Tourism in Thailand :: essays research papers

Tourism in Thailands National Parks The Problems it BringsRainforests argon currently being destroyed at a rate of over 200,000 agora kilometers a year according to the US National Academy of Sciences (Wheeler). Some of these rainforests are located in Thailands national parks. In Thailand, there are 15 national parks set aside for conservation, though only 80% of these parks re principal(prenominal) intact today. These Parks represent approximately 13% of Thailands land. The purpose of these parks is for the conservation of the forests and wildlife, educational tours and research studies, as well as recreational adventure (Wheeler). In 1961, The Royal Forest section (RFD) of Thailand passed the National Park Act. This act stated that activities which endanger any resource within the park boundaries are strictly prohibited. These activities include settlement, land ownership, grazing, the manipulation of waterways, geologic deterioration, logging, hunting, and colleting of forest products. These provisions obviously do not apply to park officials who protect and maintain the park for education, technical research, and facilitate recreational activities (Pipithvanichtham). One of the main reasons for the Thai regimes plan to expand tourism facilities in the national parks is to bring in foreign money into the economy by tourism to these areas. However, there are concerns that the effects of increasing tourism in these areas will lead to mismanagement, corruption, and environmental destruction. Therefore, the Thai organization should not be promoting tourism in Thailands national parks.The government claims that problems associated with tourism in national parks can be dealt with by careful planning and with the participation of government agencies. For example, the RFD is making an effort to protect the National Parks. The RFD plans to update their existing park laws and regulations to make them more suitable for the modern times. The RFD and the Kasetsart University conducted a training session for all in all national park chiefs to provide them a chance to learn about park management policies. The RFD hopes to develop some means of cooperation with other countries, particularly in the fields of expertise which it lacks (Pipithvanichtham). While the RFD has a plan, it will require money to enact it. Currently, there is not enough money to fund this plan mate with governmental mismanagement. The parks are not funded well enough, which has caused the amount of upkeep in the parks to decrease. The cost of managing Thailands national parks is met using the governments central budget and park entrance fees.