Research News

Assistant Professor Dr. Pimlapas Pongsakornrungsilp, Acting Dean of the School of Management at Walailak University, revealed that on March 27, 2025, the School of Management, in collaboration with the Center of Excellence for Tourism Business Management and Creative Economy, and the Center of Excellence for Ecoinformatics from the School of Science, Walailak University, organized an international conference under the theme “Driving Sustainability and Blue Carbon in the Andaman and Ao Thai Coastal Areas.” This conference is part of the Walailak Research Convention 2025 (WRC 2025), aimed at advancing research to an international level in alignment with the university’s policy.

The primary objective of this international conference was to promote collaboration in research and knowledge exchange among faculty members, staff, and students with national and international researchers, as well as to increase opportunities for collaborative research publication. This initiative aims to enhance academic excellence, foster an academic atmosphere, and strengthen the research ecosystem within the school.

Assistant Professor Dr. Pimlapas further stated that the School of Management has established networks with various international institutions across multiple countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Scotland, China, Taiwan, and Malaysia, with collaborations involving over 10 universities. The international conference attracted strong engagement from both students and faculty and facilitated links with the industrial sector, drawing in entrepreneurs from Aonang Princeville Villa Resort and Spa, to participate in discussions. The focus was on presenting best practices for applying knowledge, technology, and innovations derived from research to low-carbon businesses, promoting the development of a creative economy based on local wisdom and identity.



Additionally, the School of Management has supported the operations of community-based tourism businesses by identifying ways to increase product value, create shared value, and raise awareness about the sustainable use of coastal resources. This includes reducing carbon emissions from tourism activities through a process of “measure, reduce, compensate, buy back, and communicate,” using an app developed by the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (Public Organization) (TGO) to teach carbon footprint calculation methods. The initiative also focuses on developing creative tourism routes that minimize carbon emissions and reduce production costs, thus enhancing investment returns. The foundation for this work is Blue Carbon in the Andaman coastal area. The discussions at the conference also highlighted the benefits of research that contribute to policy development, planning, and the promotion of investment in carbon offset activities, which will lead to long-term sustainability. The university expressed its gratitude to the Program Management Unit for Competitiveness (PMUC) and all partner organizations.

“In the future, we aim to transition from achieving net-zero carbon emissions to Net Zero, reducing business operations to the minimum. This is another challenge for the research team. At next year’s international conference, we will present new topics and collaborate with international, national, and local business partners. This is part of the key initiatives driven by the School of Management,” concluded Assistant Professor Dr. Pimlapas.