About a decade ago, I hosted a friend from overseas. We visited the Grand Palace and Wat Pho and spent a few days in Koh Samet. It was an enjoyable experience and one we still reminisce about fondly from time to time.
At the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, we were able to linger among a small crowd of visitors and admire the dazzling art and history embedded on its buildings in peace and quiet.
Similarly at Wat Pho, we were able to pay our respects and get up close to the reclining Buddha and roam about the complex admiring statues of ascetics in various poses, relatively undisturbed.
In Koh Samet we enjoyed our days on the beach soaking up the sun's rays without much hassle.
Fast forward to the present time.
Last month I played host to two sets of foreign guests. Obligatory activities included visits to the Grand Palace and surrounding attractions, as well as relaxing on some well-known beaches outside the capital.
I must say that comparing the two experiences has proven quite instructive.
What I find now is that the two temples have been completely overrun by dense throngs of tourists jostling to get the best view. It was almost impossible to take photos without having strangers feature prominently in the frame.
The atmosphere now is more like a weekend market than a temple. There is no room for quiet contemplation.
For the beach trip, instead of going to an island we chose to visit Cha-am Beach.
Cha-am afforded us a more peaceful and quiet stay, away from the hustle and bustle of its better-known sibling Hua Hin. We had the advantage of being within a short driving distance from the famous seaside resort town, so we could also enjoy its attractions when we wanted to.
We found we'd made the right decision. Hua Hin beach was, as expected, overcrowded. Beach chairs and umbrellas set up by food vendors -- whose presence been officially restricted for a while -- appear to have made a full comeback.
They were an eyesore and they obstructed people walking on the beach.
Our experience apparently reflects the situation experienced at many well-known tourist attractions countrywide.
Photos have recently appeared in both social and news media showing the invasion of Koh Phi Phi, Similan and Tarutao in the south.
I could not believe my eyes at the scenes of people milling around the island beaches with hardly a place to lie down. How horrendous! This is not how a vacation should be.
The authorities are now being forced to acknowledge the severity of the situation. The park authorities have announced a four-month closure of the seas around some southern islands to allow nature to recover.
Plans are being made to limit the number of tourists to the islands to -- get ready for it -- 6 million a year. The number of visitors to the southern islands has been increasing steadily with 4.8 million arriving in 2016 and 5 million last year.
Are the conditions of natural resources at these islands not dire enough to warrant actions to NOT increase the number of visitors?
Apparently, concerned officials are worried about the impact on local economies.
Economic benefits are always the uppermost consideration when policymakers plan for tourism. We have to admit that, in that respect, they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
Small country that she is, Thailand was ranked 6th in the world for earning the most revenue from tourism in 2015. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of visitors almost doubled from 15.8 million to 29.9 million, while tourism revenue jumped similarly from $19 billion to $40 billion.
But we have paid a high price for this success in terms of natural degradation, environmental problems and negative impacts on local ways of life. None of these have been given due consideration.
All the government's economic teams see are dollars dancing in their eyes, blinding them to the environmental and social problems they have helped create. The problem of waste alone will take years and possibly trillions of baht to handle.
Just don't expect much in the way of serious action. It's a crying shame, but that's the way officialdom works in Thailand: take credit for the benefits and sweep any problems under the rug.
That's okay, until you run out of rugs.
Wasant Techawongtham is a former news editor, Bangkok Post.