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Agence France-Presse

Smokers who flout a smoking ban on 20 of Thailand’s most famous tourist beaches will face a $3,000 fine or up to a year in prison, Thai authorities have said.
The ban, which comes into force in November, follows a clean-up of nearly 140,000 cigarette butts from a 2.5 kilometre stretch of the famed Patong beach in Phuket island province.
Its introduction coincides with Thailand’s peak tourist season and will be enforced in visitor hotspots including Krabi, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Phuket and Phang Nga.
“These beaches are among the most beautiful in Southeast Asia, and the aim is to keep them that way,” Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said in a statement on Monday.
Smokers will have to use designated areas with proper waste disposal for cigarette butts, he added.
Those caught lighting up on the beach could face jail or a 100,000 baht (US$3,000) fine, according to TAT.
The edict is the latest effort to rein in Thailand’s freewheeling tourism industry.
The sector is a crucial pillar of Thailand’s economy, catering to more than 30 million travellers per year.
But the huge numbers of arrivals have also threatened to spoil some of the kingdom’s idyllic beaches, with litter and unchecked development damaging local ecosystems.
Thailand is also trying to crack down on lax safety standards that riddle the tourism industry, after waves of complaints that visitors are overcharged or not adequately protected on boats and jet-skis.


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Thailand

Smoking to be banned on 20 popular Thailand beaches

Foreign tourists sunbathe at Patong beach, Phuket island, southern Thailand. Thailand's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) has announced that smoking will be banned from November on 20 popular beaches in Thailand. Photo: EPA

A strong role model can help China curb the problems of smoking

A vendor smokes a cigarette in front of sacks of potatoes piled up on a truck at a market in Shanxi province. Photo: Reuters

A burning need to stub out smoking in Hong Kong

The Legislative Council is set to discuss several amendments to the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance, including increasing the size of health warnings on cigarette packaging from the current 50 per cent to at least 85 per cent. Photo: Sam Tsang

China faces huge costs unless it reduces smoking now: WHO

A cigarette stand in Beijing. Smoking in China is a looming health problem, says a new report from the WHO.

--SCMP NOTE TO EDITOR, A VERY NEGATIVE CAPTION MUST ACCOMPANY THIS IMAGE, MAKE IT CLEAR SMOKING IS BAD-- A man smokes a cigarette in Shanghai on January 31, 2017. Smoking cost the world economy more than $1.4 trillion (1.3 trillion euros) in 2012, and sucked up a twentieth of health care spending, a study said on January 31. / AFP PHOTO / Johannes EISELE [25APRIL2017 HEALTH BRIEFS]

Handout image shows Verily Study Watch [18APRIL2017]

Shutterstock image shows an eyeball. [18APRIL2017]

Confucius tourist attractions ban smoking

This photo taken on July 22, 2015 shows participants climbing down stairs on their hands in a park near the kung fu academy in Qufu, Shandong province. Qufu, in the eastern province of Shandong, is best known as the birthplace of Confucius, and the town is dominated by his family's sprawling residence. But now students in Qufu, from as far afield as Brazil, Ukraine, Spain and France, varying in age from six to 50, battle the elements as well as exhaustion at the remote kung fu training academy. AFP PHOTO / FRED DUFOUR

This photo taken on July 22, 2015 shows a kung fu master (back R) training with his students at the kung fu academy in Qufu, Shandong province. Qufu, in the eastern province of Shandong, is best known as the birthplace of Confucius, and the town is dominated by his family's sprawling residence. But now students in Qufu, from as far afield as Brazil, Ukraine, Spain and France, varying in age from six to 50, battle the elements as well as exhaustion at the remote kung fu training academy. AFP PHOTO / FRED DUFOUR

Qufu, in the eastern province of Shandong, is best known as the birthplace of Confucius, and the town is dominated by his family's sprawling residence. Photo: AFP

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Ban to be enforced in visitor hotspots including Krabi, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Phuket and Phang Nga


Smoking and vaping

Smoking to be banned on 20 popular Thailand beaches

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Ban to be enforced in visitor hotspots including Krabi, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Phuket and Phang Nga

Ban to be enforced in visitor hotspots including Krabi, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Phuket and Phang Nga