Thailand Sustainable Tourism Fieldwork Journal

Travel Day

Hello from the Grade 11 Geo Fieldwork trip to Sam Roi Yot!

We arrived safely and soundly at our hotel in Thailand this evening.

The flight to Thailand was quite pleasant. After we arrived, before sunset, we had the opportunity to see many interesting sights of the Thai countryside as we travelled from the airport to our hotel. Along the way, we stopped at a restaurant for a delicious Thai dinner.

Tomorrow, we will be starting our sustainable tourism data collection project in the field. After breakfast, our facilitators will lead a workshop to guide the students on how to conduct interviews and use surveys. Later in the morning, we will begin our project. In the afternoon, we will participate in a beach scavenger hunt to learn more about the effects of tourism on the coastline.

Day 1 - Cha Am

Today was our first full day on site. We began with a briefing in the classroom at Sirinath Rajini Centre For Mangrove Forest Studies on completing the surveys we would conduct later in the morning in Cha Am.

After reaching Cha Am, the students conducted various surveys, including an environmental bi-polar semantic, land-use, sustainable tourism index, and local Thai and foreign tourist perceptions of tourism questionnaires. This included interviews with locals and tourists to collect data about where Cha Am could fit into the Butler Model of sustainable tourism. After finishing the surveys, we had lunch on the beach and returned to the centre for some free time.

After a lovely dinner of pad Thai and tom yum soup, the centre led some group activities in the evening before we all signed off for bed.

We're looking forward to the cultural exploration tomorrow and the investigation of tourism on the beach.

 

Day 2 - Praya Nakhon Cave

 

Today was the cultural exploration day of our fieldwork project.

We began with a quick lesson on collating the data we've been collecting and then set off for our hike to the Phraya Nakhon Cave.

We went on a hike that took us through some of the mountains near Sam Roi Yot, which is located along the coast. During the hike, we explored a beautiful limestone cave that had Buddhist shrines. After completing the hike, we had lunch in the national park and then had some free time at the hotel. Later in the afternoon, we visited the beach and saw some hermit crabs. We also played beach volleyball. It was a great time. Following this, we collected the initial data from our Cha Am day.

We just returned from dinner on the beach near the hotel this evening. The students are now safe in their rooms, preparing for our next day of data collection in Hua Hin. 
 

Day 3 - Sirinath Rajini Centre For Mangrove Forest Studies

Today was our final full day in Thailand. We started our day with classroom activities and then proceeded to Pranburi, where we explored an area not frequently visited by tourists. Later, we visited the mangrove centre. There, we learned about the significance of mangroves in safeguarding the coastline and promoting biodiversity in the region.

Following the mangrove forest, we took lunch in Hua Hin and then began our fieldwork at the beach area. 

Once our data was collected, we proceeded to the Cicada Night Market for dinner and souvenir shopping. Everyone is in good spirits and is packing as we prepare to say goodbye to Sam Roi Yot. 

 

Tomorrow we will have an early breakfast and make our way to Bangkok to catch our flight to Haneda. While we are excited to return home, we know that the trip has given us many memories and experiences to look back on. 

 

Bill Skulmoski and Joji Muyuela