Smoking on Thai beaches could get you fined

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Want a cigarette alongside the beaches while enjoying the waves and the breeze? Well, don't try this in Thailand.

The authorities are imposing a smoking ban on 20 of the country's most popular tourist beaches starting November 1. Wrongdoers will be fined a maximum of 100,000 baht (3,022 US dollars) or up to a year in prison.

The ban follows a clean-up of nearly 140,000 cigarette butts from a 2.5-kilometer stretch of the famed Patong beach in Phuket island province.

The ban stirred up concerns over the impact of the limitation on tourists as Thailand's peak tourist season is just around the corner. However, Jatuporn Burutphat, head of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, thought otherwise. People don't want to get disturbed by smoking when they go to the beaches, Jatuporn said.

Phuket island. /Photo via Chinadaily.com.cn

He added that the cigarette butts are harmful to the marine environment for they contain various toxins that are not easily disposed.

The ban will be enforced in visitor hotspots including Krabi, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Phuket and Phang Nga.

But the question is how?

A proposal to set up a special anti-smoking unit is under discussion, according to Jatuporn. Meanwhile, special locations and dustbins will be set up in those designated areas to give smokers a relief.

Thailand has become a top tourist destination among Chinese visitors in recent years, especially the islands. China remains to be the top source market with 7.63 million travelers flying to the Kingdom so far this year, according to Thailand's Tourism and Sports Ministry.

Thailand has become a top tourist destination among Chinese visitors. /CFP Photo

Tourists looking to doge from the overcrowded islands are setting their eyes on smaller and less developed places in the country such as the Koh Chang. It is the second largest island in Thailand, yet it was not popular among Chinese tourists until recently after a reality show "Chinese Restaurant".

Trips to the Koh Chang island rose by 260 percent compared to the same period last year, reported Ctrip, a leading online tourism company in China.