Koh Chang - Whatever Happened to this Paradise Island ?

It is a rather unfortunate fact of life that the vast majority of visitors to Thailand and particularly Koh Chang do not appear to have any real concerns about the environment and the effects that tourism is having on all the islands of the Kingdom.

Koh Chang is a classic case of unregulated tourist development gone wrong!.

I first visited Koh Chang around 7-8 years ago, and have been back regularly since. My first visit was around the time that the government was trying to promote the development of the island - and was rather disturbed by what I found and even more so about what has happened in the subsequent years.

Thailand's record of preservation and conservation is best described as flawed and Koh Chang is showing the classic signs that nothing has really been learned from the past lessons of Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin & Koh Samui and that it would appear that nobody really cares.

Koh Chang is the second largest island in Thailand.It is located on the North-Eastern seaboard of the Kingdom some 5-6 hours by car from Bangkok.

The island was given an unexpected boost by the post-tsunami unpopularity of the west coast namely Phuket & Krabi, having got this lucky break there are now ever increasing numbers of western tourists heading for the island,unfortunately completely to the detriment to the natural beauty of the island that existed just a few years ago.

The fundamental problem with Koh Chang is that it's being developed very badly, it's overpriced compared to its services & facilities versus Phuket,Samui & Krabi, and it appears to be going downhill rather quickly !!.

If you're arriving on the island from either Europe or the United States you'll find that the cost of living is still relatively cheap, a room is still less than half what you would pay at home, but it is no so cheap when you compare it to other tourist spots elsewhere within Thailand.

Sure, you will love the sunsets and the lovely white sand, and you won't wonder or worry where all the sewage is going and whatever happened to all the mangroves,farmland or the fishing industry that gets smaller catches every year, or the fishing villages being turned into souvenir arcades-cum-hotels.

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