About Koh Yao Noi

Koh Yao Noi is an Island in Southern Thailand. The Island is in the center of  Bay of Phang Nga in between Phuket and Krabi. Koh Yao Noi is in Phang Nga Province and there are currently around 7,000 registered inhabitants. 

Fishing is the majour source of income for the people here. Shrimp gill nets and crab gill nets are used by locals to get their catch. Cages are used to catch groupers, snappers, and lobsters. Local fish stocks have dropped due to large, commercial fishing trawlers but efforts are currently underway to bring the numbers back up. 

 Rubber plantations are now the choice of income for locals. Many new plantations are starting and the old ones are being planted again. Latex still has a good price and the money earned is good compared with slower and more labor intensive farming techniques.

Rice farming is still seen in Koh Yao Noi, especially on the West Coast. Most families grow for their own conumption and very little is left over to sell.

Many locals work their own gardens to produce the following items for self consumption: cashew nuts, mangoes, coconuts, durians, rambutans, mangosteens, and dukus.  

There is a growing tourism industry here and many locals are involved in an award winning Homestay Program. Others have built bungalows and restaurants to cater to visitors. Some have converted their fishing boats into tour boats to take tourists swimming, snorkeling and island hopping.

The majority of the locals here are Muslim and speak the Southern dialect of the Thai language. There are four frimary schools and one secondary school with a total of about 1,200 students.