Issue No. 4 | Thursday 16 April 2026 | asiaunmasked.com Your insider guide to Southeast Asia Vietnam’s national tourism masterplan places eco-tourism and community-based experiences at its core. Demand at the country’s largest travel fair this month confirmed that visitors are catching up. Your Week in Southeast Asia This week, Southeast Asia made several decisions
Issue No. 3 | 9 April 2026 Your insider guide to Southeast Asia | asiaunmasked.com Editor’s Note The world has seemingly lost its marbles this week. Flight chaos, Middle East tensions, markets more jittery than a Sihanoukville casino gambler. Yet none of this chaos has managed to cancel Songkran. In five days’ time, the streets
This week: Borneo’s first eco-certified resort opens bookings, Thailand’s tourist fee edges closer, flying to Southeast Asia just got more expensive, and a record pangolin bust in Jakarta. Plus what’s on across the region through April.
As Thailand’s hospitality industry races to meet global green standards, Amari Bangkok’s new EV tuk-tuk signals a fundamental shift in how luxury hotels approach guest experiences Amari Bangkok has introduced something you rarely see in the capital: an electric tuk-tuk. The fully powered three-wheeler allows guests to explore Bangkok’s bustling Pratunam and Ratchaprasong neighbourhoods whilst
Ambitious 2030 roadmap positions Thailand as sustainable tourism leader whilst new certification standard aims to reshape Southeast Asian travel industry The Thailand Good Travel mark combines traditional Thai symbolism with international sustainability standards Thailand has just declared war on greenwashing! The Department of Tourism unveiled its Thailand Green Tourism Plan 2030 this week, launching a
Discover Thailand’s best ethical elephant sanctuaries where rescued elephants roam freely. A complete guide to responsible elephant tourism experiences that support conservation. The morning mist clings to forested hills as a magnificent Asian elephant wades into a natural pool, her trunk gracefully scooping water over weathered skin. She chooses when to bathe, where to walk,
Thailand’s tourism has been evolving for years, but nothing quite prepared me for what’s arriving this November. The Blue Jasmine represents everything I look for in conscious luxury travel—a train journey so exclusive it carries just 37 passengers, yet so thoughtfully designed it feels like discovering Thailand’s soul rather than simply crossing its landscape. This
Picture cycling through Bangkok’s historic streets without choking on exhaust fumes or fighting through gridlocked traffic. Bangkok’s ambitious bike-sharing expansion aims to put 6,000 sustainable transport options on the streets by end of 2025 – but with current adoption rates at just 22.5%, can eco-conscious travellers help drive the change Thailand’s capital desperately needs? When
I’ve just spent the past month researching Thailand’s tourism transformation, and what I’ve discovered has completely shifted my perspective on luxury travel in Southeast Asia. The Kingdom isn’t just paying lip service to sustainability – they’re orchestrating the most comprehensive green tourism revolution I’ve witnessed in two decades of travel writing. While most destinations still
Just when I thought I’d seen it all in my years wandering around Southeast Asia’s most spectacular beaches, here comes another curveball that’ll have travel planners scrambling for their calendars. Maya Bay, Thailand’s poster child for paradise (and Instagram feeds), is closing its gates once again from 1st August to 30th September 2025 – and
