Khung Bang Kachao in Samut Prakan province has been authorized to become a designated area for sustainable tourism.
Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the national tourism policy committee has approved the development of Khung Bang Kachao as a designated area for sustainable tourism. The proposal was made by the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
The designated area covers six tambon of Khung Bang Kachao, located in Samut Prakan’s Phra Pradaeng district, comprising Bang Kachao, Bang Krasop, Bang Yo, Bang Namphueng, Bang Ko Bua and Songkanong. The minister added that the announcement aligns with the government’s policy of promoting green development and the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy model.
DASTA director Gp Captain Athikun Kongmee indicated that the agency will work with local communities to develop strategies for the area based on the sufficiency economy philosophy of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great. He also said the agency will adopt global sustainable tourism criteria (GSTC) measures to assess the area’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as teach local communities and authorities about the Sustainable Tourism Management Standard (STMS).
Khung Bang Kachao is regarded as Bangkok’s “Green Lung” and one of the country’s most important oxygen producers. With a vast green area of 12,000 rai and serving as home to farmland, forests and more than 13,000 families, Bang Kachao was named the best urban oasis of Asia by Time magazine in 2006. (NNT)
