Despite this awareness of the role of conservation, there is reason for concern. Attracted by pristine landscapes, tourists arrive in large numbers in the town and island of Phuket where the local tourism industry is based. While tourism brings prosperity to the island, its ecological and social impacts are vividly demonstrated in and around Phuket, home to a number of Chao Lay (or ‘sea gypsy’) communities. The demand for seafood to cater for the tourism industry causes the seas to become rapidly depleted of once-plentiful fish and shellfish. Tourist numbers also exceed the carrying capacity of many of the marine protected areas. Moreover, the ecology and spectacular beauty of many of the unprotected coastal beaches has been disrupted by large-scale hotel construction and the indigenous population of Chao Lay have been pushed farther and farther into the unproductive margins of the most remote islands.