It has been over a month since oil slicks washed up onto the white sands of Ao Prao, Koh Samet, but if you were to visit the beach today you’d see little evidence of the disaster. This is largely due to a fast cleanup operation conducted by PTT Global Chemical, the oil company responsible for the spill, and the Thai Navy. During a ten day blitz this team managed to absorb almost all of the visible crude that had coated Ao Prao beach.
Despite the speed and comprehensiveness of the operation, images of the oil still linger in the public’s mind and Ao Prao’s tourism industry is in shambles as a result. What’s more, it’s not only Ao Prao that’s hurting. The whole island is suffering from a dramatic drop in visitors and even the Rayong mainland has seen business slow.
One of Koh Samet’s most popular beaches, Hat Sai Kaew, typically attracts a large crowd of tourists each day, but since the spill it’s been virtually empty. Yesterday at 4pm, only a handful of visitors were spotted strolling in the surf.
Hat Sai Kaew never had a drop of crude oil touch its sand, but locals said the publicity of the spill had devastated their businesses.
“The wind is blowing at its normal speed. The water is as clear as before. People are just paranoid when there’s nothing to worry about,” a rental beach chair business owner told Coconuts.
Her business has been so hurt by the spill that she said she could only sustain the current drop in business for about a month longer before she would have to consider shutting down. She added that the guest houses in the area have to offer around THB1,000 discounts for the walk-in tourists to stay with them.
Another local who works as a body paint artist at the beach also shook his head in disappointment when asked about the low number of visitors.
“I usually earn around THB1,200 a day, but I haven’t earned a single baht today,” he said. PTT has offered him THB15,000 in compensation after the incident, but he said it’s barely enough.
Ao Prao, the private beach that was directly affected by the oil, hasn’t seen a single visitor since the spill. Today the bay appears clean and there’s little evidence of the slicks, but on a closer inspection small strips of oil could be seen on two areas along the 350 meter long beach.
As for the water, authorities still caution that it is not safe to swim in the area since the TPH rate (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons) remains slightly higher than the standard. This data is based on tests from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Saravoot, the manager of the Ao Prao Resort, told Coconuts that even in the regular low season, the resort would be booked at about 80 percent capacity. This high-end resort is popular among foreigners, but since the oil spill no one has shown up.
He added that PTT has paid reimbursements to the affected businesses, but the long-term damage plan still has to be discussed. For now, he is satisfied that PTT has taken responsibility and continuously inspects the quality of the beach.
The manager of PTT’s Corporate Social Responsibility committee (CSR) recently said the company feels extremely guilty for affecting the tourism of Koh Samet. Even though the crude oil only damaged Ao Prao, the incident has clearly put the entire island’s creditability at risk.
To help get the island’s economics back on track, PTT is hosting an aggressive tourism campaign. Two thousand free hotel rooms were given out on Koh Samet at a tourism event held two weeks ago. PTT has also invited 500 travel agencies from all over the country to the island to meet with the local hotel representatives.
This push aims to reassure vacationers that Koh Samet, located just four hours away from Bangkok, remains a convenient getaway for city dwellers. Ao Prao is expected to return to its original state in November and the other beaches on the island remain ready to support visitors. Whether Koh Samet can ever reclaim its former glory remains to be seen, but in the short-term budget travelers are likely to find some of the best deals in the country.
Photos: Prae Sakaowan
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