The new head of the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta) has vowed to drive new man-made infrastructure, including the long-awaited Phu Kradueng cable car, as well as universal design facilities to elevate community-based tourism.
Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, director-general of Dasta, said during his four-year term he wants to complete significant development projects to lift tourism revenue through supply-side improvement.
Mr Siripakorn took on the new role at Dasta in April after working for the Tourism Authority of Thailand for 34 years, with his last role deputy governor for international marketing for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.
He said while the cable car project in Loei has been debated by stakeholders and conservationists for many decades, the majority of people in the province now support the project.
There are still some concerns among environmental bodies, such as the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, but Mr Siripakorn said the main issue is how to manage the operation efficiently and create minimal impact on the environment.
Dasta also plans to meet with the foundation in person to clarify all doubts, he said.
Mr Siripakorn said the maximum capacity of 5,000 people per day would still be mandated by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
He said the cable car will help improve waste management and enable tourists with disabilities to visit Phu Kradueng.
The cable car project is expected to begin construction in early 2027 with a soft launch in the same year, with the average round-trip fare planned at 800-1,000 baht.
Other projects that he aims to pursue include a new 11-kilometre road development connecting Bang Bao and Salak Phet in Koh Chang, which is listed as Dasta's first designated area, allowing more convenient travel for both locals and tourists, he said.
BUDGET CHALLENGE
Dasta typically receives an annual budget of only 400 million baht, which is considered low for its 200 employees and nine designated areas nationwide, said Mr Siripakorn.
The agency has to drive large projects by initiating the development which can seek budget from other sources, such as requesting 1 billion baht from the cabinet for the Phu Kradueng cable car, or a budget from the Department of Rural Roads for road construction on Koh Chang.
In terms of tourism expenditure, Dasta found revenue growth has started to outpace an increase in visitor numbers, said Mr Siripakorn.
During the first five months of this year, tourism revenue was recorded at 113 million baht from over 350,000 visitors in 61 local communities under its nine designated areas.
Typically 70% of spending went on experiences, while the remainder went on shopping for products.
"Domestic tourism has been very strong across local communities," he said. "The agency is also driving more foreign markets to the area. However, our challenge remains with local operators' language skills and facilities to accommodate them."
For 2025, Dasta targets to help local communities earn at least 270 million baht from tourism.