Koh Phangan: Away from the party image?

At the end of the year, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Governor of Suratthani announced that they would divide Koh Phangan into different zones to change the island's reputation as a party paradise.

Five zones are planned to be designated as "Nightlife", "Historic and Eco-Tourism", "Spa and Learning", "Livestyle and Trends" and "The Life of Fishermen".

With the help of this reorientation, Koh Phangan will be marketed as a "Green Island" in the future and there is even talk of a flagship model for the future development of islands such as Koh Lanta and Koh Lipe.

Koh Phangan should not continue "exclusively as a Party island“Are marketed and repeated cancellations of events such as the Half Moon Party and Black Moon Party are supposedly discussed. According to an article in the Bangkok Post, the shrimp paste production on the island is to be advertised instead ... no, this article did not appear in April ...!
According to the Thai Tourism Board (TAT), much of the local population is interested in realigning the island and wants to preserve the natural charm of Koh Phanan.

 

Far from the facts?

It seems that those responsible here are neglecting at least two aspects: First, it was actually the TAT, which has set exclusively on the marketing of the Full Moon Party and other activities on the island completely left out. The many diving schools, Detox and Yoga offers or even the luxury resorts on the east coast were never part of the image drawn by the island's official side. Basically, there are and have always been "zones" on the island, because during the south known for party's and nightlife meets in the North west, north and east a completely different clientele.
On the other hand, it seems unlikely that a ministry in this way will suddenly turn a significant proportion of tourists into culture-loving and environmentally conscious Shrimp paste buyer can transform. By the way, 740.000 tourists from 2013 were 110.000 Thais, most of whom came exclusively for the Full Moon Party.

It seems unrealistic that a somewhat funny press release will change something. After all, those responsible are not ready to take the only logical step to influence the tourist target group in the long term: A ban on the Full Moon Party would mean far too great financial losses ...