CAMBODIA
 CAMBODIA
by Denise Hummel
Can luxury tourism meet responsible tourism? If you're a wealthy traveller from a developed country staying at a high-end destination, are you a voyeur of those less-fortunate? The answer is ‘yes’ and ‘maybe’. There are luxury hotels and destination resorts that make an effort to connect the tourist with the local community in ways that can be meaningful to both the traveller and locals.
A compassionate and accepting ‘voyeur’ is certainly better than a self-lauding, critical one. And with a little extra effort, mere observation can translate to an action-packed, meaningful experience that transcends cultures. Have a read of some of Executive Editor, Denise Hummel's thoughts on the subject ... read more
THAILAND
 PEACE
THROUGH TOURISM
by Denise Hummel
By now we've all heard of eco-tourism, adventure tourism and
scholastic tourism, but who ever heard of peace-through-tourism? We have and
we're not the only ones. Little by little, tourists are beginning to see travel
as a means to understand and respect other cultures, in turn giving locals
the opportunity to appreciate those with different understandings and beliefs.
After all, there is no better way to bridge the gap between societies, than
to experience them.
Our Executive Editor, Denise Hummel, shares the impact of her experience in
Thailand as a guest speaker at the Peace Through Tourism Global Summit, where
she discussed with experts her thoughts on how to help destinations, that have
been impacted by terrorism or natural disaster, recover their image in the
heart and mind of the traveler ... read
more
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We are living in a day and age where the media propagates, at times,
a feeling that we should be suspicious of those who differ from ourselves. At
JUST THE PLANET we feel a responsibility to promote the opposite mentality. Travel
can, and should, be used as an opportunity to embrace differences, to share with
others
who
we
are,
and
to learn more about their beliefs, customs and habits.
So much is happening in the world of sustainable tourism, at every level of the
economic spectrum of travel, to promote Peace Through Tourism. We want to be
part
of that trend by bringing you stories about travellers who contribute to peace
through their travel experiences, hotels and properties that organise activities
and opportunities for guests to interact with and even assist local cultures,
and
organisations and companies who facilitate travel via the road less travelled.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness" Mark Twain
Enjoy our writers' take on what's happening in the world of sustainable tourism
to
promote peace across cultures and share with us your finds. Remember the old
saying,
'if we're not part of the solution, we're part of the problem ...'
'What is Sustainable Tourism?'
'What do they mean by Green Tourism?' 'Whoever heard of Peace Through Tourism?'
Be
informed, and happy travels.
Should you have suggestions for our research or ideas that you feel may be relevant
to other travellers, please send us a note to ideas@justtheplanet.com.
We'd really like to hear from you.
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