Travelfish #402: New site + our first long read + what is a quality tourist?
Yes, it has been a busy week!
Hi everyone,
This week, what is a quality tourist? I suggest tourism boards should be taking a bit more of a long term view when thinking about this.
Two big bits of news. First, the redesign is done! The new Travelfish site went live on Friday and while there are a few bits and pieces for me to fix, the worst of it is over!
Secondly, we published our first crowdfunded long read. The story, by Bali–based Julia Winterflood, is titled “As Bali attempts to forge a new era, we need to stop spinning fables about it and listen to Balinese”. Is Bali a “resort island”, or is Pulau Dewata (island of the Gods) or “the Indonesian island of Bali” a better fit? Please give it a read and let me know what you think!
As Bali attempts to forge a new era, we need to stop spinning fables about it and listen to Balinese. Lovina Beach, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: Julia Winterflood.
The crowdfunding has another month to run, so if you’ve loose change, please keep it in mind. You can follow our progress here.
Last week on pay to read Couchfish, I missed Thursday and Friday as I was busy killing the redesign with a stake—my apologies. I did finish my time (for now) in Laos, at Don Dhet, then moved on to Cambodia. First stop Stung Treng then on to Banlung.
On free to read Couchfish, there were no entries, but if you’d like an old one, perhaps try this one on learning to dive at Sulawesi’s Togean islands.
The Togeans. No photoshopping required. Island Retreat, Togean Islands, Indonesia. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
As always, the photos in this newsletter are from last week on Couchfish.
Over on Thai Island Times, David had his regular island news wrap and then a look at one of Thailand’s most chilled out islands, Ko Phayam—go read it right now.
Cheers and again thank you for all your support
Stuart
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What is a quality tourist?
Everyone (including me!) wants to re–invent tourism these days. People are talking about bringing in high–end characters on yachts and wellness tourists to fancy pants health retreats. What about backpackers and independent travellers? Can they be “quality tourists” too? I think so!
The mantra in tourism–board think seems to be a simple calculus of “spend more—worth more”. To my mind, it should be a good deal more nuanced.
Just another Don Dhet sunset. Don Dhet, Laos. Photo: Adam Poskitt.
How do you measure value? At a glance, a guest at the $5,000 a night villa may outweigh one at a $5 dorm. Do they though? As a friend at a luxury travel company asked, “Who owns the resort? Where did the money end up? Through what channel did the customer book? Where did the money end up? What tax was paid?”
I’m willing to bet my flip flops that a larger proportion of the $5 stays in country versus the five grand. Of course the five grand place may hire more staff and at better wages. It is complicated—as it should be.
For some though, like Tourism Australia, it is dead simple. In defining “quality tourists” they write:
“Most importantly they represent high value with above average trip expenditure.”
Show us your money!
When I asked Paul Pruangkarn, the director of comms at PATA, if they had a definition for high value tourism, he said:
“PATA doesn’t have a formal definition for the term. As you mentioned, it traditionally refers to high yield/spend, longer stays, etc.”
Taxi! Stung Treng, Cambodia. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
Paul went on to say though that PATA would promote the idea that the term could include those who give back to local communities. It doesn’t have to be tied to money. Being conscious of the environment, promoting culture and heritage, or helping build communities, could all count towards one’s “value”.
Not all feel that way though. A friend who has regular contact with the tourism board of an ASEAN country, told me:
“For them it is all about the money; how much they can get from the smallest number of tourists. That is what it will be like going forward as the days of mass tourism are now over for the foreseeable future.”
Coming back to my luxury travel friend above, they ask:
“I guess my first question is high value to who? To a destination, to an accommodation provider, or to a specific community? Someone who stays in an expensive resort and doesn't leave it could be high value to the resort, but have little value to the broader community.”
This is one of the values being left on the table—that to the broader community. I’d argue we should take the value proposition farther still—way beyond the financial. What about the long term payoffs through exploration and relationship building?
Kids looking for an ogre princess. Banlung, Cambodia. Photo: Nicky Sullivan.
Bertie Alexander, MD of Sampan Travel, a Burma–based tourism company had this to say:
“It is important to look beyond hotel expenditure. I often urge people at the top of Myanmar tourism not to be so sneering of backpackers. The money that backpackers spend trickles down directly to the grassroots quicker. They often travel more broadly within the country and help to expand the destinations that are able to welcome travellers. Hsipaw and Dawei, for example, are places where backpackers went first and later the richer, conventional traveller followed.”
