Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public Organization)

Let’s Hop on a Creative Journey to Kantang in Trang Province

          Trang province is an old town with a countless number of legends and stories. It was used to be an important seaport of the Portuguese in Thailand and that is the reason why Chino-Portuguese architectures can be seen along the streets and all over the province. The architectural style of houses and buildings here are similar to the Chino-Portuguese architectures found in Phuket which combine Portuguese-style structures with Chinese stucco arts and interior designs. These architectures are considered to be one of the precious heritages of Trang province and most of them were constructed during the period of Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahisornpakdee (Kor Sim Bee Na Ranong), a governor of Trang.

          Dr. Chumpol Musikanon, deputy director of the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public Organization) or DASTA, has said that not only is Trang province a city full of history, but it also has many interesting stories and aspects which can be used as selling points in order to attract tourists to explore and travel creatively. These are the reasons why DASTA has come up with a plan to develop a “creative tourism” in Trang province. The tourists can learn about local ways of life, knowledge, arts & cultures, and history under a concept of “sustainable tourism”.

          Mr. Maitree Phutthawong, director of operations for DASTA office 9, has stated that one of the most interesting facts about Trang province is that it is the first province in the country that grows rubber trees before they are popular and grown in 14 provinces in the southern region starting from Chumphon province to the far south provinces adjacent to Malaysia. Nowadays, there are rubber tree plantations in the eastern and north eastern regions of the country, making Thailand the biggest exporter of rubber. The person who firstly introduced the rubber tree to the local farmers in Trang province is Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahisornpakdee (Kor Sim Bee Na Ranong), a governor of Trang.

          Trang is also a city of food as the local dishes here are culturally diverse and delightfully flavorsome. In addition, Trang people enjoy cooking and eating so much so that it has been named “a city of gourmets”. The famous local dishes that you should not miss when visiting Trang are Trang-style roasted pork, Kao Yok or steamed pork belly with pickled Chinese mustard greens, Mee Num Liao or Hokkien-style egg noodles in gravy sauce, Bak Kut Teh, Chinese pastries, roti, and dim sum.
 

          If you are a nature lover, Trang will not disappoint you as the province is abundant in beautiful nature whether it be the ocean or hot springs. The sea in Trang province is peaceful and not being disturbed much by the tourists; hence, it is no surprise that the sea here is the largest habitat of dugongs and the largest area where seagrass can be found in the country. Besides, there are several types of shallow water corals and seaweeds in the area, making the sea here one of the best food sources of sea creatures.

          “Kantang Hot Spring” is a salt water hot spring that is different from the others in the neighboring provinces. Normally, each hot spring will have different levels of temperatures and sulfur. The average temperatures are usually around 20 – 70 degrees Celsius. The good points of Kantang Hot Spring are that it has a very low level of sulfur (less than 1%) and barely smells. However, it is the only hot spring in Thailand which contains more than 75% of calcium. Since calcium helps stimulate blood flow, this hot spring has become a popular therapeutic destination for patients with paresis, paralysis, beriberi, and varicose veins. The tourists and visitors can also shop a variety of health products made from the mineral water from the hot spring before going back home.

          Finally, one of the charming characteristics of Trang province is the way of life of the local people which is still relying on coastal fishing. Apart from the abundance of natural resources and sea creatures, the local people are doing their best to conserve and protect their own identities and ways of life despite an expansion of modern-world advancement.