The Thai tourism authority is supporting the local beach cleanup effort in Chowder Bay, Sydney.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Sydney, in cooperation with the Royal Thai Consulate in Sydney, participated in a beach and underwater cleanup operation in Chowder Bay.

The event took place at Clifton Gardens Reserve on the shores of Chowder Bay. Thai massages and a delicious Thai lunch were provided by Spice I Am for the volunteers. This was followed by a Thai cooking demonstration by Chef Sujet Saenkham, founder and owner of Spice I Am, and a Thai performance by the Siam Classic Dance Group at Taronga Zoo.

According to TAT Director Suladda Sarutilavan: “To express our appreciation for the local heroes who volunteer to protect our oceans, we are proud to support the efforts of the local conservation group Friends of Chowder Bay.”

"The travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic have raised awareness and appreciation for our precious natural environment among many of us. Many tourism businesses in Thailand have used the lockdown period to explore ways to operate more sustainably."

40 volunteers participated, including seven divers, who spent a total of 456 minutes underwater and collected over 2 kg of waste, most of it fishing waste, including an estimated 200 m of discarded fishing line, 63 metal hooks and leads, and 25 plastic fishing lures.

Above water, volunteers collected 191 cigarette butts, 54 straws and other plastic cutlery pieces, an estimated 250 plastic fragments, 120 plastic bag remnants, 155 polystyrene fragments and 27 balloon fragments.

The data from the underwater cleanup operation was uploaded to the global garbage database Project Aware, while the data from the surface cleanup operation was uploaded to Tangaroa Blue's Marine Debris Initiative to help activists and scientists find solutions to marine pollution.

Deborah Dickson-Smith of Diveplanit Travel, organizer and co-founder of the “Friends of Chowder Bay”, explains the importance of Chowder Bay:

"Thailand's underwater world shares many wonders (and indeed living creatures!) with Australia and suffers from similar threats – from plastic pollution and fishing waste. Chowder Bay near Mosman is a unique, biodiverse marine ecosystem, home to many colorful creatures, including anglerfish, decorator crabs, moray eels, and the endangered Sydney seahorse."

Scientists recently set up so-called "seahorse hotels" in Chowder Bay to help rebuild the dwindling seahorse population. Volunteers were able to attend a presentation by marine biologist and aquarist Mitchell Brennan from SEALIFE Sydney Aquarium, who is monitoring the seahorse population.

The Friends of Chowder Bay do their best to rid the “hotels” of plastic waste and fishing debris as part of their regular underwater and beach clean-up operations.

The support from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Royal Thai Consulate in Sydney underscores the efforts to promote Thailand as a sustainable travel destination. Tourism businesses in Thailand are encouraged to protect their local environment, use local products, support local communities, and minimize their carbon footprint.

One example of this is a new offering from Sunsail Yacht Charters. The company has partnered with Ocean Crusaders for a Phuket cleanup in March 2022. This involves a week of sailing in the Andaman Sea combined with beach cleanups to help protect this beautiful part of Southeast Asia.