mass tourism – Tom Vater

Siem Reap, reinventing the arteries of Angkor, in Nikkei Asia

August 31, 2022August 31, 2022tom

Cambodia’s once-thriving tourist town rises from the ashes of COVID-19. My latest story in Nikkei Asia. SIEM REAP, Cambodia — For nearly 20 years, the magnificent Angkor monuments in western Cambodia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, have been a magnet for millions of international travelers. As the tourists poured in, Siem Reap, the town closest […]

Two decades on, ‘The Beach’ faces fresh problems, in Nikkei Asia

May 19, 2022May 20, 2022tom

My latest feature story in Nikkei Asia – on the troubled reopening of iconic Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi in southern Thailand, made famous by Leonardo Di Caprio in the movie The Beach & subsequently destroyed by uncontrolled mass tourism. “Oh, it’s so f—ing beautiful,” exclaims Etienne, one of the characters in the Hollywood […]

Moon Angkor Wat 3rd edition out now!

January 4, 2019January 4, 2019tomLeave a Comment

The brand new third edition of my Moon Guide to the Angkor Wat temples is out now and it looks fantastic. Here’s my complete line-up of titles for Moon, a US based travel guide publisher. Get your copy here. Reader and fellow author Janet Brown wrote: I’m the kind of person who reads guidebooks to […]

Is tourism in Thailand becoming unsustainable? – Interview in The Daily Telegraph

May 18, 2016tomLeave a Comment

Gavin Haines at The Daily Telegraph on whether mass tourism on Thailand‘s holiday islands is sustainable as visitor numbers continue to go up. I get to put in my five cents worth. Read the full story here.