Pre Covid19, many said Southeast Asia was over–touristed, yet there are trails yet to be blazed. With the growth of domestic middle classes, locals are doing their bit, but there’s still a role for foreigners.
Ameer Virani, co–founder at Tourism in Need, on the characteristics of a high value tourist, adds:
“A characteristic of a ‘high value tourist’ is one who spends at a wide range of different businesses. Through this they benefit more stakeholders at every level of the supply chain. But how can we measure this?”
While coming back to money, this highlights the long shadow a traveller can cast—making the equation even more complicated. How can we best measure this shadow? Tourism boards need to look at this.
Crossing the French bridge. Don Dhet, Laos. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
As I’ve written before, viewing tourism through only a financial prism ignores other benefits. Tourism, done right, can build long term relationships, and social and cultural understanding.
Two prominent travel bloggers, Dan & Audrey, tap into this. They see a quality tourist as:
“One who engages respectfully with a destination and local businesses, culture and nature. One who spends money deliberately so it stays local (versus resort leakages). One who stays some time.”
Respect is a big deal. Social media is awash in images of “bad backpackers”, but for every twit, there’s ten others doing it right. The longer you stay, the more you learn.
To my mind, a “quality tourist” is not solely a product of what they spend. Rather, it is a product of who they are, what they bring to a destination, what they want to learn from it, and, most importantly, their desire to return again—irrespective of how much they want to spend.
That is how you rebuild a destination into somewhere that will still be worth visiting decades from now.
Good travels
Stuart
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Twelve things worth reading
Ywangan: Cave paintings, coffee tours and a white lagoon $
“Despite being just two hours north of crowd-puller Kalaw, Ywangan has remained off most travel itineraries, with need-to-know information scattered in dribs and drabs across the web.”
Bodybuilding competition with a difference in Indonesia
“Another contestant, Bubun Gunawan, 33, says his body is sturdy and muscled thanks to his work in the factory, estimating that he lifts as many as 20,000 tiles with his partner each day.”
Is it vaccine or bust for tourism reopening in South East Asia?
“En route, we seek to trademark the phrase “Vaccine Bubble,” and canvas ideas from travel industry figures in Asia and worldwide on taking those all-important next steps to revive tourism.”
The good, the fresh and the crispy: Quy Nhon’s wondrous cuisine in 3 dishes
“When the light goes out after a full day spent exploring the city, nothing is more tempting than filling up your belly with a hearty bowl of bún chả cá — Vietnamese fish cake noodles.”
Indonesia loves US soybeans too as tempeh popularity booms
“When former US president Barack Obama visited Indonesia in 2017 on a family trip, he had tempeh for dinner—and asked for two portions.”
Letter from Laos: Development, interrupted
“It is a lovely piece of engineering. But in a country where millions of people rely on dirt roads and wooden bridges, it makes a jarring and dissonant sight. It looks like someone picked up a piece of Munich and dropped it into Laos.”
In a first, Myanmar soldiers tell of Rohingya slaughter $
“Old men were decapitated, and young girls were raped, their head scarves torn off to use as blindfolds, witnesses and survivors said.”
When Covid19 resets ecotourism $
“Avid wildlife lovers come from afar to view these animals, river safari-style. Today, tourists’ presence is important for another reason.”
Wrath of the Phantom Army
Heritage Watch is preparing to re-start their Heritage for Kids education project & they need to reprint our comic books & children’s books for the new cohort of students. They really need your help! Please consider buying a digital copy of Wrath of the Phantom Army its only a couple of bucks and proceeds go toward printing Khmer-language versions of the comic for our students.
BASAbaliWiki
BASAbali is a collaboration of scholars, governments, artists, and community members from within and outside of Bali which is encouraging people to value local languages and to take action to strengthen them alongside of national and international tongues.
Nuke your Twitter feed
Nothing to do with travel, but worth a read. “But over those twelve years, I somehow started following nearly 2000 people. My feed had become chaotic and stressful and angry.”
Restrictions return in Jakarta as hospitals, cemeteries fill up
“Burhan said if infections continue to rise, doctors in her hospital will be forced to ‘play God’ and decide who gets treatment and who gets turned away.”
Something to read
Eastlit
A website this week rather than a book. “Eastlit, is a journal and website focused on creative writing, English literature and art specifically from or connected to East and South East Asia.”
Photo of the week
A deck to laze on. Banlung, Cambodia. Photo: Nicky Sullivan.
Thank you!
Thanks from reading the Travelfish newsletter. Please feel free to forward it to all and sundry and your feedback, as always, is much appreciated.
Travel light!
Stuart & the Travelfish team