Phuket's Sustainable Tourism Goal Challenged by Mounting Garbage Crisis

TaiwanPlus News

Phuket in Thailand draws over 10 million visitors a year to its tropical beaches. But as the island seeks to become Thailand's first sustainable tourism destination, two decades after it was ravaged by the Indian Ocean tsunami, it is having to grapple with a growing waste management problem.

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00:00Thailand's Phuket Island, a jewel of the Andaman Sea, known for its white sand beaches,

00:06pulsing nightlife, and warm, inviting waters, drawing over 10 million visitors a year.

00:13But beneath the surface is a wasteland.

00:26The surge of post-pandemic tourism and explosion of development on the island is bringing with

00:32it a mounting challenge.

00:35Heaps of waste, piling up out of the view of tourists.

00:39Phuket's economy is dependent on tourism, and visitors keep coming.

00:44From construction detritus to consumer plastics and food waste, the garbage just keeps coming.

00:50And the island's one trash incinerator is overwhelmed.

01:21The small community of Sapan Hin used to have pristine views of rolling hills.

01:29Now, residents like Vasana and her three children look out upon a growing landfill that is spoiling

01:35more than just the scenery.

01:57The government and private agencies are scrambling to find solutions.

02:02The island's second incinerator will be able to handle up to 500 tons of trash a day,

02:07but that's not till late 2026 at the earliest.

02:11Another plan is to convert some of the waste into a type of solid fuel.

02:14Hotels are promising to cut back on disposable products.

02:18In November 2024, the Global Regulatory Body for Sustainable Tourism made a five-day assessment

02:24of Phuket.

02:26They provided guidelines for it to achieve status as a sustainable tourism destination

02:30by 2026.

02:32But noted some stumbling blocks.

02:34Government-registered hotels are on board with waste reduction measures, but they only

02:39make up 30 percent of tourist accommodation.

02:57But lack of regulation makes getting control over the problem all the more difficult.

03:02The national government wants to see Phuket certified sustainable, a first for Thailand.

03:07And local authorities are trying to deal with the trash crisis.

03:11But a resolution could be years away.

03:14For families like Vasana's, living next to an ever-growing landfill, the matter is urgent.

03:20For now, one thing is certain.

03:39The deluge of tourists to Phuket will not let up.

03:42And with them, more money, more development, and more garbage.

03:47I'm Thomas Hsu and Jonathan Kaplan for Taiwan Plus.

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