Burapha lecturer Vichien
Tansirikhongkol details the administrators’ visit to Europe.
Warunya Thongrod
Pattaya officials mixed stops at a Norwegian city hall and
Danish incinerator with sightseeing at historical spots on a nine-day
government-paid junket intended to improve their understanding of
tourism’s impact on the environment.
The April 24-May 1 visit to Norway and Denmark followed a two-day
workshop in Pattaya organized by Burapha University on “Development of
Potential and Visions” at which bureaucrats were told they needed to do
a better job mitigating the impact of tourism and industry on the
environment. The Scandinavian trip offered the administrators a chance
to see how city management is done in Europe.
At a May 2 wrap-up meeting, Burapha lecturer Vichien Tansirikhongkol
detailed the administrators’ visit to Oslo City Hall where the Thais
heard presentations on city planning and management, tourism and the
environment.
City planning took a backseat to snapshot-taking the next day, however,
as the travelers visited a Viking boat museum and toured historical and
cultural landmarks under the premise it was part of their understanding
of European tourism industry.
More tourist spots were visited as the junket continued on to Denmark
before the Thais got back down to more-mundane business, visiting a
high-voltage electric trash-to-energy incinerator in Copenhagen. There
they observed garbage separation and heat management at the power plant.
Pattaya has been attempting to build a trash-to-energy plant for more
than two years.
