Thailand National Parks to Replenish in Absence of Buzzing Tourism.

Swikruti Kar 7th September, 2020

Thailand’s environment minister recently declared in an interview in Bangkok. The national parks of the country to be shut down for certain months, every year, owing to the damages incurred by the environment due to tourism.

The environment minister of Thailand has decided to shut the popular tourists' spots every year for a few months. The objective behind this decision is to keep the buzzing tourism at bay and provide nature some time to replenish.

The country has over 100 National parks which are distributed between the mountains in the North and the islands in the South including the Phi Economic Times Islands and Phang Nga Bay. The recent shutdown of the tourist places due to the pandemic situation has allowed nature in Thailand to heal, grow and prosper. The wilderness in the country reached new greens while several wildlife species returned to their habitats. The very famous beaches of Thailand in the pandemic saw the return of turtles and whales as well.

Tourism plays a key role in the economy of Thailand. The country upholds more than 100 National Parks (Source: Khaosok)

Tourism plays a key factor in Thailand's economy. In the financial year 2019, the country collected around 220 crore baht which is around Rs. 5.13 thousand crores from the park fees itself. Around 4 crore tourists visited the country in the discussed year. The international borders of the country were sealed in March to battle the pandemic.

As reported by The Wire, the officials of the country, however, are planning to open the borders for the tourists soon. This decision was made taking into consideration the major fall in the economy due to lack of tourism. The economy of Thailand is one of the worst-hit economies in the global scenario. According to the records, the economy of the country dropped by a rate of 8.5 per cent this year.

The Natural Resources and the Environment Minister of the country, Varawut Silpa-Archa spoke about the improvement in the environmental aesthetics of Thailand during the pandemic, according to The Hindustan Times. Subsequently, the concerned authorities of the country have decided to close the National Parks which are popular tourist attractions for two to four months every year. The implementation of this planning will take place next year onwards. The officials in the same interview stated that coral loss at several bays in the country might take up to 40 years to replenish.

(Sources: The Hindustan Times, Outlook Traveller, Bangkok Post, Bloomberg)

Edited by Swikruti Kar