Travel agent David Kevan does not like mass tourism
'Pattaya, Samui and Phuket have reached their saturation point. Koh Samui is overdeveloped without much thought; it has lost much of its charm. The same goes for Phuket and personally I never liked Pattaya even when I was younger.'
So says David Kevan, partner of UK-based tour operator Chic Locations. This year Kevan received the 'Friends of Thailand' award from the Tourism Authority of Thailand for his years of promoting Thailand in the United Kingdom.
Kevan is therefore not just any old man. He introduced the concept of boutique long before anyone had heard of it. Many of his competitors admit to copying what he does, which he takes as a compliment in retrospect.
Kevan doesn't like mass tourism. Hence the comment about saturation. His advice: 'Preserve areas of untouched beauty, both for international tourists, but more importantly for your own future generation.'
The safety of tourists also needs improvement. He calls the establishment of a special chamber for tourist affairs at the court a step in the right direction, but more is needed. The tourist police should be visibly present and more attention should be paid to the safety of ferries and motorcycles.
Thailand still has a positive image in England, says Kevan. The country is considered a cheap destination, which is factually incorrect. Prices have risen, more due to the depreciation of the sterling than to price increases in Thailand. But you do get value for money.
Kevan has been coming to Thailand since 1970. 'I still get a great buzz visiting Bangkok, which I think is one of the most fantastic cities in the world. I also enjoy Chiang Mai, and despite some rapid developments, it still has a wonderful quality and charm.'
(Source: Muse, Bangkok Post, July 13, 2013)
Photos: All 38 prize winners in a row. They received the biennial award at the Thailand Travel Mart 2013 in early June.
Finally someone who has the courage to give Phuket, Koh Samui and Pattaya a negative stamp. I would say very realistic But also fair, because he also says that Thailand is still worth visiting. And that's exactly how I see it. I give him a ten with the pencil !!
Bit hypocritical of this gentleman. First try to sell as many trips as possible to these locations, then promote these locations for many years, and then complain about the fact that the tourists are going to visit these locations (on their advice due to the many promotions). Looks a bit like those many stars. First visit every talent show in the country with the aim of becoming famous (and especially rich). If one is known, then complain about the fact that one has no privacy and can no longer walk down the street without being recognised.
What is this man doing wrong? The drivers of the places are doing it wrong. They see money and want more and more hotels and resorts and tourism.
This gentleman means that a maximum should be set for tourism in these beautiful areas in Thailand. Let a maximum of tourism come to these still beautiful places in Thailand and don't just go for the money.
Hmm…how do you want to do this? Put a big fence around those places and/or only let people who have enough money enter? Who then determines the price, or who is allowed in and who is not? So, the rich, criminal Russian, who has a lot of money, is allowed in, but the family who can only go on vacation once a year, and therefore cannot spend much money, is not allowed in? Your idea smells of discrimination and will lead to even more corruption if quotas are set for tourists. The problem of overcrowded tourist resorts and the resulting flora and fauna being destroyed forever on site, including underwater, stems from the promotion of such areas by the West (even the Thailand blog often talks about quiet beaches, which I wonder how long who will remain calm if only enough people read these kinds of articles), not least by the Thai themselves who, with Dollar signs in their eyes, are looking at how they can exploit the beaches even more against the highest bidder. You already indicated the really only solution, but I think that you also believe in Sinterklaas that the Thai do not go for the money if they set quotas for the number of tourists for those locations. In your case, I only see millionaires and wealthy criminals visiting such areas in the future if your idea takes hold. Do you really want this?