Tourists continue visiting Koh Tao
GOVERNMENT promises to help restore Koh Tao’s image as a safe destination have amounted to little following the high-profile backpacker murders in 2014, although tour operators on the Thai island say business is booming regardless.
Thai tourism minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul had announced plans to hold events to assure visitors the island was safe, but Ocean Sound Dive and Yoga’s owner Will North said “there’s been no publicity about what they are doing”.
“Koh Tao is quite a busy place and most businesses, if they know what they are doing, do it very well. We haven’t had a slow period in a long time,” North commented.
He added: “Companies that rely on booking agents may have a different opinion, but if you are doing well on TripAdvisor nothing else matters. I guess it depends on the business.”
While Tours Koh Samui manager Ron Yaary thinks there is not much to show for the promised safety push, he is pleased that the government is focusing on environmental policies.
Currently, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is promoting the Koh Tao Festival 2016, which will be conducted by the Save Koh Tao community group on June 18 and 19. There will also be activities to encourage conservation, and an attempt to make a world-record human chain with 3,000 people clasping wrists.
“When you have a festival like that, it emphasises to the operators that we need to care about the environment,” Yaary said.
