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Published on September 14, 2007

The ministry plans to launch a pilot project on September 29.

The event is to mark World Tourism Day on September 27.

The ministry will organise tree-planting trips to the Unesco World Heritage Sites in Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet from September 29-30.

Tourism Minister Suvit Yodmani said the project would raise public awareness about the social and environmental impact of global warming and draw attention to the benefits of low-emission tourism as well as the importance of planting trees.

"Participants will plant trees near the historical parks to reduce pollution around the sites. This is part of promoting low-emission tourism," said Suvit.

The ministry and Tourism Authority of Thailand recently held a seminar entitled "The Impact of Global Warming and Climate Change on the Thai Tourism Industry".

The seminar aimed to encourage all parties, especially individual operators, to adopt internationally recognised green standards and environmental practices.

The agencies are also promoting cycling tours, particularly in communities that have embraced His Majesty the King's sufficiency philosophy and have been able to achieve a successful balance in responsible and effective management of available resources.

Another event will promote the use of reusable fabric shopping bags and reusable bags made from recycled materials.

Along with these efforts, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is promoting its "Guide to 80 Sufficiency Economy Ways to Reduce Global Warming".

The manual recommends that visitors tour national parks by bicycle through a campaign focusing on youth tourists called "Thai Kids Love Recycling Project".

Suchat Sritama

 The Nation