| Teenagers who survived the December tsunami are being encouraged to train as tour guides, as Thailand's southern resort province of Phuket gears up for what it hopes will be a boom in tourism with the launch of a previously undiscovered natural tourist attraction.
The 30 young tour guides, who have been drawn from some of Phuket's most traditional communities, are being trained by the local tourism, sports and leisure centre in the hope that they can help contribute to sustainable tourism on the southern island.
Today Mr. Promchoti Traiwech, the centre's director, pointed to the large number of local communities on Phuket whose traditional ways of life could prove a tourist draw.
Among these is the Baan Para Community in Thalang district, which today unveiled a previously unknown seven-tiered waterfall as the island's latest tourist attraction.
According to Mr. Adul Phanthip, a Baan Para resident, the waterfall not only flows year-round, but is also home to rare flora and fauna, including bats and parrots.
The community is now offering homestays for tourists, and hopes that it can contribute to the island's recovery in the wake of the December tsunami, which saw a sharp decline in the number of visitor travelling to the province.
By: MCOT, Thailand
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