GreenBkk.com Tourism | Zoning is part of the Mae Ramphueng beach beautification drive

Zoning is part of the Mae Ramphueng beach beautification drive

Rayong has embarked on a 120-million-baht reorganisation and beautification of one of its most famous tourist attractions, a 10km-long strip of Mae Ramphueng Beach.

Mae Ramphueng beach.

"The beach has been exploited for decades by operators of seafood restaurants, providers of beach chairs and local fishermen," said Parinya

Kumsaprom, the chief of Khao Laem Ya-Moo Koh Samet National Park which holds jurisdiction over the beach.

It is estimated that dozens of fishing boats dock there every day, and scattered around the beach are some 50 restaurants and 62 beach-chair

providers. "There are too many and they need to be managed properly," he said.

The park has drawn up a zoning blueprint under which existing restaurants will be demolished and new ones built, said the head of the park's

management division Vilai Sawadlon, adding that the demolition work has already begun.

The plan is to build concrete infrastructures at three spots along the beach road, each housing 10-20 restaurants. As for beach-chair vendors, their

operations will be regulated. There will be a limit on the number of chairs they can put up, which will be confined to an 18x15m area starting from

the shoreline. To operate the service, vendors will need to rent space from the park.

Park authorities will also construct 21 houses, each about four metres wide, complete with a docking facilities so fishermen can moor their boats in an orderly manner.

"We hope to have everything in place by September this year," Vilai said.

A parking lot equipped with closed-circuit cameras is also on the cards to prevent car thefts and ensure security of visitors.

The park, in the meantime, has sought cooperation from vendors and Tambon Administration Organisations to help out with the collection of garbage along the beach.

"A lot of trash is washed on shore every morning, and while we have our own people collecting it, they are not enough because the waves dump trash all day long," he said.

Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)