TRANG - Hotel and tour operators have pleaded with Had Chao Mai National Park management to postpone its annual closure for one month, from June 1 to July 1, because tourist numbers are still down in the wake of two major floods earlier this year.
Every year, tourists are barred from travelling to Morakot cave and Muk, Kradan, Chuak and Waen islands in the park for a four-month period, which ends in September, for safety and environmental reasons.
The hotel and tourism operators club at Trang province’s Pak Meng beach has asked the park to defer its closure this year to July 1, the park’s chief, Manot Wongsuriratas, said on Monday. They had cited the flow on effects of the flooding on their businesses.
The park had forwarded the request to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), asking for a consultation on the impact a postponement would have on the environment, and the dangers of the monsoon season, Mr Manot said.
If the deferral were approved, then permission to travel to the park may have to be given on a day-to-day basis, because stormy seas were a daily feature of the monsoon.
The park may use red or green flags, he said. Red means tourist boats cannot leave shore. Permission would be based on the safety of tourists.
Sawan Saneha, chairman of the club, said the news of two major floods had dissuaded travellers from visiting Trang, and visitor numbers were down.
The sea usually remained calm in June and there should be no impact on tourism there, he said. Keeping the park open a little longer would greatly benefit the tourism industry in the province.