Nick Ascot, managing director of ecotourism company North by North East calls for sustainable tourism planning to safeguard Isan's attractions – now!

The Thai people themselves are the greatest asset to all operators in the Thailand tourism industry. This is especially so in Isan, where local people's outright generosity & superb hospitality give heightened meaning to the word ‘civilization'. It is they who welcome visitors so naturally and easily. They are the reason Thailand enjoys so many repeat visitors. Despite facing a huge variety of hardships, and without much outside help, Isan people have managed to feed themselves with the fruit of their own agricultural labors. The surprisingly high quality of life here has depended upon the land & environment in which people live. Environmental degradation directly & proportionally affects the quality-of-life index of local people, which directly & proportionally affects tourism.

A Voluntourist Dentist with a Child

Simply, Isan people are the most important (local) element in driving Isan tourism. But if the physical environment continues to be destroyed, Isan people will no longer embody the same attributes which are now an important driving element in Thailand tourism.

We are keenly aware of this as our guests interact & participate frequently with Isan people. Therefore we go out of our way to encourage environmental awareness among ourselves, our guests and among local people.

Sustainable Tourism is Fun!

However, sustainable development planning is greatly needed all over Thailand, not just in Isan. There are many examples of tourism development here that never benefited from even elementary planning for sustainability. While a select few enrich themselves quickly, it is the country and the people who pay.

Isan's physical environment is now perhaps the cleanest in Thailand. However, this is only because it is a huge area which, until relatively recently, lagged dramatically behind other regions in terms of modernization and which has yet to experience mainstream tourism.

Meanwhile, the tourism authorities seem uncertain as to how to promote Isan effectively as they have little or no experience of promoting unknown destinations, only destinations that were already established.

Traditional Village Bai Sii Ceremony

Our stats indicate that most of our visitors to Isan are on their 2nd, 3rd or 4th trip to the Kingdom. They do not have the chance to visit Isan earlier (1st or 2nd trip) simply because there is no info about Isan in their own countries. Seven out of ten guests relate pleasant surprise at experiencing a few days in Isan. Usually they talk about Isan people who made their stay memorable, and often indicate that the feeling they have in Isan is what they have always been looking for in other parts of Thailand. This shows how the market has great need of this kind of product, comprised of tourist participation in a natural environment with local people.

However, this is a dangerous situation. At the moment, there is no clear tourism planning or branding for the region and unless we start discussing sustainable tourism development in earnest now, by the time tourists do begin travelling through in numbers, it may be too late.

Isan's physical environment, the essential prerequisite for ecotourism, is still relatively clean and untouched compared to other areas and this cleanliness is crucial to the well-being of local people. As pent-up demand overflows and no measures to insure sustainability in tourism have been implemented, Isan will begin an ultimately destructive boom to bust curve. Readers may know of one or two such destinations in the Kingdom today, where it is unlikely they will bring their families. Such a course will insure that I cannot give this tourism business to my children. Parts of Europe that were once seaside jewels are now down-at-the-heels gritty resorts well past their prime where few tourists still frequent. If unchecked, environmental degradation will do the same here.

So far we are only mildly affected by this state of affairs.

Perhaps the most noticeable effects on the environment, and hence our business, comes from Chinese infrastructure projects (dams) on the Mekong River hundreds of miles to the north. It is no longer sure that cargo & passenger boats can travel their customary routes; nobody tells ship captains when the up-river sluice gates will open and shut. This has already had a terrible effect on our business; every advance booking taken is ultimately a risk to us, because we cannot know if Mekong water levels will be high enough for our guests' travel.

Pristine View Across the Mekong

But let's talk for a moment about the positive, and what we as a small company can do.

Some say that 100% sustainability is impossible, but to aim at anything less would be the same as backing up. There are established international guidelines for sustainable tourism and we need to follow them.

Our company is made up of environmentally aware people who wish to continue operating responsible tourism in destinations we visit. One of the most meaningful programs we have initiated is what we call “Voluntourism” where guests incorporate volunteer activities in needy areas in their tour programs. About 80% of North by North East's operations planned for 2005-2006 include some element of this. In the last two years, we and our guests have re-built schools, brought medical doctors and paramedics to remote areas, facilitated donations of several hundred thousand dollars worth of medical equipment to local hospitals, supplied schools with sporting equipment, books and school uniforms, facilitated American and Singapore student groups in volunteer English and computer teaching in remote villages, provided Tsunami assistance donations and volunteer manpower, and more. Thus Voluntourism proves to be a win-win situation for all parties.

One by One We Can Make a Difference

Though we cannot control the behaviour of others, we must continue to light our corner. So long as we maintain strong connections with local people, we can continue to make a positive difference in this way. We can only encourage others to do likewise.