Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
Tourism operators on Koh Samet have expressed concerns over the resort island’s future after parts of it were severely affected by crude oil leakage at the end of July.
Read the following story to learn more about the effects on tourism of Thailand’s biggest oil leakage in a decade.
Samet Passenger Bus Service Club chairman Prapan Sukrachang said tourists may change their destinations after the oil leak hit Ao Phrao, the island’s prime tourist spot.
“We expect the island’s tourist income to halve,” he said. “It could take several months for the situation to return to normal, and if Koh Samet can’t recover from this crisis, Rayong province will suffer big economic losses as well.”
BOOKINGS CANCELLED
A large number of tourists have cancelled hotel and resort bookings on Koh Samet since the oil slick washed ashore on the night of July 28. Pariya Tantakasem, owner of Samed Cabana resort, said many reservations have been cancelled and bookings are now down by 50 percent.
“I’m busy with answering international calls about the situation, because tourists are not certain whether our resort and beach will be safe following the oil slick,” he said. “Many of them have cancelled their trips to Samet. We would normally have full occupancy through next month.”
SAFETY CONCERNS
Janjira Sangsuwan, an owner of White Sand Resort on Sai Kaew beach in the east of Koh Samet, said that a large group of Chinese tourists booked to stay there had postponed their trip, even though that part of the island has not been hit by the oil spill.
“Although we haven’t been directly affected, the Chinese tourists are still concerned over the quality of water as a large amount of chemicals has been used to disperse the oil slick,” she said. “They want to be sure they will be safe if they come here.”
Janjira also expressed concerns over the long-term effects of the incident, which has harmed the island’s reputation.
BAD NEWS
Koh Samet Local Administrative Organisation chairman Mongkol Bhosaeng believes that media coverage has worsened the situation.
“The problem is news coverage. Most people believe the whole island is inundated by the oil slick, which is not true,” he said. “Only Ao Phrao beach was hit, but it will take time to get the message across that the damage is limited to only one place.”
Mongkol said his network was closely monitoring each beach and insisted that most of them are still fine, although at least three resorts in Ao Phrao have closed temporarily.
Exercises
Read the story. Then, decide whether the following statements are true or false.
1. Mongkol Bohosaeng said that the way the media reported the oil spill helped tourism on Koh Samet.
…………………………..
2. The oil leakage covered the whole Koh Samet area.
…………………………..
3. The White Sand Resort is situated in the east of Koh Samet.
…………………………..
4. The number of bookings at many resorts and hotels on Koh Samet was on the rise despite the oil leakage.
…………………………..
Vocabulary
- ill (n): harm; bad luck
recover (v): to return to a normal state after an unpleasant or unusual experience or period of difficulty
oil slick (n): a spillage of oil in the ocean, on a road, etc.
disperse (v): to spread or to make something spread over a wide area
inundate (v): to cover an area of land with a large amount of water, liquid, etc.
