The city of Cusco, Peru – gateway to the world-renowned ruins of Machu Picchu – is said to be the oldest still-inhabited city in South America, as it was the capital of the ancient Inca Empire many moons ago. In fact its very long history and rich culture are windows into Andean mores, Peruvians still…

Popular tourist trekking destinations such as Sapa in Vietnam and Chiang Mai in Thailand see hundreds of backpackers and holidaymakers trample their way through the surrounding hill-tribe villages every week. Many of these tours offer ‘homestays’, where you spend a night or two in the home of a local family. Although these trips offer valuable…

…we might also be able to find a causal link for the failure of the responsible tourism industry On October 15th, 2008, I had the pleasure of attending the keynote address at the first National Geographic/Ashoka Geotourism Challenge awards in Washington DC given by Sven Lindblad, president and founder of Lindblad Expeditions. He kicked off…

THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND MALAY. Although known as the birthplace of Malaysia’s petroleum industry – and still reliant on oil as a leading source of income – the coastal town of Miri, in northern Sarawak on the island of Borneo, is today so much more than an oil and timber town and site of national monuments like the Grand Old Lady, or Oil Well No. 1, drilled way back in 1910.

Although Laos is well known for its natural beauty, you have to see it to believe it. Actually, sometimes really seeing it – living it the way locals do rather than just passing through it – is the only way to believe it. After all, with the thick jungle that covers much of the landlocked…