December 2nd, 2007, 01:55
The beautiful beaches and islands have unfortunately attracted more than their fare share of short-sighted development projects. With virtually all this region within a four to five hour drive of Bangkok, eastern Thailand has borne the brunt of some of the biggest and most ill-conceived of Thailand's tourist-related development.
Pattaya, the once sleepy fishing village was transformed into a heaving sun, sea and sex destination courtesy of it being used as an R&R destination during the Vietnam war. Development ran at a totally unsustainable rate, eventually only slowing down when Pattaya's beaches became so polluted they verged on being unsafe to swim in. More recently the area has tried to clean up its act and re-package itself as a family destination -- while environmental improvements have certainly been made, many believe it has failed miserably on the other front and remains to this day one of the sleaziest centres in the entire country.
The next casualty was Ko Samet -- ostensibly a National Marine Park -- but you wouldn't know that upon setting foot on it (though you will be asked to pay the 200B entry fee). While the development has not had nearly the impact that Pattaya's did (Ko Samet got its first ATM just a year or two ago), there is nevertheless the typical blights that you can see anywhere in the world where a fast-buck takes precedence over a sustainable one. The island remains a good place to visit -- soft white sand beaches are but a bus and boat ride from Bangkok, making it a weekender's favourite -- just don't expect an unspoilt paradise.
You'd think that after Pattaya and Ko Samet, the developers may have learnt from their mistakes, but it seems they skipped the class and Ko Chang, in Trat province is the next one being worked over. Thailand's second largest island (after Phuket) caught Thai PM Taksin Shinawatra's eye, and huge development projects have poured in ever since -- despite its National Park status. At least with its larger size it can absorb a degree of development better than some of the smaller islands, but for only so long. A good site for more information on the development of Ko Chang is iamkohchang.com.
http://www.travelfish.org
Pattaya, the once sleepy fishing village was transformed into a heaving sun, sea and sex destination courtesy of it being used as an R&R destination during the Vietnam war. Development ran at a totally unsustainable rate, eventually only slowing down when Pattaya's beaches became so polluted they verged on being unsafe to swim in. More recently the area has tried to clean up its act and re-package itself as a family destination -- while environmental improvements have certainly been made, many believe it has failed miserably on the other front and remains to this day one of the sleaziest centres in the entire country.
The next casualty was Ko Samet -- ostensibly a National Marine Park -- but you wouldn't know that upon setting foot on it (though you will be asked to pay the 200B entry fee). While the development has not had nearly the impact that Pattaya's did (Ko Samet got its first ATM just a year or two ago), there is nevertheless the typical blights that you can see anywhere in the world where a fast-buck takes precedence over a sustainable one. The island remains a good place to visit -- soft white sand beaches are but a bus and boat ride from Bangkok, making it a weekender's favourite -- just don't expect an unspoilt paradise.
You'd think that after Pattaya and Ko Samet, the developers may have learnt from their mistakes, but it seems they skipped the class and Ko Chang, in Trat province is the next one being worked over. Thailand's second largest island (after Phuket) caught Thai PM Taksin Shinawatra's eye, and huge development projects have poured in ever since -- despite its National Park status. At least with its larger size it can absorb a degree of development better than some of the smaller islands, but for only so long. A good site for more information on the development of Ko Chang is iamkohchang.com.
http://www.travelfish.org