Can tourism and the environment coexist in Thailand?

After the damage caused by mass tourism in parts of Thailand, questions are now being asked as tourists return to the country.

A New York Times reporter takes stock of tourism and environmental sustainability on the islands of Koh Tao and Koh Samui:

Travel to Southeast Asia is picking up again, and one island known for its scuba diving, part of a popular circuit, wants tourists back.

But can development and nature remain in balance?

On the high-speed ferry that connects Koh Samui , one of Thailand's largest islands, to its smaller neighbor Koh Tao, known for its cheap scuba diving and snorkeling and idyllic beaches and bays, it's like being back in the good old days.

The double-decker catamaran is nearly full, the bow and main cabin crammed with backpacks and roller bags as the 300-plus-person boat slices through the shimmering azure sea.

And when the travelers, mostly white and European, many of them families, disembarked under the scorching sun of a late August afternoon at Koh Tao's wooden pier, it was crowded with travelers waiting under a long blue awning to board.

But appearances can be deceptive.

On Koh Tao, as in all of Thailand and much of Southeast Asia, the return of tourism has been slow.

As travelers crowded the dock for the arrival of the afternoon ferry, only one catamaran company was operating in August, instead of the usual three, with fewer boats.

And behind the explosion of signs for diving schools, snorkeling tours, and motorcycle rentals, a number of storefronts were empty or closed.

Unlike Europe and North America, where travel began to rebound as early as 2021, it wasn't until spring of this year that foreign visitors began returning to much of the region, when countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia began welcoming them without quarantine.

Thailand scrapped the final Covid-19 "Thailand Pass" registrations and restrictions in July, and the government is targeting 10 million visitors this year, a substantial number, but only a quarter of 2019's record.

The industry will not approach that peak until China, which contributed a quarter of foreign arrivals before Covid, abandons its draconian zero-Covid policies and lets its citizens travel again.

Meanwhile, tourists on the three-island tour of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan , and Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand have marveled at the clearer water and the fish, turtles, and sharks that have materialized around the islands during the lull in the pandemic.

On land, they also smell the acrid smoke of marijuana, after Thailand legalized the herb in June.

See: Cannabis is legal in Thailand, but it's complicated: What travelers need to know

"I thought there might be more people," said Daniel Lundgrun, who was walking with three other young Germans on a quiet terrace beneath the Big Buddha statue on Koh Samui's north coast.

"But it's pretty empty here."

Transforming pristine landscapes into tourist playgrounds

Lamai Beach in Koh Samui. Photo: RichardMc

In a sense, Koh Samui is emblematic of the transformation of parts of Thailand and Southeast Asia from pristine, bountiful landscapes to crowded tourist playgrounds, with all the trappings of Western self-gratification, from sprawling luxury resorts to Hard Rock Cafes.

It's as much a magnet for the wealthy staying in mountainside condos as it is for budget travelers, who can spend $10 to $25 a night in cheap hostels and hotels, and just a few dollars for a local dish like chicken and rice or pad Thai.

And like many places in the region, before the pandemic it was becoming increasingly popular with Chinese tourists, with an influx of 300,000 in 2019, or about 13% of Koh Samui's 2.4 million total visitors.

Once a haven for fishermen and coconut farmers, the 21-square-kilometer island, now with smooth roads winding up steep hills with stunning views of the arcing coastline, is densely developed on the east coast.

But regulations limit building heights to 12 meters, or three stories, so developments are pleasingly low-rise, and the island has retained elements of pristine isolation in some areas in the south and west, such as Talig Ngam and the middle of the island, where rainforest is dotted with waterfalls.

On the commercial strip behind Chaweng Beach, where many of the outlying shops had recently been vacant, the pedestrian street known as Soi Green Mango was struggling to regain its mojo (sex appeal).

Most of the alleyway bars where young Thai women in low-cut dresses shouted "Hello, welcome" were deserted at the end of August.

But under the spotlights of the warehouse-like Green Mango nightclub, young Westerners filled more than half the dance floor and tables.

Koh Samui tourism officials said about 70% of accommodations had reopened during the peak season of July and August, while in some places like Fisherman's Village in the north, where the main pedestrian street is lined with upscale shops and restaurants, almost all businesses were open.

Some business owners, like restaurateur Frédéric Georgelin, predicted that the upcoming peak season, from Christmas to March, could be even better than before Covid.

"Many hotels are already booking every day, some are already full, and the prices of rooms and villas are rising very quickly," said Georgelin, owner of an Italian-Asian fusion restaurant and La Cantina Tex-Mex restaurant, where he sat at the bar greeting fellow Frenchmen.

"So I hope many people will come to Samui."

The island is usually the starting point for travelers who relax on the beaches and restaurants of Koh Samui, then head to Koh Phangan for a full moon party meditation retreat , before heading to Koh Tao for diving and snorkeling.

A new tax for conservation

Koh Tao from a boat. Photo: TeaFarm

Among the changes awaiting them is a new tourist use tax that Koh Tao imposed in April.

Visitors are greeted by a banner proclaiming the amount of the tax – 20 baht, or about 0.55 euro cents, the price of a can of soda – in Thai and English, indicating that it is intended for “port management, waste management and the conservation of the environment, nature and biodiversity on Koh Tao.”

The local government instituted the tax in conjunction with a biodiversity financing initiative called BIOFIN, under the United Nations Development Programme.

The island's mayor, Watcharin Fahsiriphon, said he was allocating the money to fund, in part, the burial and burning of the island's "big mountain" of trash, the promotion of alternatives to diving, such as hiking and climbing, and projects to restore damaged coral reefs.

The use tax is part of a pandemic-driven reflection on the toll tourism is taking on the island's top attractions—from snorkelers trampling coral, to ships spewing oil into the sea, to erosion from construction.

