| Things to Know Before Starting Hotel Business |
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Things to Know Before Starting Hotel Business
Realizing the obstacles that hotel business owners are facing due to
the closer relationship between environmental management and hotel
business development, the Senate Sub-Commission on the Study of Laws
which are Obstacles to Tourism Industry would like to provide advice to
persons who have engaged or wish to engage in hotel business in
Thailand as follows:
If you are interested in opening a hotel, but do not wish to face with problems such as…
•Tremendous amount invested but stuck with EIA!
•Sea in front is strictly conserved due to endangered animals and corals!
•Construction of a small pier caused the hotel beach to collapse!
•Hotel development is stuck due to land use restrictions!
•If known about Green Hotels earlier, the hotel could have attracted a lot more guests!
•Sea turtle egg laying zone, no night parties allowed on the beach!
An environmental study can help solve these problems.
It should be undeniable to say that hotel business mainly depends on
environmental resources. Good locations are not only difficult to find
but are also strictly controlled by laws, rules and regulations, such
as those of building control, town planning, environment and public
health. Even with the absence of such restrictions, business owners
would not wish to destroy the beautiful surrounding natures with their
innocent mistakes anyway, since doing so is comparable to destroying
their own gold mines.
The Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA Report) is what the
environmental law requires a project owner to conduct if the owner
wishes to construct a hotel with 80 or more rooms. Under the EIA
Report process, the project owner must hire a juristic person
authorized by the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy
and Planning (ONEP) to conduct the report. As a benefit, the project
that has undergone an environmental impact assessment study will be
able to respond to all relating environmental issues. Then, the
project owner can utilize the suggestions received after the report
submission to help develop the project.
As for hotel projects with less than 80 rooms, even though the EIA
Report is not required, but however, if the owner wants to ensure that
there will be no environmental problems occurred later on, for
instance, collapse of beach or destruction of sea animal’s habitat
nearby (whose existence helps attract tourists) due to the hotel
development, an advice of a competent environmental consultant is
recommended to be sought. Being non-governmental professionals, the
environmental consultants do not only conduct the EIA Report, but they
are also able to provide environmental consultations to project owners
in every aspect. Since before the project initiation, the consultants
can answer questions such as: What are the laws, rules, and
regulations to be considered for running the project in a certain
areaω Are there any natural resources to be utilized to attract
customersω The consultant can also help the owner plan the
construction by advising methods to best conserve the surrounding
natural resources both while constructing and running the hotel, since
to the owner, surrounding natural resources are like breadbaskets.
As for the EIA Report process, hotel project owners are recommended
to have environmental consultants involved since the location selection
period. Later on during construction design, the consultant can
recommend the architect on important environmental restrictions while
studying the environmental impact at the same time to ensure that the
project goes according to the environmental standard and to also
clarify and speed up the EIA Report.
To seek for a competent environmental consultant is not a difficult
task. Project owners are welcomed to see the list of registered
environmental consultants at the Environmental Impact Evaluation Bureau
(EIEB), Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and
Planning (ONEP) 60/1 Soi Pibunwattana 7, Param 6 Road, Bangkok 10400,
Tel. 0-2265-6500 or through the website http://www.onep.go.th/eia. |
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