equally, from the
destruction of coral by anchors and scuba divers, as well as pollution from the
motorboats and the continuous dumping of untreated waste that is pumped into
the sea by the resorts along the shore. A Thai newspaper reported that the
island cannot effectively cope with 75% of the waste that is created each day.
This 75% is “burned, buried or dumped at sea”.
Along with the environmental devastation wreaked by tourism,
there is also the economic effect upon poor Thais who in no way benefit – in
fact suffer from the growth of tourism. Many local fishermen and their families
have been forcibly removed from coastal areas to make room for new hotels and
restaurants. Most of the villagers on Koh Muk, an island near Haad Chao Mai
national park in Trang province, have been pushed back into the mangrove
forests to make room for tourist lodgings. The villagers never owned the land,
but they never needed to, until land speculators came with bills of sale from
local land officials in the city. Once free to fish as they chose, these
villagers now face an unsure future.
The environmental degradation taking place in relation to
tourism is credited to such possible explanations as lack of information and
technology, lack of skills by Thai planners in the field of ‘recreation
management’, lack of authority for proper implementation, lack of coordination
among government officials and departments, lack of long term thinking and
planning and lack of resources.
Also inhibiting environmental protection are: the power of
economic gain over all other concerns, as well as corruption in government and
the predominance of outside ownership of tourist facilities, who do not have as
vested an interest in the long term condition of the location as they are more
free to get up and move when the tourists leave.
Increasing concern over the environmental effects of tourism
have led to the recognition of the need for proper legislation. The Thai
government has taken steps in this direction in the 1990s. The government is
working on establishing a ‘multi-agency task force’ that would hopefully
eliminate the overlap and confusion among the many departments playing a role
in tourism issues. The national park system has increased to 34, 503 square
kilometers.
However, much of the new legislation has yet to be
successfully implemented, due to pressure from members of the industry, and the
fear of harming the economic benefits reaped from this industry. Though many of
the islands designated as national parks have continued to see tourist
development.
Are there advantages as well as disadvantages?
Flotsam and Jetsam on the strand line.
This is a video about Phuket - but a lot of the same ideas apply to Koh Phi Phi
Task : Make a table like the one below
Fill in the table with as much detail as you can describing and explaining how tourism has both advantages and disadvantages for Koh Phi Phi. You could do some of your own research, but could start with the abstracts below.
Trash Line in Phi Phi
Lonely Planet Koh Phi Phi
"Prior to the tsunami, the island was growing too rapidly for
its existing infrastructure and fragile ecosystem to sustain. Immediately
following the tsunami the Thai government put on hold any rebuilding on the
island’s sand bar, and it was hoped, with the slate wiped clean, that lessons
could be learned from past mistakes. Several local agencies attempted to educate
developers and residents about sustainable growth, and rumours circulated that
the area would be turned into a public park.
But none of these things came to pass and Ao Ton Sai now
looks almost exactly as it did before 24 December 2004. In the Tourist Village,
street vendors and souvenir shops are back in full swing, as are dozens of
booking agencies, restaurants and dive operators. On most of the other bays,
it’s business as usual.
Expat James Hood, owner of the new 007 Bar, explained it
this way:
‘It isn’t like anyone actually has permission from the
government to build, but it is happening anyway, and no one is doing anything
to stop it. One family has a lot of influence on the island and in the
provincial government in Krabi,
’ he said.
There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel, however. A
new water-treatment plant, opened in 2006, should eliminate water-supply issues
for now. Trash is starting to head into rubbish bins – a local bar owner has
taken it upon himself to place bins on the main tourist beaches. Do your part
in recycling – look for the new rubbish bins and deposit as much garbage as you
can find.
And while Phi Phi may look the same as it did pre-tsunami,
it certainly doesn't cost the same.
‘Ko Phi Phi is changing, there has been a drop in the
backpacker population and an increase in the suitcase brigade, ’ Hood said.
‘Backpackers can’t afford to stay here anymore.’
It’s true. Although Ko Phi Phi retains a mellow backpacker
vibe, cheap bungalows are few and far between, and those that exist seem
overpriced for the cramped, dark and dank environs you get. The outlook is only
slightly less dismal in the mid range and top-end bracket – expect to pay nearly
double what you would on the mainland, for half the amenities and swankness.
Why is Phi Phi so expensive these days?
For two reasons, Hood says. First, electricity is hugely
expensive on Phi Phi because the island is not supplied with electricity from
the mainland and has to rely on generators. Ferry and long-tail boat prices are
also increasing – rates are tied to the price of petrol, so if petrol prices
drop drastically in the next two years, expect prices to go down (we wish!).
On the plus side, Phi Phi is building sounder structures
these days (probably another reason prices are going up). Instead of
fly-by-night bungalows, Western style buildings, constructed to withstand a
tsunami, are going up. Designs include open-air staircases people can use to climb
onto the roof in a hurry.
And even though Ko Phi Phi will seem expensive compared to
the rest of Thailand,
if you compare it to other gorgeous islands around the planet, we think you’ll
discover this paradise actually comes pretty damn cheap."
"....Then there are the beaches and the water. This is where Koh Phi Phi is supposed to shine. But it doesn't From afar the blue water and
white sand beaches looks like paradise. Yet when you look closer, you realize
that looks are deceiving. One of the beaches is used by all the boats so it’s a
no go. There is the main one in the bay opposite that a lot of people go to but
when the tide goes out the water recedes out to the ocean and all that is left
is dead coral, boats, and ankle deep water, which wouldn't be bad if it didn't happen during the day! This leaves the most popular beach, Long beach, which is
a 15 minute walk from town. There you’ll find it packed with people vying for
the decent spot of beach.
Yet unless you are on the private resorts on the north end
of the island, you can’t be saved from the one thing that truly kills this
island: the mass of long tail boats. There are simply too many boats and too
many engines choking the water. The worst is on the beach with the pier and the
best is Long Beach, but even that beach can’t escape and the fact it’s the
“best,” doesn't really say much. No matter where you go, you’ll notice that the
water has a funky smell to it. Or that white foamy bubbles of waste and
chemicals from too many boats and engines float on the surface. Or maybe you
will notice the oil slicks and the weird brown stuff in the water. Whatever you
notice, you’ll notice that the water up close, just isn’t as good as it was far
away and suddenly, the cool dip in that blue tropical water just doesn’t seem
like such a good idea.
Ko Phi Phi, like many Thai islands, suffers from mass over
development. It’s simply too small to handle all the people brought to it.
Hotels are thrown up, boats brought in, and ferries arrive to fill as many
rooms as possible all while coral reefs are dynamited and overfished and as many
tourists as possible are brought to gawk and feed the wild monkeys and take
their photo where Leonardo Di Caprio filmed “The
Beach“. And since the tourists don’t complain, nothing gets changed."
What is the Future For Koh Phi Phi?
What stage of the Butler Model is Koh Phi Phi? What is its future?
What opportunities exist? Can Phi Phi develop its tourism further in a more sustainable way? What is sustainable tourism?
