Around the Region
Low season is upon us, and the region is feeling a reduction in visitor numbers at community level. Each nation has its own way of attempting to plug the gap – and in Thailand’s case, that means taxing your arrival and your departure.
If you’re flying out of Thailand this weekend, your ticket just got more expensive. The airport departure tax jumped 53% from Saturday. Much like the arrival tax, this charge will be buried into the cost of your ticket and is worth knowing about before you book. Over in Vietnam, a new health declaration requirement kicks in on 1 July, and paper forms are already available through airlines if you want to get ahead of it. This is not a cash-grab – it’s an early-detection measure designed to protect local communities at the border. Whether Thailand’s tax money filters through to the people on the ground, or into protecting what makes this region special, is a moot point. There’s very little you can do about it.
The bureaucratic hurdles are real, but they’re often worth the hassle just to access what lies beyond them. Bohol in the Philippines has put proper legal protections around its whale shark encounters – a small but meaningful shift in how the region approaches wildlife tourism. Cambodia, meanwhile, has quietly locked in a community ecotourism model that’s been producing some of its best slow-travel experiences for years. Progress, even when nobody’s talking about it. We feel the need to shout about it.
This Week in Southeast Asia
How Bohol Is Trying to Get Whale Shark Tourism Right – by Putting the Fish First
The Philippines’ island province of Bohol has signed new implementing rules for its Enhanced Sustainable Marine Wildlife Interaction Ordinance. In other words, they’ve officially regulated whale shark encounters through a strengthened conservation framework. This sets strict guidelines for operators seeking accreditation – encounter numbers are capped, approach distances enforced, and feeding is banned. For the traveller, this matters: whale shark tourism has a patchy record across Southeast Asia, with too many encounters designed around the Insta-crowd rather than the animal. Bohol’s framework puts the fish first. The island already holds the Philippines’ first UNESCO Global Geopark designation, and its Danajon Bank – the only double barrier reef in Southeast Asia – gives serious divers another compelling reason to make the trip. A full destination guide to Bohol – including how to book a regulated whale shark encounter – follows on Saturday at asiaunmasked.com.
Bohol’s new marine wildlife ordinance sets strict limits on whale shark encounters – numbers, distances, and feeding are all regulated.
Cambodia Puts Community Ecotourism on an Official Footing
Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment launched new national guidelines for community-based ecotourism this week, formalising how the country’s 193 protected community areas develop and manage tourism. More than 50 of those areas are already receiving visitors, generating roughly $1 million a year from entrance fees alone – revenue that goes directly into local communities and conservation budgets.
The guidelines set standards for site management, visitor conduct, and income distribution for the first time. That last point matters: as regular readers will know, community-based tourism has a mixed record across Southeast Asia, with income too often captured by middle-men rather than the villages and families whose land and knowledge make the experience possible. Cambodia’s framework specifically addresses distribution, which puts it ahead of most comparable programmes in the region.
For the traveller, this means the community experiences that have quietly made Cambodia one of the most rewarding slow-travel destinations in Southeast Asia – flooded forest villages on Tonle Sap Lake, wildlife corridors in the Cardamom Mountains, river communities along the Mekong – now operate within a structure designed to ensure your visit genuinely benefits the people you’re visiting. This is a welcome move from Cambodian authorities at a time when great consideration is being given to the future of tourism in the country.
Travelling to Vietnam After 1 July? You Will Need a Health Declaration
From 1 July 2026, every traveller entering, leaving or transiting through Vietnam must complete a health declaration. The form must be submitted within seven days of crossing any Vietnamese border gate – airport, land crossing or seaport. Paper forms are currently available from airlines and at border checkpoints. An electronic portal is expected but has not yet been confirmed by Vietnam’s Ministry of Health – we recommend checking official channels closer to your travel date. The declaration sits alongside Vietnam’s existing digital arrival card, so travellers will need to manage both. For most visitors, the process is straightforward. The rule is a standing border health measure, not a response to any current outbreak, and the official government guidance confirms it applies to all nationalities without exception.
Flying Out of Thailand from 20 June? Your Ticket Just Got More Expensive
Thailand’s Airports of Thailand (AOT) is raising the international passenger service charge by 53% from 20 June 2026. Every outbound international passenger departing from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Hat Yai, Chiang Mai, or Chiang Rai airports will now pay 1,120 baht, up from 730 baht. The increase is built into ticket prices: tickets issued from 20 June will carry the new fee, while previously issued tickets are unaffected. The charge – collected by airlines at the point of booking rather than at the airport – will add roughly £26 / US$31 to the cost of flying out of the country. It arrives at an uncomfortable time: international arrivals to Thailand are already running below 2025 levels, and critics have questioned the timing of a significant fee hike during a period of softening demand. The separate tourist entry levy – a 300-baht charge for arriving visitors, with an insurance component – remains on track for a Q3 2026 launch, though no confirmed date has been announced.
Six AOT airports – including Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Hat Yai – will apply the new 1,120-baht departure charge from 20 June 2026.
What’s On
George Town Festival 2026 – George Town, Penang, Malaysia | 1-9 August 2026
Penang’s annual arts festival returns for its 17th edition, with more than 40 events – theatre, visual art, music and cultural performances – spread across the UNESCO-listed heritage streets of George Town. This year’s programme includes seven ticketed shows alongside a programme of free events, with a focus on cross-cultural exchange and the stories behind the creative work. Tickets and full programme at georgetownfestival.com.
Worth Reading
With Bohol’s whale shark news leading this issue, it’s worth revisiting our companion guide to the Philippines’ other great eco-tourism destination: Palawan Rewards Travellers Who Take Their Time.
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