Issue #107 - Tourism in South East Asia Confronts the Return of Transboundary Haze
Chiang Mai tops world pollution index just as regional tourism starts to recover
Welcome to issue 107 of Asia Travel Re:Set.
Dry season is back in mainland South East Asia - and with it comes “the haze.”
The haze is caused by plantation burning at this time of year, which is creating palls of toxic smoke across northern Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and neighbouring nations.
Ominously, dry season is yet to commence in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
So let’s follow that train of thought…
Thanks for checking-in.
- “IN THE NEWS”
- Transboundary Haze Casts a Cloud Over Tourism in South East Asia!
Chiang Mai tops world pollution index just as regional tourism starts to recover.
- Environmental Stories Impacting Tourism in South East Asia
From agricultural burning to airport construction dust and a distressing oil spill.
“IN THE NEWS”
Travel activity is certainly increasing in South East Asia 12 months after the region reopened for travel. I scoped out some of the current hot topics region-wide one year since the airport gates swung open for the Asia Media Centre. Read HERE.
Thanks to Jason Wang for including some of my comments in this insightful article for Jing Daily about the particular set of challenges facing the return of Chinese tourism in Europe. Read HERE.
Transboundary Haze Casts a Cloud Over Tourism in South East Asia
Chiang Mai tops world pollution index just as regional tourism starts to recover.
Image Source: http://asmc.asean.org/asmc-hotspot/ (Saturday 8 April)
Apocalyptic air quality in Vientiane. Protective face masks for airborne particulate matter handed out in Chiang Mai, and a province-wide work-from-home order. Hazardous air pollution across mainland South East Asia (see yesterday’s “hotspots” tracker above). Extremely hot weather creating fears of large-scale forest fires.
Dry season ‘haze’ is back in parts of South East Asia, and the associated (albeit man-made) impacts are worsening.
In recent weeks, large swathes of northern South East Asia have been shrouded in acrid smoke. This is an annual dry season peril, but one that was relatively muted during the wetter-then-normal years of the pandemic era.
The burning takes place on large plantations, which are systematically burned for agricultural renewal. This is impacting cities, rural areas and coastal communities in northern Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, plus parts of Vietnam and Cambodia. Healthcare systems are handling waves of people with breathing issues.
Upcoming Chinese Holidays
For the tourism sector, unhealthy air quality clouds a promising first quarter of 2023 for arrivals into and around the region. With travel momentum returning, hopes are high that China’s five-day May Day holiday - which begins on 29 April - will kickstart the return of Chinese travellers in large numbers to South East Asian destinations.
Therein lies a concern. Destinations like Chiang Mai are popular with Chinese tourists, and cancellations are likely if the situation continues. The same applies in Laos, except next week sees the launch of cross-border operations on the China-Laos railway. Current air quality would not render well on the celebratory photos - or bring the anticipated volume of rail-riding holidaymakers en route from Kunming.
Fears of prolonged haze in northern South East Asia could drive Chinese bookings east to the Philippines and south to Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. However, while the rainy season continues in Indonesia and Malaysia, it is nearing the end. A smoky drift from further north is perceptible in the mornings in KL before rain washes it away later in the day. Once the thunderstorms abate, though, plantation burning is likely to commence on a large scale. This could blanket the region, including Singapore, for days, weeks or even months.
“It is up to [tourists] to judge the risk. Short-term exposure may not be too bad (unless on a day like this). But as a responsible host I would recommend them to postpone their trip,” Dr. Rungsrit Kanjanavanit, Cardiologist at Chiang Mai University, quoted in this article about the health dangers of hazardous air pollution published by Citylife Chiang Mai.
Predictably, political leaders are talking tough now the transnational health dangers are clear - and regional media is paying close attention. “Thai city tops world pollution table,” reported Channel News Asia this week. Thailand, Myanmar and Laos “are seeking to join forces to combat the transboundary haze pollution choking the region,” noted Bangkok Post.
In 2016, ministers from the 10 Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed a “Roadmap on ASEAN Cooperation towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control.” This agreement promised “a strategic framework for the implementation of collaborative actions to control transboundary haze pollution in the ASEAN region.”
Seven years later, the progress made appears to be hazy.
A Story Still to Run…
Earlier this year, Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency outlined plans to create ‘artificial rain’ (ie, seeding the clouds) to douse the plantation fires. It has done likewise in previous years. Bloomberg reported that President Joko Widodo pledged to fire local police chiefs if the smoky haze engulfed the region in 2023. Malaysia has a new Prime Minister determined to demonstrate his social policy credentials. Let’s see.
Fire-inflicted air pollution problems developing in the northern part of the region could become an issue in Thailand’s already fiercely fought May election. Either way, recent experiences in Thailand, Laos and Myanmar are sounding alarms for people living in two of the region’s largest plantation economies, Indonesia and Malaysia.
The 2023 “haze” story is only just beginning.
Environmental Stories Impacting Tourism in South East Asia
From agricultural burning to airport construction dust and a distressing oil spill.
With the ‘haze’ returning to South East Asia, we discuss the big environmental talking points linked to travel and tourism. We address the transboundary haze hanging over Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, and potentially Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
Plus, an oil spill in the Philippines, “oil waste” dumped at sea near Bintan, and a new report by McKinsey, Accor and Trip.com surveying the sustainable motivations of Chinese tourists.
Listen to Transboundary Haze Casts a Cloud Over Tourism, in South East Asia, here:
🎧 Website 🎧 Spotify 🎧 Apple Podcasts
Or search for The South East Asia Travel Show on any podcast platform.
And, that’s a wrap for Issue 107.
The Asia Travel Re:Set newsletter will return on 23 April.
Until then, find me on LinkedIn and The South East Asia Travel Show, where this week we’ll be talking all things travel and tourism in Indonesia.
Happy travels,
Gary