The Koh Phi Phi Islands - Report Example

The Koh Phi Phi Islands The Koh Phi Phi Islands Introduction Tourism is often regarded as the fastest growing service industry worldwide, whereas ecotourism is said to be the fastest growing component (the economist, 1998; Chon, 2000, pg.1). The tourism potential of natural areas is vast. Tourism and in particular eco-tourism, is increasingly growing rapidly in most parts of southern Asia, particularly Indonesia, malaysia and thailand Thailand is chiefly a tourism kingdom, with this economic sector contributing 14.3 percent of the country’s GDP (Graci, et al., 2010, pg. 90). Its premier tourist sites can be categorized into three primary geographical locations, Northern Thailand, Central Thailand and southern Thailand. Northern Thailand is celebrated for the cultural experiences it affords, such as trekking adventures in the hill tribe areas and exploration of the temples in the ancient Siam capital. Central Thailand offers the attraction of Bangkok, boasting high-end luxury hotels, cultural events and a burgeoning nightlife. Southern Thailand on the other hand is branded the relaxation area, where sun, sand and the sea meet (Nelson, et al., 2007, pg. 27). This diversified offering did not emerge spontaneously, but is a product of the country nurturing of its tourism sector (Nelson, et al., 2007, pg. 27). Tourism has since then become an important source of revenue in Thailand especially due to its beautiful beaches and exotic flavor. In 1982, during the economic slump, the government heavily promoted tourism to counter the slump. As a result, there was a large push to create new beaches and island resorts to attract foreign visitors (Baker, et al., 2005; Nelson, et al., 2007, pg. 28). However, tourism resources have been exploited to produce short-term profits rather than long-run gains for the entire economy and local development. This has resulted in the degradation of the environment and culture and many tourist attractions have subsequently closed down or lost popularity (Lebel, et al., 2010, pg. 210). This paper examines the case of Koh Phi Phi, an island in southern Thailand, which after the tsunami of 2004 was thinking of moving towards a more sustainable form of tourism after years of unchecked development. It will identify both sustainable and unsustainable practices in the tourism industry of Koh Phi Phi, and propose measures which can be undertaken to move the industry in a new sustainable direction. Introduction to the Koh Phi Phi Islands The islands of Koh Phi Phi are located in Southerneast asia, a short boat ride from Thailand’s main tourist island of Phuket in the Andaman sea. It is located in a National Marine Park. Although there are a few international resorts on the island, developments are predominantly in Tingsai, the main town. The island started as a back packer destination but gained immense popularity and underwent intense costruction after The Beach was filmed on Phi Phi Leh in 2000 (Graci, et al., 2010, pg. 91). It is a delightful place to spend some days relaxing on its beautiful beaches, discovering its numerous coves and bays, as well as climbing its precipitous vertical peaks and investigating the huge caves that hide the edible nests of swifts Before 2004, tourism numbers had reached approximately 1.2 million years (Graci, et al., 2010, pg. 91). However, the island suffered from enviromental issues such as lack of or no fresh water, expensive generator-produced electricity, ineffective waste management , beach degradation and rapid development with no formal planning (Dodds, 2010, pg. 255). The residents faced appaling conditions; standing waste water, strong odours and ground water pollution from overflowing septic tanks. In December 2004 a tsunami struck Koh Phi Phi. The major reef was damaged and a large part of the infrustracture was destroyed this resulted to tourist numbers going down from 1.2 million to approximately 500,000 per annum. (Graci, et al., 2010, pg. 91). This thereby necesitated the need for the redevelopment of the Koh Phi Phi into a more sustainable ecosystem, stakeholders came together to discuss the need for a more sustainable tourism development and what role they can play in this development. The Negative and Positive Effects of Tourism Tourism has resulted to both benefits and loss to the residents of Koh Phi Phi. It generates positive economic impacts to the local community, however, it has also resulted to a worsened income distribution with the gap between the rich and poor widening unfairly. The tourism industry predominantly benefited the big businesses (Chon, 2000, pg 197). While tourism can benefit local communities, the behavior of some visitors may also cause cultural tension. Social cultural impacts arise from the differences in culture between themselves and visitors. Due to difference in culture, some tourists behavior is perceived by the local as culturally inappropriate. Behaviors such as climbing the Buddha statues, sunbathing naked, males walking topless in the streets and females wearing provocative and