‘Betel nut island’ to be a role model for green tourism, minister says
Trat province’s Koh Mak will serve as a role model for developing sustainable tourism under the so-called Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economic model after winning international recognition as a green destination, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Wednesday.
The 12.4 square kilometre island in Trat province is named after the areca nut, also known as the "betel nut".
Phiphat made the comment during a ceremony held to congratulate representatives from the island on its green destination award and present them with a plaque titled “2022 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories”.
The Green Destinations Top 100 Stories awards are from the website Green Destinations. The website says the programme celebrating and promoting 100 destinations as inspiring examples for other destinations, tour operators and visitors has run annually since 2014.
The BCG model will focus on quality tourists, rather than quantity, and will ensure tourism is sustainable through proper environmental management and fair distribution of income to local residents, he said.
The Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration has prioritised environmental protection in its development of Koh Mak and, as a result, it has become a clean, convenient and safe destination, Phiphat said.
Atikhun Kongmee, director of the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration, said the agency would further develop Koh Mak so that it would win more prestigious recognition from the Green Destinations this year.
The best stories from the Top 100 list will be selected by a jury to be nominated for the Green Destinations Story Awards at ITB Berlin, an international travel exhibition.
Atikhun said it would be a challenge for his agency to push Koh Mak for the award because the Top 100 Stories destinations must meet 15 criteria while the Green Destinations Story Awards must meet 30.
