BANGKOK — While the Hollywood production team of the famous film “The Jurassic World 4 (SAGA)” is expected to boost tourism to Thailand’s Trang, Phang-nga, and Krabi, the national park authorities will monitor the filming to protect the natural resources and minimize environmental impact in the long run.
Mr. Attaphol Charoenchansa, Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, stated that the film crew has already sent a letter requesting to use the national park area for filming a movie titled “SAGA.” Pol. Gen. Patcharawat Wongsuwan, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, supported the request as it promotes tourism but emphasized that there should be no impact on natural resources and the environment.
In the document, the film crew specified the equipment they need to use, props for filming, and the use of environmentally friendly colors, which should not cause any problems as the Department of National Parks has already set clear criteria. The department asked the film crew to take care of the environment, not to make any modifications, to conduct environmentally friendly filming, and to make it a low-carbon film production in line with Thailand’s environmental policies. The team understands this because they have learned from the filming of “The Beach.”
Mr. Attaphol further stated that the requested filming locations are in three national parks: Sunset Beach and Kradan Island in Hat Chao Mai National Park, Trang Province; Huay To Waterfall in Khao Phanom Bencha National Park, Krabi Province; and Tapu Island, Two Brothers Island, and Naka Island in Ao Phang Nga National Park, Phang Nga Province. The film crew will use drones to take aerial shots, and the filming will take place from June 17-28.
“Nowadays, filmmaking often uses technology such as CG, which has almost no impact on the environment. During the filming, national park officers will observe the filming throughout. Regarding expenses, there will be a deposit or security of 2 million baht (55,000 USD) and an attached contract regarding various damages such as disturbance to wildlife, forest resources, trees, and the condition of the filming location. There is also a filming fee of 3,500 baht per day,” said Mr. Attaphol.
Salin Totabtieng, chairman of the Andaman Southern Provinces Chamber of Commerce, said to Matichon that it was very positive news for Thailand tourism, like the island of Phang Nga, has gained long-term fame from the filming of “James Bond: The Man with the Golden Gun” in 1974 until now.
The tourism authority estimates that around 400 million baht (11 million USD) will initially flow into Andaman provinces during filming, with the subsequent production processes bringing further ongoing economic benefits.
“The filming of “Jurassic World 4″ in Trang, albeit only partially, especially on Ko Kradan, which has been voted the most beautiful beach in the world by the World Beach Record two years in a row, is expected to have a lasting positive impact. The tourism boost from the filming is likely to attract more tourists to Trang and Ko Kradan in particular,” he said.
Salin assured that the national park has well-planned and preventive measures in place, while it needs cooperation between all sectors of the economy and the public to ensure that the filming process runs smoothly and beautifully without disruptions.
Pichai Chirathivat, executive director of Central Group, who visited Trang for a business and family vacation, shared his positive impressions, which he saw as beneficial for those who have yet to experience Trang’s attractions, such as its beaches, people, food and picturesque mountain landscapes.
He expects the movie to earn 200-300 million baht upon release, with long-term benefits similar to what Krabi experienced after Leonardo DiCaprio filmed “The Beach” there. He expects the global audience’s interest in “Jurassic World 4” to draw attention to Trang’s marine beauties, especially the locations featured in the movie.
Lessons from the Beach
The public and government officials have become more cautious about maintaining a balance between environmental conservation and economic and tourism development since the filming of the movie “The Beach,” which was shot at Maya Bay, part of the Phi Phi archipelago off the coast of Krabi province in 1998 and released in 2000.
Although this film brought fame to Maya Bay and attracted tourists from around the world, the environmental impact from the filming led to a lengthy lawsuit. Furthermore, the tourism boom had turned into a nightmare for conservationists.
Maya Bay had been cordoned off in June 2018 and has been opened since January 2022 with many regulations. In the meantime, the court ruled to obligate the Forest Department to restore Maya Bay to its original condition, as it had approved the private sector’s involvement in the shooting back in 1998.
In addition, the Twentieth Century Fox company was ordered to pay another 10 million baht (nearly 290,000 U.S. dollars) in compensation and to support environmental protection. The company is required to provide funds to the Forestry Department for the restoration of Maya Bay and submit annual reports to the court on the progress of the work for a period of 3 years or until the allocated funds are exhausted.
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