skimpy clothing. This raises a concern as the local community are of the opinion that their youngsters may mimic the visitors inappropriate behavior (Dodds, 2010, pg. 262). The most direct negative impact that tourism has had on Koh Phi Phi Islands was on the immediate natural appearance. The picturesque sorrounding Koh Phi Phi has been scarred by the frenzied construction of resorts and hotels, without the slightest consideration for the aesthetics or the environment. Additionally, most of the coral rocks have also died due to the pollution of the ocean waters through the direct drainage of phosphates from shampoos, washing and effluents which upsets the pH balance of the water and marine life (Graci, et al., 2010, pg. 93). Pressures originating from eco-tourism have also resulted in degradation of the very ecosystems on which they depend. There has been widespread soil erosion as a result of the excessive number of tourists, this is especially so, on popular hiking trails and in areas where the soil is fragile. There is also alterations and variations of marine structure, in particular corals, this is as a result of diving, boating, and fishing (Tourism Ethic and Development Programmes , 2006, pg.10). The marine environment has undergone tremendous degradation from the damage of coral by anchors and scuba divers and the pollution from the numerous motor boats and the incessant discarding of raw untreated waste which is continuously being pumped into the sea by the hotels along the shore. Leakages and negative externalities have also been brought about by tourism. Environmental leakages such as water pollution and strong odours have been brought about by mass tourism and the lack of the hotels to have a capacity of handling waste. Economic leakages have come up in the form of reduced fish in the surrounding areas, this has forced many families whose livelihoods depended on fishing to seek other means of living. Additionally, there has been social leakages, whereby the moral values of the local indigenous people have gone down through the acceptance of prostitution as a respectable way of earning a living in a society which is predominantly Muslim. The Positive Effects of Tourism to the island encompass the following; eco-tourism has fostered a better appreciation of the natural environment and their intrinsic and economic worth . It also has provided a greater exposure of both the public as well as governing institutions to nature and the necessity of conservation. Additionally, it has acted as a form of motivation that has resulted in the designation of natural ecosystems into niches of conservation and protection (Nelson, et al., 2007, Pg. 15) Tourism helps improve the local economy, livelihoods and living conditions. This it achieves through increased income for existing local businesses, creation of business opportunities and generates tourism related careers. Additionally, it has the positive effect that it motivates the local community to preserve local traditions , stimulates cultural exchange and encourages cooperation among local residents. (Lebel, et al., 2010, pg. 215) The booming of the tourism industry directly and indirectly created attractive new sources of income and jobs for local people, that is, through staff members and workers at resorts and hotels, it also provides a new market for local production and subsequent revenues are invested in service and small businesses mostly oriented towards the tourism industry such as souvenir shops, restaurants, and guided tour businesses (Spring, et al., 2009, pg. 1138) Sustainability in Koh Phi Phi Islands The World Tourism Organization (WTO) defines sustainable tourism as “tourism which results to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be filled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems” (Lebel, et al., 2010, pg. 212; McKercher, 2003). Additionally, sustainable tourism should follow the principles of inter-generational equity, intra-generational equity, environmental protection and public participation. Tourists are increasingly visiting many destinations, including Thailand, however, several well known tourism destinations have bore the brunt as a result of these visits, this mainly is owing to the lack of sustainable development, and the relatively fragile tourism resources which are being negatively affected by the rampant growth of mass tourism (Dodds, 2010, pg. 251; Wong, 1998; Wahnschafft, 1982). Tourism development is often sought predominantly in relatively poor warm water islands, as one of a limited number of economic options. Pristine tourism resources have been introduced to majority of tourists prior to appropriate investment which supports managements, infrastructure and amenities are made. The economic development in such islands is often constrained by the lack of local financial capital, extremely high transport costs, dilapidated infrastructure and social amenities and the dependence on single commodities (King, 1999, pg. 96; Lockhart, 1997). Vulnerability, peripherality and insularity also plague islands, and these