History
Cultural tourism
The thriving sex industry is not the only thing that drives visitors to the Kingdom. Other tourists come to see some of Thailand’s 40,000 Buddhist temples. Another huge sum of party-goers visit Thailand for its epic parties, whether they find themselves in Bangkok to experience some of its explosive nightlife or head down south to its raging beaches, such as Patong in Phuket. One such party that draws in over 30,000 tourists every month is the full moon party, which takes place on the island of Koh Phangan.
One Thai island that was negatively affected by the country’s influx of foreigners is Koh Tachai, located in the Andaman Sea off the coast of the Phang Nga province. It has been closed for an indefinite period of time because an abundance of tourists leaving the island covered with litter. The boats that were carrying visitors to and from the island were also leaking gasoline and contaminating its beautiful waters. These things were damaging both the immaculate coral reef here and its beautiful shores. Koh Tachai is supposed to have a maximum capacity of 70 people; however, it is said that there have been upwards of 1,000 people on the island at one time.
Animal tourism
Ancient history and settlement.
One industry that is certainly thriving from this influx of tourists is the animal tourism industry. This industry in Thailand has recently been in the spotlight due to the closing of the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. The temple had allegedly been trafficking animals, and 137 tigers were relocated to government-run sanctuaries, according to a June 1, 2016, Guardian article entitled, “Forty dead tiger cubs found in freezer at Thai temple.”
These majestic animals are often the subjects of visitors’ social media accounts. Most visitors to Thailand have been privy to one tourist or another changing their profile picture to them laying next to an incredibly calm beast. These animals, however, are apparently often drugged or abused in order for these photographs to even be possible. Tigers are not the only animals being exploited. Elephants must endure systematic torture in order to be ridden later by tourists at these so-called elephant sanctuaries. Orangutans are made to dress as humans and perform for cheering crowds. Tourists are oftentimes blissfully unaware of what goes on behind the scenes of these animals sanctuaries, which leads to more and more of them visiting these places. While international tourists are not the only people to blame for the popularity of these places, they are certainly big contributors to this industry.
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