Krabi sets its sights on carbon neutrality by 2040

The university is working with 10 national-level agencies and 12 tourism operators in Krabi to promote sustainable tourism and the creative economy in the resort province on Thailand’s west coast, Associate Professor Siwarit Pongsakornrungsilp, the university’s acting dean, said on Monday.

The collaboration also aims to promote climate change efforts in Krabi, which is among the provinces likely to be affected by the impact of climate-related phenomena in the Andaman Sea, he added.

“The tourism industry contributes to about 8% of Thailand’s total emissions of greenhouse gases from such activities as transport, hotel and restaurant operations, and manufacturing of souvenirs. It is therefore the duty of all entrepreneurs to reduce and try to offset their carbon footprint,” he said.

Assistant Professor Pimlapas Pongsakornrungsilp, head of the university’s Centre of Excellence for Tourism Business Management and Creative Economy, added that the university has also been working with its partners to establish a knowledge centre to educate entrepreneurs and support the implementation of zero-carbon policies.

These include the improvement of tourism transport and hotel administration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using renewable energy and other modern technology, and optimisation of transport and supply chain routes for tourism and related businesses.

Last year Krabi was named Thailand’s Most Welcoming City in the Traveller Review Awards 2022 organised by Booking.com

The ranking was based on 1.3 million travellers’ reviews of 12,969 hotels in Thailand.

The other Thai cities that scored high on the “most welcoming” list were Trat, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima, in that order.