characteristics are intimately linked to carrying capacity, community development and participation, local political enviroment and special interests groups. (Dodd, 2010, pg. 252) Many problems that small islands face relate directly to their insular geography and fragile environment , and even though they are benefiting from increased economic gain from tourism, they are also experiencing many negative enviromental and social consequences. Sustainability as an idea assumes that enviromental, social and economic interests will all be weighed equally, however, according to Hardin’s (1968) Tragedy of the Commons theory, a resource owned collectively will be destroyed by each individual overusing that resource, ignoring the group’s collective interests in favour of their own. Succeses and Failures in Achieving Sustainability Post-Tsunami After the tsunami there was an increased awareness of sustainability in Koh Phi Phi. After the devastations that the tsunami left, some government officials and key stakeholders discussed the need for more sustainable tourism. A number of innitiatives were undertaken post tsunami. Collective efforts were taken in order to restore the area, such as the Adventure Dive Center, which put up in place measures to protect the reef and educate the government and the tourist about enviromental concerns. In addition, several new regulations were put in place. A new biulding rule of 30 metres from the high water line was established as well as new boating regulations and sewage management. A new sewage treatment plant was built in the main part of the island in tongsai, which included a wastewater collection system, siphons, polishing ponds, storage tanks, an underground pump station and three types of constructed wetlands (Dodds, 2010, pg. 256; Hansen, 2006). Although there were successes, that state of Koh Phi Phi 3 years post-tsunami can not be considered more sustainable from a holistic point of view, nor is recovery benefiting anyone. The prices of water have risen from 30 to 380 baht per unit while dringking water is still being shipped in. Waste is also a concern, the cost of disposing waste is 10 baht per bag and increasingly people are illegally dumping waste (Graci, et al., 2010, pg. 94). Electricity too is incredibly expensive as it is six times more expensive than on the mainland, and blackouts are common in the high season due to over consumption. Marine issues are also increasing, owing to the devastation of the main pier. Although the Adventure Dive Center, a dive shop, put in place many measures to help reef protection and started numerous educational programmes, boating regulations are not being adhered to. Many long tail boats dump fuel, and this has resulted in a visible film across the bay area (Dodds, 2010, pg. 257). Moreover, while they tried to innitiate their sustainabilty efforts, they were not the majority landowners and therefore lacked the bargaining power to influence. Although legislation has been put in place, much of it does not address issues of disaster mitigation or sustainability. The new 30 metre building legislation was originally set at 100 metres, then reduced to 50 metres, and finally agreed upon at 30 metres. Building legislation also put in place and enviromental impact assessments are required, legislation is not enforced, while the enviromental impact assessments, which are required before any construction is undertsken can be bought even without ever being carried out. Another challenge to sustainable tourism development on the island was the lack of policy and planning. There lacked no overall tourism development policy for the development of the island before or after the tsunami. Social issues are also increasing. There exist no current wage standard on the island and there is little ownership by residents. Since the tsunami, rent has reportedly increased five folds (Dodds, 2010, pg.258), and as there is little majority land ownership with five main landowners, in a population of over 600 locals and in excess of 2000 employees, there is little perceived responsibility for ensuaring responsible use of resources. Additionally, safety standards are also a problem. There are no set safety standards for boats or fire and with recent fire on the island. There is also an increase in crime, increased tourism with little increase in overall wealth of the community has resulted in increased reports of petty theft and robbery. The overall feeling with the locals is that after the tsunami there was little federal help. As mist aid came from foreigners. Steps Towards Enhancing Sustainable Tourism Sustainability may be achieved in some cases where the local population participates and is involved in the tourism related development process, however, this depends on the extent and level of participation. In the caes of Koh Phi Phi, values and beliefs differed greatly and the power dynamics greatly affected the proposed governance of collective resources. The main hindrance to sustainable tourism stems from the influential five major land owners of Koh Phi Phi who profit from