Phuket Tourism: Is it Sustainable for Phuketians?
Long one of Thailand’s island gems, Phuket is the gateway to many holiday destinations in the Andaman Sea. Restaurants, hotels & resorts, tour operators and real estate companies have expanded so rapidly that they far outstrip the demand of Thai and foreign tourists during the low season. But during the high season, businesses compete intensively for market share and to maximize profits before the seasonal rains usher in the low season once again.
But when the crowds disperse and the rains clear, the destruction of the islands’ delicate ecology stands in contrast against the very sales pitches and postcards that drew tourists to Phuket in the first place – its pristine natural beauty.
Successful sustainable tourism in Phuket will depend on fruitful collaborations that incorporate all stakeholders: businesses operating in the sector, local communities, national and local government, and the tourists.
The challenge will be to prioritize long-term sustainability that takes into account impacts on the environment and local communities, both present and future, over short-term wins and over-consumption during the annual high season. Key to this will be heightened awareness and collaborative efforts to invest in or incentivize investments in more sustainable growth paths, especially as wider sustainability impacts linked to global sustainability challenges, especially climate change, can be expected to exacerbate existing challenges.
Tourism, economic prosperity, and conservation will need to be reconciled to sustain the beauty of Phuket, the resulting economic opportunities for the local and national economy, and its magnetism to guests from around the world.
Source: CSR Asia
Young women heading to Phuket for breast augmentation
Queensland Restored Beauty Getaways director Claire Licciardo said 26 Cairns women had travelled to Phuket this year for surgery.
She said 50 per cent of those patients were aged between 20 to 28 with all receiving breast augmentation.
"There is a huge amount of interest especially with breast augmentation," she said.
Source: Cairns Post
More cruise ships to Phuket
South Africa & Indian Ocean Odyssey – On a 46-day roundtrip sailing from Perth, travelers cover several continents during their voyage. Sun Princess will call at Asian ports such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Phuket, then move on to India with visits to Mumbai, Goa, and the Maldives. After crossing the Equator, the ship visits the Seychelles, and the South African ports of Richard’s Bay, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and Durban. The ship calls at Reunion Island and Mauritius before returning to Perth. Sun Princess departs on May 3, 2011.
Source: www.princess.com
HIV cases increase in Thailand with Myanmar migrants
In the Ranong province of Thailand, aid workers estimate that migrants from Myanmar have reached around 200,000, which is twice the size of the local population. Many are from ethnic minorities, particularly the Christian Karen people, who have fled from the south of Myanmar following repression by the junta. In Ranong, they find low paid work in the fishing, seafood and agricultural industries.
But even though these refugees have found safety in Thailand, for many their struggle to survive is far from over. The prevalence of HIV/AIDs among the migrants is high, though no official statistics are available.
Fearful of seeking help, migrants often appear at local hospitals only when they become so ill they are unable to work and are in the last stages of the disease.
In Myanmar itself, an estimated 240,000 people are infected with the HIV virus and of the 75,000 who are in urgent need of anti-retroviral treatment, only one fifth actually receive it. For the rest, those who are too poor to pay for their own medicine, must go without. Funding for the HIV/AIDs programme is inadequate and many aids agencies operate on a limited basis in Myanmar.
Source: SOS Childrens Villages
Burmese language ATM machines
Kasikorn Bank (K Bank) has added a Burmese language option to about 100 ATM machines intended for use by Burmese migrant workers. ATM machines in Ranong will offer the service.
The system was introduced in February and will now be widely expanded into areas where Burmese migrants are concentrated, according to a report in The Bangkok Post.
“We decided to do this to meet the needs of Burmese migrants and the businesses that hire them," a senior vice-president, Wirawat Panthawangkun, was quoted as saying.
Burmese migrants in Thailand normally transfer money home to their families through a private money transfer service that operates in border towns.
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