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  National Geographic 19 Dec 05
Thai Village Trades Illegal Fishers for Ecotourists
Stefan Lovgren in Koh Yao Noi, Thailand

On this sleepy fishing island you won't find any of the large beach resorts that swamp Phuket--Thailand's biggest tourist destination an hour's boat ride away. And that's the way people here like it.

"We want to incorporate tourism into our culture and not have it imposed on us," said Sompong Nunuan, a member of the Koh Yao Noi Eco-Tourism Club.

He is one of 75 fishers who have opened their homes to visitors as part of a home-stay program that allows tourists get to know the island's culture firsthand. "If they see how we live, they will respect our culture and way of life," said Pairat Pumkratin, another fisher.

Koh Yao Noi has become a popular ecotourist destination, thanks largely to the home-stay program. The initiative was set up in partnership with a Bangkok-based nongovernmental organization, Responsible Ecological Social Tours Project (REST). In 2002 the island even won the World Legacy Award, sponsored by National Geographic Traveler magazine and Conservation International, for best "Destination Stewardship." The award honors places that protect their nature and cultural heritage.

Natural Treasures

Fishing, not tourism, employs the vast majority of the island's 5,000 mostly Muslim residents, and a quick look around the island suggests that many of them are making a very good living. Almost everyone drives a scooter. Satellite dishes dot the rooftops. Cell phones are ubiquitous.

Koh Yao Noi is proof that a fishing village can still flourish without mass-market tourism. And that development doesn't have to mean giving up one's traditions. Most new homes that are being constructed here have all the modern conveniences but are built the traditional way--on stilts.

The island's relative affluence represents a dramatic turnaround from where things were heading in the early 1990s.

Then, commercial trawlers from the mainland were illegally overfishing the waters around Koh Yao Noi, destroying vital coral reefs in the process. The number of local fishers declined as catches got smaller and smaller.

It seemed like Koh Yao Noi had no choice but to turn to mass-market tourism. But instead area fishers decided to form a cooperative to put pressure on local authorities to crack down on the illegal fishing activities.

And the coop sought help from REST to promote conservation and develop a sustainable economy. The plan worked. Fishing soon rebounded as illegal trawlers were booted out of the area.

"What the people in Koh Yao Noi realized is that the most important thing is to protect your natural resources," said Potjana Suansri, the REST project coordinator. "For them the most important resource is their fish."

A typical catch 15 years ago was less than 2.2 pounds (a kilogram) a day. Today, local fishermen can catch up to 44 pounds (20 kilograms) a day of fish, shrimp, and crab, using traps, stationary gill nets, and hook and line.

Best Seafood

The island's economy is closely tied to the tourism-based business in Phuket. Only 20 percent of the fish is sold locally; the rest is exported to Phuket.

Connoisseurs claim that Koh Yao Noi has the best seafood in Thailand. And the islanders have not turned their back on tourists. "Tourism can be a tool for development," Suansri said. "But the local community must claim ownership of the tourism trade and become involved in the way it is managed. Otherwise it doesn't benefit them but only outside people."

REST encouraged the villagers to start organizing tour programs and hosting visitors in their homes to share their traditional way of life. "We welcome our visitors as friends," said Prasit Kebtrap, who has been part of the home-stay program for several years.

"It's an opportunity for us to show our way of life." Tanat Srisamut, another fisher, agrees. He says he is happy to see tourists come to the island.

"But not too many," he said. "Then I can't hear the birds sing."
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