Eco-tourism in Hua Hin and Cha-am, Thailand:
The satisfactions and challenges
of building a small tourism business
By Jon Fernquest |
A young tour guide from Prachuap Khiri Khan who started his own local ecotourism company is the subject of an interview in this week's Horizons section of the Bangkok Post.
Here is a job that many would envy with an active lifestyle outside of the office, working in the open air close to nature.
However, building a successful tour guide business presents many challenges that are related in this article.
The vocabulary notes at the end of the article point to further information on the national parks he talks about.
(See photo on right below of Bang Pu Harbour in Sam Roi Yod National Park of southern Prachuap Khiri Khan)
Here is the article in full:
AT LEISURE
So far, so good, for eco-tour operator
YVONNE BOHWONGPRASERTThursday July 03, 2008
Arut Hoimook is living out a long-cherished dream by running his own tour agency in Prachuap Khiri Khan, the province where he was born 28 years ago to a family of orchard owners.
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"I had a happy boyhood, growing up close to nature and farm animals," recalled the owner of Exotic So Far, an agency he set up six months back to cater largely to eco-tourism enthusiasts. "My family weren't well off, exactly, but they had enough ... they were comfortable. I learned a lot about perseverance by tending to our cows and water buffalo and the monkeys we used to pick coconuts from high up in the trees. My passion for eco-tourism stems from all the times I used to go trekking through the forest when I was younger. Children growing up in big cities like Bangkok miss out on the simple pleasures of life in the countryside."
Prior to setting up his own business, Arut worked as a tour guide for two years. To succeed in this line of work he says you need to be a responsible person who inspires trust and has sufficient general knowledge to keep clients well informed and entertained as you shuttle them from place to place.
What has been the biggest challenge in setting up Exotic So Far?
As we're still very new, the biggest challenge is making potential clients aware that we exist! Designing a tour itinerary - it mostly concentrates on beauty spots around Hua Hin and Cha-am - was time-consuming because we also wanted to highlight the importance of conserving nature and wildlife. As many tour operators have set up in Hua Hin, there's a lot of competition to survive. The constant need to add new and interesting ecotourism tours to our programme is an added challenge which we take seriously. Elephant-watching in Kuiburi National Park, boat tours through mangrove swamps and bat watching expeditions are a few of our current highlights.
How have you set your tour agency apart from your competitors?
We offer highly experienced tour guides and a personalised service. We might be a new company but all of our staff have had over a decade of experience working in the tourist industry and they're also well-versed in ecological matters. This October we plan to donate 10 baht from every booking we get to [fund] the conservation of coral reefs and mangrove forests in Cha-am and Hua Hin.
What are the high and low points of being a tour guide?
The highs involve meeting people from all over the world, practising my English and getting the opportunity to promote the province where I was born. Being a guide also teaches you how to remain calm and composed under pressure. Last, but not least, is not being constrained by the regular hours of a desk job. One of the low points, of course, is sometimes having to work a week or two weeks at a stretch without a proper rest; that can be physically draining sometimes. It's very easy to get sick during those long trips we take clients on, so it's a top priority of ours to look after our health.
Pick your three favourite provinces and tell us why you think people should visit them.
I'd definitely like to start with a short mention of my home province, Prachuap Khiri Khan. It's an enchanting little place where nature and community life are at their best. It's most unfortunate that the only destination that many outsiders have heard of is Hua Hin. For both water- and land-based activities, there's also Khao Luang and Ko Talu. Sam Roi Yod National Park attracts lots of people interested in seeing wildlife.
When I'm in the mood for the beach, I head over to Phangnga for snorkelling and scuba-diving. Reasons why people should visit? There are many, including the white sandy beaches, aquamarine water, colourful fish and coral and the scenery - all those strangely shaped limestone formations jutting up out of the sea. The Surin archipelago is home to manta rays and whale sharks and other unusual marine creatures.
The northern province of Nan is where I head when it's tranquillity and peace of mind I'm after. Apart from its beautiful temples and scenic views, it has very warm and friendly people - which is why I've made quite a few trips up there. I'd recommend visiting Doi Phu Ka National Park, which is known for its limestone caves and waterfalls.
