Environment-harming tour guides to be banned

Bangkok's ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will start blacklisting tour guides who are known to cause harm to the environment from National Marine Parks, Dapong

Rattanasuwan, the country's Natural Resources and Environment Minister said on Tuesday. 

 

He went on to add that tour guides who end destroying marine life as well as coral reefs will be placed on the country's Wildlife and Conversation Department's blacklist,  and as a result they will be restricted from Reentering the country's national parks.

"We have no authority to withdraw their tourism license, as it is not our job. But what we can do is ban them from entering national parks. We have been aware of misconduct by guide and tourists," Rattanasuwan said.

 

The latest warning from the government came after a video on Facebook shows a Sea-walker tour guide handling marine life.  In addition to that, the tour guide was seen feeding the fish of Koh Hey near Phuket fish.

 

The video was initially made by the company so as to promote the services that it was offering. But as soon as it was posted the video drew lots of negative criticism and company later took down the video and issued out a public apology stating that the incidence will not be repeated.

 

Rattanasuwan went on to state that it is important that tour guides should familiarize themselves with the dos and don'ts of visiting marine sites, adding that they work should also include tourists on how to behave when they visit marine sites so as to avoid taking part in actions that will end up threatening the sensitive Marine ecosystem.