The break has also led to regular beach and seabed cleanups by community and dive groups, as well as new coral restoration projects around Koh Tao.

“The people of Koh Tao want to make sure that when tourists come, they can appreciate the beauty of nature, and we continue to work towards that,” said Dr. Watcharin, framed portraits of former and current Thai royalty hanging on the wall of his spartan office overlooking lush hills.

The challenges are numerous.

Although some hotels and restaurants offer water refilling stations and metal or bamboo straws, single-use plastic is ubiquitous on the island.

A renewable energy project launched more than a decade ago has long since been abandoned, a single motionless wind turbine atop a hill serving as a constant reminder.

Koh Tao's reputation was tarnished by the label "death island" in the middle of the last decade after at least nine European tourists died or went missing there, including two British tourists murdered on a dark beach in 2014.

See: Parents of British tourist murdered in Thailand say they are 'grateful' after royal pardon.

Many tourists surveyed in August were unaware or unconcerned by this notoriety, saying they felt safer on the island than in their hometowns in Europe.

And, as small as it is, the use tax isn't even collected regularly.

Tourists handed the fee to officials as they exited the pier through one passage, but no one collected it at the second exit, and officials were not on duty when the late ferry arrived.

If collected entirely from the half a million annual visitors who typically arrived in the years before Covid-19, the tax could raise 10 million baht, or about €285,316, which is about a quarter of the municipality's current budget.

“Over the past five months, we’ve learned a lot and it’s like a trial run,” said Dr. Watcharin, who owns two hotels and a diving business and was a longtime public health official on the island.

Ecology in the crosshairs

chalok baan kaok bay in Koh Tao. Photo: Poswiecie

On this island of rugged, mostly undeveloped hills and stunning aquamarine bays, it's easy to find a modest ocean-view abode for $20 to $40 a night, or splurge on an ocean-view pool villa for €156 or more a night.

There are no traffic lights, no five-star international resorts; building height is limited to 6 meters, or two stories, well below the tops of the coconut trees; and jet skis are not allowed.

At the height of the pandemic, Vie Boursmui and other Thai and foreign diving instructors had time on their hands, and the government's Department of Marine Resources gave them permission to launch eight coral restoration projects around the island.

Mr. Vie, an instructor for more than 20 years, worked for three months in Aow Leuk Bay with other divers, taking naturally detached pieces of coral and attaching them to submerged concrete blocks and metal frames that will eventually be encrusted with new coral formations.

Climate change has killed most of the coral in warm, shallow waters, he explained, so divers have installed some 600 meters of coral plantations in cooler waters, 10 to 15 meters below the surface.

"Nature brings the customers," said Mr. Vie, as groups of divers from Britain, the Netherlands, Australia, Israel and Spain filled the tables at Ban's Diving Resort for post-dive drinks at sunset.

"We must therefore protect nature."

A center for reimagining island life and tourism is located nearby, at the northern end of Sairee Beach, in an area locals call Soi Island.

Tanned and relaxed, visitors peruse vegan restaurant menus, browse handmade soaps and recycled plastic coasters, carry stand-up paddleboards into the sparkling sea, sweat on yoga mats, and practice their snorkeling skills.

During the pandemic, when islanders had time to regularly clean the beaches and sea, the piles of plastic gave Witchuda Damnoenyut, who goes by May, an idea.

She bought a plastic crusher, a melting machine, and molds, and began transforming the trash into coasters, play blocks, soap dishes, and even medals for the island's first Mountain Trail Marathon last May.

She opened her workshop, "Plas Tao," last year and sells the recycled products in her craft and natural soap shop, May & Co., as well as to other environmentally conscious businesses, such as vegetarian restaurants and the EcoTao Lodge in the hills.

“I feel like the Koh Tao community is doing a lot compared to other parts of Thailand,” Witchuda said, as her sole employee pounded on a bench to make molds, while workers with a screaming hacksaw transformed an empty storefront across the street into a cannabis and wine bar.

See: Cannabis cafes, the latest tourism trend in Thailand

"Independent businesses are trying a lot to attract people by becoming greener."

Down the street from May & Co., where the gray-brick pedestrian path is lined with low-rise bungalows, dive shops, open-air restaurants, and palm-shaded bamboo beach bars, René Hagen was helping customers load standup paddleboards for a sunset flight off Sairee Beach.

Mr. Hagen, originally from Denmark, and his American wife, Rachel Yaseen, took over Evasion, an outdoor sports company, in May after cycling around the world for three and a half years and wanting a place to rest.

She opened the Untamed yoga studio two doors down, and they bought three sea-view villas in the hills on the south side of the island to rent out during peak seasons.

“It’s hard to say what’s not to like – there’s a wide variety of good restaurants and it’s affordable; the diving here is so easy and relaxing, and from the villa we can sit in the pool and see the turtles and sharks,” Mr. Hagen said.

“And hiking here is definitely a challenge, because of the steep hills.”

Evasion also offers tubing and wakeboarding, and is currently converting its boat into a solar-powered vessel so tourists can ride in peace and quiet without damaging the coral.

He has also ordered eight electric bicycles, and is equipping his villas with solar panels and considering renting electric motorcycles.

EcoTao, which opened on a steep, forested hillside just months before the pandemic shut down tourism in March 2020, is perhaps the island's only truly eco-friendly accommodation, where the 12 bungalows are made of bamboo and teak, most of the power comes from 100 solar panels, and rainwater is collected for showers.

Founder Yves Frangioni, a French entrepreneur and athlete who moved to the island 16 years ago, believes the eco-friendly trend may be starting to appeal to tourists and businesses.

"We opened in December and we're still busy," he said in a telephone interview while traveling to France for a few months.

“I hope many start like me, because it’s important for the small island, the planet, everything.”