Ep 71: Community-based Tourism in Thailand, with Charlotte Louwman-Vogels

About This Episode

22 May 2021 β€’ 33m00s

This week, Gary and Hannah chat with Charlotte Louwman-Vogels, CEO of Fair Tourism, a non-profit foundation based in the Netherlands that does commendable community-based tourism (CBT) work in Thailand.

During this intriguing chat, Charlotte discusses how she assisted the Kayan tribe in Huay Pu Keng to transition from being a commercial show village into a self-sustaining tourism community managed by the locals themselves.

She discusses the role that tour operators and DMCs can play to support and promote sustainable tourism so that it empowers rather than exploits local communities, and how Fair Tourism is working with university students in destinations ranging from Australia to Kenya and Jordan.

Charlotte also addresses the emerging challenges for CBT during the pandemic and beyond, and the role young people can play in making transformational tourism more meaningful for hosts and visitors.

Show Notes

Fair Tourism website

Fair Tourism Facebook

Fair Tourism Instagram

Fair Tourism LinkedIn

Fair Tourism YouTube

Virtual tour of Huay Pu Keng HERE.

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play
20 Apr 2026 β€’ 21m12s

Ep 299: Vietnam's Travel Transformation Accelerates, Chocolate Hills Under Threat in the Philippines & What is the Value of Heritage in Singapore?: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

On this week’s kickstarter show, Gary and Hannah explore travel and tourism issues across Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. Key topics include Vietnam’s reshaping of its travel landscape through MOUs signed by President To Lam with China for railway development and aircraft procurement, Malaysia’s ongoing KLIA baggage system issues, and Singapore Airlines’ resilience amid Q1 challenges. The episode also covers environmental threats to Indonesia’s Komodo National Park and the Philippines’ Chocolate Hills, before examining heritage preservation in Singapore’s travel industry amid rising costs, demographic shifts, and waning younger generation interest in maintaining traditional immigrant-founded businesses.
Play
13 Apr 2026 β€’ 21m50s

Ep 298: The Philippines' Gloomy Tourism Year Gets Worse, Travel Insurance Mandate in Thailand & Grab's AI Travel Play: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

On this week’s kickstarter show, Gary and Hannah explore travel and tourism issues across Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Key topics include Malaysia potentially extending its Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign into 2027 amid Middle East economic impacts, declining arrivals in Boracay worsening the Philippines’ tourism prospects, and Thailand considering mandatory travel insurance for visitors. The episode also covers Grab’s expansion into AI-powered travel services focusing on hotel bookings, local dining, and cross-border e-payments, along with Garuda Indonesia’s substantial 2025 financial losses and new Tourism Ministers appointed in Thailand and the Philippines.