Impact of Sea Level Rise on Tourism Carrying Capacity in Thailand

Abstract

Sea level rise due to climate change affects beaches, which are a source of high recreational value in the economy. The tourism carrying capacity (TCC) assessment is one of the tools to determine the management capacity of a beach. Pattaya beach represents the character of well-known beaches in Thailand, while Chalatat beach represents the character of beaches that are the focus of domestic tourism. To evaluate beach area this study detected the shoreline position using Google Earth images with tidal correction. The Bruun rule was used for shoreline projection. TCC was calculated by using the beach area, correction factors, and management capacity. The results find that the current effective carrying capacity is approximately 200,000 for Pattaya beach and 49,000 for Chalatat beach. Although the Chalatat beach areas are larger than Pattaya, the effective carrying capacity of Pattaya beach is larger than the effective carrying capacity of Chalatat beach for all situations because TCC is affected by beach areas, correction factors, and management capacity. Because beach areas experience the effects of sea-level rise, protection against future beach loss should be considered for coastal management.