(Source: Bangkok Post, Horizons section, 03-07-08, YVONNE BOHWONGPRASERT, page H4, temp-link)
Vocabulary:
ecotourism - travel to places to see plants, animals, and the cultural heritage of an area, a form of tourism that appeals to ecologically and socially conscious individuals (See Wikipedia)
a tour - when visitors are guided around a place of interest (a museum, famous building, a forest, or natural area) and what they see is explained to them in their own language (See Wikipedia on tourism)
a tour guide - a person who guides visitors around a place (see above) in their language of their choice and interprets the cultural and natural heritage of an area, usually have a license to perform this function (See Wikipedia)
tour itinerary - the list of places visited during a tour
envy - the feeling of wanting to have the same thing as another person has
an active lifestyle - when your job and life requires you to travel and move around all day (rather than sitting at a computer in an office)
challenges - something new and difficult to do, requiring effort and determination to achieve
So far, so good - successful up to now (but not finished yet)
living out a long-cherished dream - he is doing what he wished he could do in the past
growing up close to nature - living on a farm or in a forest as a child (perhaps reared by a wild beast like Romulus and Remus)
cater to - satisfy a need, provide things needed or wanted (See glossary)
enthusiasts - hobbyists, people who enjoy doing an activity in their free time (for example, she was a train enthusiast who like to ride the train in every country she visited)
cater largely to eco-tourism enthusiasts - provide travellers with the trips to the jungle and other nature spots that they want
perseverance - having the strength to continue some task, even though it is difficult
stems from - a condition comes from or is caused by(See glossary)
trekking - journey on foot across difficult country (mountain, forest, desert, or jungle)
miss out - not get a chance to do or see
the simple pleasures of life - things it takes little time, money, or energy to enjoy
miss out on the simple pleasures of life in the countryside -
line of work - the kind of work that you do
inspires trust - makes you believe and trust them
shuttle them from place to place - move from one place to another place quickly
potential - may become, possible to get
clients - (formal) customers
potential clients - customers that the company may get (if it tries hard and succeeds)
concentrates on Y - give all your time and attention to project Y (don't get distracted by other things)
wild - plants and animals that live in natural surroundings and are not looked after by people
conserving nature and wildlife, conservation - protecting wild animals and plants from death and extinction
take seriously - treat and deal with something as important (not take lightly, as unimportant)
a swamp - an area with wild plants growing in very wet land (See Wikipedia)
mangrove - a tree with large roots that grows next to the sea and rivers in tropical areas (See mangrove)
mangrove swamps - wet areas next to the water with mangrove trees, Thailand's coast from Hua Hin down to Malaysia has a lot of these swamps
well-versed in Y - knows a lot about subject Y
ecology, ecological - the study of the relationships and balance between plants, and animals in their environment (See Wikipedia)
well-versed in ecological matters - knows a lot about ecology
a booking - a reservation, an arrangement for a tour, hotel, restaurant, concert, or other event on a particular day
under pressure - must do a lot of difficult tasks or make a lot of decisions in a limited time
remain calm and composed under pressure - dealing with problems, do not panic
panic - a sudden strong feeling of fear and confusion (See glossary)
physically draining - exhausting, uses up all your eneergy
mood - the way you feel (good, bad) at a particular time
in the mood for Y - feel that you want to do Y
in the mood for the beach - feel like you want to take a trip to the beach
tranquillity - a calm and peaceful situation
aquamarine - a color between blue and green (See Wikipedia)
aquamarine water - a light greenish-blue water that looks very clear and clean
an archipelago - a group of small islands
warm and friendly people - a person who behaves in a loving, enthusiastic, friendly, affectionate manner towards other people (opposite: a cold person)
waterfalls - when river water falls off a cliff, usually creating white foam (See Wikipedia)
Places
a national park - a special nature park protected by the federal government, "an area of least ten square kilometres that contains natural resources of ecological importance or unique beauty, or flora [plants] and fauna [animals] of special importance," currently there are 102 national parks (including 21 marine national parks), forest parks are often not national parks but protected and governed by the provinces instead (See Wikipedia list of national parks in Thailand)
Kuiburi National Park - a park near Prachuap Khiri Khan with evergreen forests and Wild Pigs, Gibbons, Macaques, Bears, Barking deer, Mouse deer, Elephants, Guars, and Tapirs (See Wikipedia)
Khao Luang - the highest mountain in southern Thailand (1835 meters) (See Wikipedia)
Ko Talu - a coastal district in southern Prachuap Khiri Khan (See Wikipedia)
Sam Roi Yod National Park - a coastal national park in southern Prachuap Khiri Khan, the first coastal national park in Thailand established in 1966 (See Wikipedia)
Doi Phu Ka National Park - a national park in the mountains of Nan province, northern Thailand (See photos and map)
