Other industries Rubber. First introduced from Malaya in 1903, the orderly ranks of rubber trees soon came to define much of the local landscape. Rubber plantations are still much in evidence, but soaring real estate values and the boom in tourism has meant that land is being turned to other uses. Tin dredging in offshore waters has been restrained in the past few years, moreover, by zoning regulations designed to help protect the coral reefs and beaches of the west coast. Coconuts, pineapples, bananas, cashews, etc.
Fishing is still an important part of life for the people living along the coast.
But small-scale fisheries are being hurt by modern trawling, some of it illegal. The northeast monsoon season, roughly November till April, brings consistently sunny weather, cool breezes and low humidity, with moderate seas. The southwest monsoon, May till October, sees the rainiest and most unpredictable weather along with frequent swells off the Indian Ocean. On the island of Phuket and on the adjacent mainland, tropical rainforests of various types provide excellent opportunities for trekking. The fringing coral reefs of the area include some of the best in the world, and sport diving has become a major Phuket-based recreational industry.