The credit crisis silver lining
Whilst tourism to Thailand has dropped as a result of the economic situation and, to an extent, of local political unease, the trend to visitors seeking out more sustainable options seems to perdure.
Whilst Thailand is primarily a mass market destination and in the main operates according to traditional business models, the internet is proving fertile soil to nurture small individual undertakings, operating with a focus on responsible tourism, in answer to the trend of individuals to seek a more direct relationship with the destination itself and its indigenous people, or the desire to focus on local produce and employment.
Gecko Villa (www.geckovilla.com) in the heart of Thailand’s rural Northeast (Isaan), has witnessed a consistent growth in guests seeking to get away from the beaten tourist path and to integrate themselves with the local people and ways of life. As guests find this experience rewarding, they are stimulated to “give back†to the local community. Recently, for example, photographers who spent a week at the property exploring the vicinity with the local family, decided, upon their return, to hold an exhibition of their photographs taken in the rural villages, with all funds raised donated to the village’s small and under-funded primary school.
If the credit crisis has a silver lining, this lies perhaps in forging a direct symbiosis between guests and locals, sourced through a growing awareness of relative wealth, and the medium of the internet. Perhaps the Windows tagline of the 90s, “Where do you want to go today?â€, will change in the mind of travelers to “Why do you want to go today?†as they examine their underlying motivation to travel. After all, if we travel to go somewhere different, then the preservation of indigenous identities and cultures becomes essential to preserve the very nature of a voyage.
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