CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Vieira, Natalia Brandao |
|---|---|
| Title | Sustainable Tourism and Marine Health in the Andaman Coast of Thailand |
| Summary | Considering the unplanned exponentially growing tourism industry and the vulnerability of coastal and marine ecosystems, especially Southeast Asian countries, with a particular attention to Thailand, this research aims to answer the question: What are the barriers and opportunities towards a sustainable tourism path in Southwestern Thailand from a marine ecological perspective? For this matter, this study used a multi method approach, using quantitative and qualitative e-interviews, secondary raw data from a civic science organization and a brief analysis of the policy framework. The results showed that, according to the experienced divers’ perspectives, increased ecological marine damage has been observed in relation to tourism activities. The main threats posed by the tourism industry identified by the respondents were related to direct mechanical damage from non-environmental aware tourists and indirect damage such as waste disposal and sewage discharge. Still under the findings realm, it has been reported that Thailand does have a fair policy framework regarding environmental conservation and sustainable tourism practices; however, they suffer with lack of enforcement and sometimes of resources. Acknowledging these challenges to sustainable tourism goals, some solutions have been proposed, such as limiting number of tourists and better law enforcement. Additionally, opportunities related to COVID-19 travel restrictions and already existing regulation suggest the possibility of increasing the environmental education and awareness for both local community and tourists and involvement of local residents in monitoring best tourists’ practices through an adaptive co-management approach, which would also act enhancing Marine National Parks protection. |
| Supervisor | Steger, Tamara |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/vieira_natalia.pdf |
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