In 2022, the gross provincial product (GPP) growth in Surat Thani province grew by nearly ** percent compared to the previous year. Due to the heavy reliance of Surat Thani's economy on tourism, the absence of tourists in 2020 and 2021 had a significant impact on the province's GPP growth. After major tourist destinations in Surat Thani province, like Koh Samui, reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism continues to grow and the GPP is increasing.

This dataset consists of research data from a project which looked at the way people conceptualise environmental change in coastal areas that are being impacted by tourism and rapid development.

Survey respondents were told the tasks they were being asked to perform (projective mapping and photo sorting) were part of university research focusing on what people in Chaweng thought about their everyday surroundings. While they were told the research was looking at how the town had changed, tourism, as a possible cause of change, was never explicitly mentioned. As the process of recruiting respondents proceeded, an attempt was made to stratify the sample by identifying people of both genders, in various age groups and with differing lengths of residency. People working in various occupations were also represented. In conducting both the projective mapping and photo sorting interviews respondents were visited at their home or workplace. Interviews were conducted in Thai language with the assistance of a translator.

The study involved a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods of collecting and analysing data.

Data consists of paper-based analysis and documentation from the project, along with a large collection of photographic prints.