National parks are protected for a reason, and when people take advantage of them, it can cause irreparable damage.
A British man was arrested for giving unauthorized tours of national parks in Thailand, according to a report by Khaosod English. He operated this illegal business to make money from foreign tourists for more than 10 years.
Local officials said that the man did not have a valid work permit or a license for his tour company. He ran a personal website where visitors could book tour packages and also drove the tourists around in his car while serving as their guide.
National police in Thailand have been cracking down on crimes that affect tourist safety and the broader tourism industry. They went undercover to track the man and found that he was selling tour packages for as much as $3,000 that promised to cover five provinces across the country over the course of two weeks.
He avoided suspicion for so long by describing the trips as informal outings with friends. It was estimated that his decade of business resulted in Thailand's tourism industry losing more than $300,000.
National parks always encourage visitors, and more people having positive experiences with nature is a good thing for environmental awareness. It can deepen their appreciation for the outdoors and prompt them to lead more eco-conscious lives.
Unfortunately, unauthorized tours like this one, which flout the law and operate without guidelines, do more harm than good. Without oversight, there is no protection for people if anything goes wrong or someone gets injured.
And because the tours did not follow official rules, they may also have endangered wildlife and the nature areas being preserved by the national park. Any encounter with a wild animal in this context could pose risks to both tourists and the animal.
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