Koh Lipe is a paradisiacal small island in the Andaman Sea: With fine sandy beaches and turquoise water, the small island is also known as the Maldives island of Thailand. But as is so often the case, this paradise also has a downside. The British newspaper Daily Mail reports that a couple's £3000 luxury holiday from London has turned into a nightmare trip.

The island of Koh Lipe in Thailand is actually the epitome of an exotic paradise that is not yet completely overrun by tourism: shallow white beaches and turquoise water surround the small island, which can be circumnavigated within an hour. However, word has now gotten around how beautiful Koh Lipe is. Accordingly, more and more tourists are flocking to the island. This leads to a number of problems: Hotel capacity has to be created - in other words: half the island is a construction site - and the more people come to the island, the more waste is created.

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What's going on in Koh Lipe?

A quick overview

• the small island in the very south of Thailand is struggling with too much garbage and too many tourists
• a British couple share their scary experiences on the island
• the organization Trash Hero is fighting to get the garbage problem on Koh Lipe under control

Koh Lipe – Garbage problem has been known for a long time

The problem becomes particularly clear in the story of a couple from London who... Mirror newspaper reports that she paid 3000 pounds for her vacation on Koh Lipe - for the actually quite cheap travel destination of Thailand, this price is a small fortune. The couple had read reviews on the Internet and looked at the beautiful pictures of the supposed dream island - but once they were there they saw a different picture.

The woman and man from Ealing in West London, who wished to remain anonymous, said they found a completely different picture when they arrived: around their expensive holiday resort, which they had booked for over £80 per night per person Garbage and construction sites.

On the beach, which looked beautiful in the pictures, there was a construction site including an excavator that was in operation until midnight. But the problem has long been known. Visitors to the island write on the Internet: “Koh Lipe is no longer an insider tip!” and another user explains: “Too many construction sites and simply too much rubbish. Otherwise the island has a flair like the Caribbean!”. The organization Trash Hero has also recognized the problem and therefore organizes a beach cleanup on the main beach every Monday, which is sponsored by local hotels and restaurants. The organization operates throughout Thailand and sometimes even beyond.

Koh Lipe – Tourism has the island firmly under control

However, any help came too late for the couple from London. The man emphasized that their hotel was very good, but the environment catastrophic. On the beach next door there was an open fire to the smoking people stood. The scene had apocalyptic features. In addition, the couple reported on a swamp and a building yard directly behind the hotel. "We thought we could listen to the sound of the sea. Instead, the excavator on the beach has dug deep into the night, "the man tells the Daily Mail. The couple has seen more than a dozen other construction sites.

A few years ago things were different. When Koh Lipe was still a tourist unknown almost a decade ago, there were hardly any developed areas apart from Walking Street, which leads off Pattaya Beach - the main beach. Even today there are only a few paved roads. But word has gotten around about how beautiful the island of Koh Lipe is and tourists are constantly flocking to the island. Many guests come from nearby Langkawi in Malaysia, but also many Europeans and Americans, who mostly come to Koh Lipe from Phuket or Krabi. The word has gotten around that Koh Lipe is a dream island. And where there is demand, supply is often created - new hotels are being built all over the island and there are a corresponding number of construction sites. Koh Lipe is practically in the middle of nowhere and is difficult to reach - so the construction work is taking longer.

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Garbage and mass tourism – a test for Koh Lipe

The increasing flow of tourists and the resulting growing mountain of garbage are a test for the small, idyllic island, which is probably being overrun to a certain extent by its own success. A spokesman for the hotel where the British couple stayed tries to explain the situation accordingly: “Fortunately, there are volunteers who are taking care of the garbage problem,” emphasizes the hotel spokesman. “Every hotel on the island needs to get the garbage problem under control. We admit that. We will do everything in our power to solve the garbage problem. Because if there is too much garbage, the guests stay away and our business suffers,” said the spokesman. There are construction sites and a lot of rubbish, especially in the off-season, as construction takes place during this time in order to be prepared for the main season.

Whether Koh Lipe will make the transition towards sustainable tourism and a healthy waste policy remains to be seen. In any case, this is to be hoped for the island, because apart from the rubbish and construction sites, Koh Lipe is still a paradise that is not yet completely overcrowded and is still worth a trip.


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Koh Lipe – growing pains in a holiday paradise

I was able to observe the problem on Koh Lipe myself. The island is in itself a true paradise, one can be more beautiful Thailand island hardly be. Unfortunately, word got around and the small, remote island came into focus. And then a spiral began: more and more tourists came to the island, so more and more capacity had to be created.

So the island is being plastered with hotels, which leads to more hotel capacity that needs to be filled, so more tourists come to the island. By the way, this is not a problem specific to Thailand or Koh Lipe, but is a problem worldwide most beautiful places to observe. Also in Germany – for example in the Baltic Sea holiday resort of Scharbeutz.

Have you ever been to Koh Lipe or to Thailand in general? Share your experiences in the comments.