Ecotourism in Pattaya

Before getting into ecotourism opportunities in Pattaya, it would be useful to explore what ecotourism in Thailand is and is not…

Ecotourism has been defined as responsible travel to untouched or fragile and generally protected places whose locals now strive to reduce the environmental impact of tourism.

Eco tour guides will try to educate the tourist as well as use the proceeds from the tours to help local eco conservation efforts and empower local communities to do the same. The point is that by doing so, future generations can experience these areas as relatively untouched and free of the various kinds of trash that our species often bring with them.

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), established in 1990, defines ecotourism using 7 basic criteria, and it is suggested that travelers use these same criteria when booking an Eco tour:

1. The tour involves traveling to a natural destination, vs. a theme park for example.
2. The tour is organized in such a way that the impact of the tour on the environment is minimized.
3. The tour generates environmental awareness either directly or indirectly through its management.
4. The tourist company provides direct economic benefits for the conservation and preservation of the visited environment.
5. The tour provides empowerment and financial benefits for people living on or near the land.
6. The tour operator and clients respect the culture of the local environment.
7. The tour supports democracy movements and human rights.

That being said, most of these concepts can easily be misunderstood and in practice become a marketing tool as well as bad practice by less scrupulous tour operators. There really isn’t much that can be done about it, as there are no international laws or enforceable restitution for ecotourism abuse. There is also no easy way to prevent tour operators from labeling their businesses green or green, other than common decency and truthful advertising.

But in the case of Pattaya (and Thailand in general) these labels are rarely abused. For example, there are two eco tours that stand out in Pattaya. These are the submarine and semi-submarine tours in front of the fragile inshore coral reefs of Ko Sak and Ko Lan. These tours are eco-friendly, in the sense that the operators of these boats are careful not to disturb corals or wildlife, and the impact on the environment is much less than if the same number of divers (as passengers) were a Visit these reefs every day.

The two recommended tour operators to visit these reefs are:

Pyrom Submarine which is located at 311/7, Mu 10, Pattaya Tai Road. To get to the boarding platform, you will take the Laem Bali Hai Pier ferry to Ko Sak Floating Station. This submarine has a diving depth of more than 30 meters, where once below you can have a fisheye view of the coral reefs. Tickets are 2,000 baht per adult and 1,500 baht per child. The submarine leaves on the hour, every hour on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. During the week the hours are 10:30 am, 11:20 am and then at 1:00 pm. For more information, you can call +66(0)38 415 234 or visit their website.

Pattaya Pakarang semi-submarine it is located the same as above, with a local administration office at 125 Soi 4, Beach Road, North Pattaya. This tour takes you underwater to the reefs of Ko Sak and Ko Lan and tickets are 1800 baht for adults and 900 baht for children. This tour includes lunch. For more information call +66(0)38 411 001 in Pattaya or if you are in Bangkok call 02 503 3791.