Stuart McDonald from Travelfish on Tourism Recovery in Thailand Through Visas, Backpackers...and Weed? [S7.E15]

This is Part 2 of our interview with Stuart MacDonald, Asian
tourism expert and founder of TravelFish.org, arguably the best
single resource for traveling in Southeast Asia. In this half of
the interview, Greg, Ed and Stu revisit the tricky topic of
'overtourism,' an issue which attempts to find a balance between
economic revenue from tourism, which in theory is good for local
economies, and damage to the environment, which of course can in
the long run make things worse for local people. Stu gives his
take on how to find the right balance.


The old friends then address the perennial (and perplexing)
obsession with 'high-quality tourists' by the Thai government.
Stu gives new insights on the problem of 'leakage' (which is
almost as gross as it sounds) - revenue from tourism that 'leaks'
out of the local economy and into foreign investors and
companies. It turns out that higher end tourism results in more
of this drain, with a lower percentage of revenue actually making
into the hands of local people. Backpackers for the win!


Last, the guys discuss the (green) elephant in the room: the
decriminalization of cannabis in Thailand and the likely effect
it will have on Thai tourism. Stu discusses the likely
possibility that more tourists will flock to the Kingdom to
experience the new freedom to indulge, but also points out the
oversaturation of the market that can turn people off, whether
it's tourists or locals themselves. 


Tune in to hear a true expert's insights, rather than two random
guys yammering! :) 


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