The government plans to promote Kung Bang Kachao in Samut Prakan as an ecotourism destination to attract high-end tourists, says Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
Mr Srettha, who was in Samut Prakan for official engagements on Sunday, also said the Royal Initiative running there had received too little support, despite the area’s reputation as an environmental oasis.
He said he would invite Tourism and Sports Minister Sermsak Pongpanich and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool on Tuesday to discuss the plan to promote ecotourism in this year’s last quarter.
Mr Srettha said the plan will help boost the nation’s income and improve locals’ well-being.
Kung Bang Kachao, or Bang Kachao, is a large green area spanning almost 12,000 rai and is home to farmland, forests and more than 13,000 families.
It absorbs up to 6,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year and releases 6 million tonnes of oxygen each day.
Last year, the National Tourism Policy Committee declared Bang Kachao, which is popular among those who like the slow life, had been designated as an area for sustainable tourism.
The government wants more high-end foreign tourists so they will spend a longer time in Thailand, the prime minister said, adding Bang Kachao was a prime spot for this group and the value it brings.
Bang Kachao, known as Bangkok’s Green Lung, also has the well-known Bang Nam Phueng market where tourists can observe the locals’ way of life of locals and support local goods and food.
Mr Srettha’s trip on Sunday also included a visit to the Khlong Lat Pho floodgate project in Samut Prakan.
Posting from his X account, the PM said the late King Rama IX’s Royal Initiative Project has seen its initial 18km riverbank stretch cut down to just to 600 metres, as developers lured locals with lucrative land deals. However, the shortened distance still reduces water flow time in the river, which helps prevent floods along the river.
The floodgate also helps prevent saline water from entering the river, which can damage farmland.
He said the government will implement the same idea for the Khlong Lat Pho floodgate project to mitigate similar defects, particularly in areas along the Tha Chin River in Nakhon Pathom.