the land (Casimir, 2009, pg. 338). In order to undertake any steps towards sustainable tourism, this groups’ participation is indeed very important. The idea that sustainable tourism is costly and should be done away with as it makes them have little interest in supporting any efforts towards environmental protection. Another way of making tourism sustainable is through the use of a tourism strategy that maximizes revenues through quality tourism. (Fahn, 2004, pg.51). This would be in accordance with the Thai prime minister, who wanted the cost of accomodation to be raised considerably to make it only affordable to high-spending tourists. This would minimize the cultural and environmental impacts of tourism by keeping a strict limit on foreign tourists and making them pay more. There should be some devolution of control from private tour operators and the government to local residents. This has been found to make a positive difference for conservation and community development, for example, in the bay islands off the coast of Honduras. (Robinson, et al., 2009, pg.337) Barriers and Challenges Towards Achieving Sustainable Tourism Implementation of sustainable tourism suffers many barriers, which include both private and public sector issues. The most common barriers include; lack of education, economic priority, that is, short term economic focus wims over long term social and enviromental concerns, lack of planning and private sector power and lack of stakeholder involvement. Issues that have affected the redevelopment of the island as more sustainable relate to issues of power, ethical and moral dilemnas. Even though the life cycle of Koh Phi Phi was essentially renewed after the tsunami, there is still no concept of sustainability. A general lack of education sorrounding issues of sustainability is part of the problem too, for example boat owner’ lack of knowledge or awarene about safety or fire issues. There was a distrust of politicians, especially once local stakeholders realized that potential new development plans and the power of the five landowners to build bigger and more intensely proved to be a priority of economic over social and enviromental concerns. The issue of power lied at the heart of the interplay of values, interests and tourism policy (Dodds, 2010, pg. 259; Hall, 2007). There was no overall policy for the island after the tsunami, although many government offficials came to the island and the sustainable redevelopment of Koh Phi Phi was said to be on the frederal agenda for 3 months, no final policy agreement was ever achieved. There was a lack of engagement by stakeholders and many people believed that no effort was made. Dodd (2010, pg.259), notes that the rules were only meant to benefit the rich and there was no effort to include locals in the governments’ “redevelopment strategy”, on the contrary armed officials made threats to landowners to clear off the island. The redevelopment and upgrading of Koh Phi Phi to a world class tourist destination under DASTA, a public organization having links with the natural resources and the enviroment, many feared would only help the business groups close to the government and this made the locals to be unreceptive to the plans ( English People’s Daily, 2006). There are only five major land owners in the island and they build without restraint bungalows, multistoreyed hotels, shops, restaurants, shops and bars. This coupled with lack of plans and reports of bribe being paid, made contesting new building decisions difficult, with the exception of building heights. In briesf, there was a weak system of enforcement of regulations. Economic priority also took place over social and enviromental concerns. After the tsunami, little if any aid was provided to the island and therefore general livelihood concerns took over from other issues. Although a fee of 2,500 baht per individual and 20,000 baht per business was to be provided to every business owner, the amount was too little to provide any relief and in addition many people did not receive the full amount promised. (Graci, et al., 2010) The unwillingness of many firms to adopt sustainable practices, this is for the reason that there lacks a of demand for sustainable tourism. On the same note, some busineses perceive tourism as academic and irrelevant. Other hotels do not implement sustainable practice because they don’t want to seem to “preach” to high-spending guest . (Pineda, et al., 2006). Another challenge that faces sustainable tourism is the perception by businesses that the implementation of sustainable practices needs “expert assistance” and financial support from public funds to compensate for the extra costs involved when introducing sustainable practices (Tourism, 2006, pg. 31). Moreover, although many stakeholders agreed that an overall land management plan would have been benefitial, there lacked clear direction and or leadership in this regard. Moreover, the mechanism to implement a plan was not evident and there was little coordination between local, provincial and federal levels of government. There