Tourism and Environment
When tourists first started to come to Thailand, they were charmed by scenes of children playing in emerald green rice fields, monks walking tree-lined lanes accepting alms in
the first morning's light, and exquisitely picturesque village vistas, picture-postcard perfect. Thailand's race to industrial ize has eroded this image. Factories, traffic and
clogged, polluted highways as well as a quickly vanis hing rural way of life have removed some of the attractions which bring tourists to Thailand. Nature-based tourism is quickly
disappearing, as once pristine beaches and forest areas become heavily polluted
or destroyed. Pattaya beaches, for example, cannot be swum in anymore.The famous Pa Tong Beach in Phuket has become so polluted so as to destroy fish and other marine life there. The Mae Kah canal running through the heart of Chiang Mai is now black with pollutants.