Responsible Travel - Thailand - page 1518

Tourism
Most forms of tourism, despite the prevailing prejudices, have a positive economic effect
on the local economy in Thailand: they provide jobs for young workers and business op-
portunities for entrepreneurs. But in an effort to be more than just a consumer, many travel-
lers look for opportunities to spend where their money might be needed, either on charit-
able causes or activities that preserve traditional ways of life. Thailand has done a surpris-
ingly good job at adapting to this emerging trend by promoting village craft programs and
homestays ( Click here ). Unfortunately, much of this is aimed at the domestic market rather
than international visitors. But more and more, foreign tourists can engage in these small-
scale tourism models that offer an insight into traditional ways.
Diving
The popularity of Thailand's diving industry places immense pressure on fragile coral sites.
To help preserve the ecology, adhere to these simple rules.
» Avoid touching living marine organisms, standing on coral or dragging equipment (such as fins) across the reef. Coral
polyps can be damaged by even the gentlest contact.
» When treading water in shallow reef areas, be careful not to kick up clouds of sand, which can easily smother the delic-
ate reef organisms.
» Take great care in underwater caves where your air bubbles can be caught within the roof and leave previously sub-
merged organisms high and dry.
» Join a coral clean-up campaign sponsored by local dive shops.
» Don't feed the fish or allow your dive operator to dispose of excess food in the water. The fish become dependent on
this food source and don't tend eat the coral, causing harm to the reef.
Elephant Encounters
Throughout Thai history, elephants have been revered for their strength, endurance and in-
telligence, working alongside their mahouts to harvest teak, transport goods through moun-
tains or fight ancient wars.
But many of the elephant's traditional roles have either been outsourced to machines or
outlawed (logging was banned in 1989), leaving the domesticated animals and their ma-
houts without work. Some mahouts turned to begging on the streets in Bangkok and other
tourist centres, a dangerous practice that the government is working to curb through fines
and incentive programs. But most elephants, like many human migrants, found work in