also lacked influence from the mainland government on the island, as there are only a few large landowners (80 percent of land is owned by five owners), power is distributed into the hands of the few. However much thailand implemented a decesntralization scheme of relegating more power to local governments, there was no original masterplan for the island and no physical plan included or could be agreed upon by all stakesholders, therefore minimal change could happen. The tsunami led to extensive damage to the tourism infrastructure in the island and reconstruction efforts have predominantly been directed to the affected operators reopening for business as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this step has impacted negatively the environment as the need to make a living took precedence over protecting and developing the environment in a way which is sustainable. How to Promote Sustainable Tourism To promote sustainable tourism, the process should be participatory. This is to mean, the process should encompass a broad range of stakeholders so as to promote a wider adherence to the stratagem and commitment to its implementation (UNEP, et al., 2005, PG. 97). The use of participatory approaches empowers the local communities and enables them articulate their own agenda which promotes sustainable tourism (Tzanelli, 2007, pg. 73; Lar and Keen, 2001) The investors in tourism should strive to adopt environmentally sound technologies or undertake measures which reduce ecological pollution. In the case of water resources, this may involve the use of desalination systems and the collection and usage of rain water. There is also need to use ecologically friendly materials and installation of renewable sources of energy such as solar energy. (UN, 2007, pg. 27) There can be implemented policies which ensure that all the sector players in the hotel and restaurant industry in the Koh Phi Phi have a Green Globe certification. This will mean that they are commited to better and improved enviromental as well as social outcomes. (GreenGlobe, pg. 2011) Pollution of ground water and coastal waters must also be prevented. This can be achieved through legislation for the investors to invest in proper sewage treatment facilities. Appropriate waste disposal systems and ways to separate garbage into organic and non-organic waste should be developed. Organic waste can as well be composted and possibly reused on hotel gardens. Environmental sustainability can be promoted through the use of bottom-up decision making. As a result of the poor results achieved through the “top-down” centralized decision-making process of the past (Pretty, 1995; Tzanelli, 2007, pg. 73), there is the general need for decentralized decision making and devolution of responsibilities to local levels, this will promote accountability and responsibility. Tourists training program could be established and developed, this will go a long way in managing the codes of conducts for the tourists such the plastic water bottles and cigarettes butts which are littering the beach. Herein tourists can be informed about and educated about Koh Phi Phi before and after arrival at the island. Tourist information centres can as well be established. (Honey, et al., December 2007, pg. 107) Other forms of tourism can also be employed in pursuit of sustainable development, these would encompass adventure tourism, this is a kind tourism which is based on nature and which integrates an element of risk, higher levels of physical exertion, and the need for specialized skills, pure eco-tourism, this is responsible travel to the ecosystems which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of the people (Hall, et al., 2003). There is also the option of employing the polluter pay principle or any other forms of internalizing any externalities for pollution related to tourism operations. Conclusion This paper has presented and examined the wide range of issues and significant challenges involved in making tourism in the Koh Phi Phi more sustainable. The most effective structures and strutegic approaches to sustainability and the relevant implementation instruments and means such as stakeholder participatory approaches, adoption of environmentally sound technologies, Green Globe certification, policy legislation, bottom-up decision making, Tourists training program and the internalization of any externalities for pollution related to tourism operations have been discussed. In order to achieve sustainable tourism, Koh Phi Phi must look beyond profit maximization from tourism towards an intergrated and holistic view of wider issues of sustainable development. References Casimir, Michael J. 2009. Culture and the Changing Environment: Uncertainty, Cognition, and Risk Management in Cross-Cultural Perspective. illustrated. s.l. : Berghahn Books, 2009. Chon, K S. 2000. Tourism in Southeast Asia: a new direction. illustrated. New York : Routledge, 2000. Daily, English Peoples. 2006. Tourism plans called off for Phi Phi Island in Thailand. 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