Balancing Human Tourism and Nature Conservation

Khlong Thom Hot Spring,  a health promotion tourism in Krabi Thailand, has more than 300,000 tourists visiting  annually. Saline Hot Spring, Hot Waterfall, and Emerald Pool are distinguished public hot springs in the area with abundant nature where tourism facilities are continuously in the improvement process. However, a poor management and an excess of tourists resulted in huge impacts on natural resources and eventually deteriorated the sites' identities. The ecological impacts from overloaded tourism development leads to the main design concept - "Balancing  Human  Tourism and Nature conservation". The overview of the project aims to find the balance through the degree of development on a spectrum between human facility development and natural conservation. With the demands on tourism supported facilities on these natural locations, the spectrum demonstrates the level of design and development that allowed in each area. The condition of facilities suitability and also the role of area's owner are the major factors of conservation level.  Physical conditions of the natural identities and local uses of each hot spring are taking  into consideration for sustainable landscape design. By using the Low impact Design, The main facilities, bathing.pools and buildings, are constructed to be elevated to allow the flow of water. Adaptive reuse the existing abandoned buildings by reconstructed and elevated the structures and assign a new functions fitting sustainable tourism.  The development focuses on building  a network of health and wellness tourism by the program that preserves outstanding traits of tourism in each site and ensures benefits not to destroy existing abundant nature.