Thailand's tourism industry has called on the public to support an action plan aimed at implementing a nationwide eco-tourism strategy.
The blueprint for a 10-year course of action was formulated by the Thailand Institute for Scientific and Technological Research. It details how the Thai people can work together in preserving the nation's natural attractions, especially its flora and fauna.
'The environment is increasingly becoming the central focus of tourism, with tourists world-wide seeking fresh and clean air, water and natural surroundings as an intrinsic part of their holidays,' Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, Seree Wangpaichitr, said.
He said no plan or strategy could work unless it enjoyed the support and active involvement of people across Thailand.
'It is the local people who ultimately decide how their home towns and their neighbourhoods are going to develop,' Mr Seree said.
'Those who do not work at preserving the natural resources, cultural attractions and heritage of their destinations are going to eventually lose.' He said that the Tourism Authority, as the central government body responsible for promoting tourism, was playing a 'responsible catalytic role in ensuring that people are aware of the issues involved, the long-term advantages of following a sustainable tourism development plan, and most important, the ways and means of doing so.
