Thailand has much to offer from beautiful white sand beaches in the South to trekking among the hill tribes in the North. The increasing ease and inexpensive price of traveling to and within Thailand, has led to a major increase in the number of tourists flocking to this Southeast Asian nation annually. Tourism has become Thailand's leading source of foreign exchange, and thus plays an unquestionably important role in the Thai economy.
Unfortunately the negative environmental, cultural, and biological impact of tourism in Thailand is increasing, as the government has been fairly lax in dealing with the numerous problems. Thailand is suffering from many of the negative aspects of tourism: the destruction of coral and marine life due to water activities such as boating and scuba diving; waste dumping by hotels and restaurants; uncontrolled construction of tourist facilities on islands such as Koh Samui, Koh Phang nan and Phuket; the deterioration of local culture in the hill tribes of the North; and the slavery of young children and women in the prostitution industry that has led to the rampant spread of AIDS.