Travelfish #447: Take a look in the mirror

Tourism critiques + more fodder for procrastinating

Hi all,

This week I’ve got a couple of related very “critical of tourism” pieces. One is an opinion piece that ran last year and the other a podcast from this week with the author. You may not agree with all the opinions voiced, but if you are a frequent traveller—to anywhere in the world—they are well worth a read/listen. Plenty of material worth taking on board.

On Couchfish, the paid version is all about bumming around Thailand’s Ko Tarutao Archipelago—the pics this week are from that corner of the region. Enjoy!

Cheers

Stuart

Beach time

Yes please. On Ko Lipe. Photo: Stuart McDonald.

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Vaccinations snapshot

The following chart is per capita—not total numbers. The dark green bar is the one that matters—it represents the percentage of the eligible population that is fully vaccinated. You can see a full-size and interactive version of the chart here.

Source: Our World in Data

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Travel summary

So where is open and where is closed? This chart by Hannah Pearson at Pear Anderson summarises the state of play in the region as of Sunday, July 24, 2022. To receive Hannah’s report in your email mailbox every Sunday you can sign up here (it is free!)

Source: The Impact of Covid-19 on the Southeast Asian Tourism Industry (PDF)

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⭐️ Story of the week 

• Tourism, Colonialism, and Disease from AP blog

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🇲🇲 Burma

• ‘I Can’t Forget Her'- Myanmar’s Soldiers Admit Atrocities from BBC

• In Myanmar, Young Men Face Stark Choice: Join Army or Face Heavy Fines from VOA

• Fighting a Brutal Regime With the Help of a Video Game from The New York Times ($)

• Myanmar Junta Carries Out First Executions in Decades from Frontier Myanmar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodia

• Farmers Feel the Pressure After Conservation Crackdown Around Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake from Mongabay

• New Phnom Penh Hotspots for Live Music from Move to Cambodia

• Cambodia Drops All Covid-19 Entry Requirements from Move to Cambodia

• Cambodia Lays Out Master Plan to Bring Back Tourists from CNA

• Notes on Kampot – There’s Been a Vibe Shift from Nomadic Notes

Ad: Phnom Penh’s Penh House, from US$62 per night. Click here for the details.

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🌴 Environment

• Can Planting a Trillion New Trees Save the World? from The New York Times ($)

• Gõ Nước: an Endangered Tree That Offers Hope for Conservation Efforts from Saigoneer

• How Fish Poop Might Help Corals Overcome Bleaching from Hakai

• A 17-minute Flight? The Super-rich Who Have ‘Absolute Disregard for the Planet’ from The Guardian

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• Will West Sumatra’s New Law Lead to More Islamic Conservatism in Indonesia? from SCMP ($)

• How to Buy a Hijab in Jakarta from Rest of World

🇱🇦 Laos

• Former Hmong Refugee Writes Stories the World Needs from SEAGlobe ($)

• Remembering the Victims of the 2018 Attapeu Dam Collapse from The Laotian Times

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: the Screaming Schoolgirls of Kelantan from The Straits Times ($)

• Malaysia: Justice Undone from Asia Sentinal

🇸🇬 Singapore

• The 10 Best Things to Do in Singapore from Conde Nast Traveller

• “Sweet Child, Where Do We Go Now?” from We, The Citizens

• Anxiety in Flight: What Dengue Prevention Ads Don’t Tell You from Rice Media

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Thailand's Ecological Efforts to Protect Coastlines From Over-tourism from CNA Insider (Video)

• Thai Fishermen and Restaurants Team Up for Sustainability from National Geographic (PR from the Tourism Authority of Thailand)

• Exploring the Land Scheme for Foreigners from Bangkok Post

• A Forest in the Heart of the City from Bangkok Post

Ad: Bangkok’s Sala Arun from US$116 per night. Click here for the details.

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🇻🇳 Vietnam

• Banana Island is a Peaceful Oasis Amid Hanoi, but for How Much Longer? from Saigoneer

• Why Vietnam Should Be Worried About Laos’ Economic Crisis from The Diplomat

Random other stuff

• The Haves and the Have-Yachts from The New Yorker ($)

• Tourism, Colonialism and Disease from The End of Tourism Podcast

Couchfish (Free-to-read)

• Couchfish: Digital Nomad Visas Blah Blah Blah

Couchfish (Paid subscribers only)

• Couchfish Day 316: My Precious.

• Couchfish Day 317: Prawns and Pirates

• Couchfish Day 318: Bad Boat Trip

Grazing #2

Who needs a smartphone? On Ko Bulon Lae. Photo: Stuart McDonald.

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See you next week!

So that’s the wrap. I hope you are all in good health, and thanks for reading.

See you next week,

Stuart