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With over 1,000 bird species fluttering around the treetops and plains of Thailand’s lakes and jungles, it’s unsurprising that the country is known for bird watching activities. Just head to Khao Sok National Park and you’ll already be able to spot 13 species of hornbills, and about 15 species of kingfishers.

What is ecotourism? How does it work? Why does it matter? And how can we, as travelers, put it into practice? One mistake many people make is assuming that ecotourism is all about conserving nature and wildlife by any means necessary. But if a destination or business’ tourism development strategy does not actively provide concrete financial benefits for the indigenous people, it’s not truly ecotourism.

In February, 2021, we got a chance to welcome Mark Wiens, a well-known Food & Travel vlogger on Youtube at Lanjia Lodge in Chiang Rai to film his video. While staying at Lanjia Lodge, we helped him and his family managed a one day trip to visit the Hmong village where the Shaman invited them for a huge celebration local meal.

Driving the 65 kilometres from the city of Chiang Mai to Mae Tang district, a journey that used to include views of foreigners embarking on elephant rides along the way, has become a solitary sojourn since the pandemic brought about an abrupt freeze on international tourism.

If there’s one thing that has universally ruined holidays, visits, business travel, jobs and forced us to behave differently, it is the COVID. But this article will not be about the misery everyone is going through. Let me talk about something more positive on the post COVID travel scenario on Thailand.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has completely transformed for many, not only how we travel, but what we wear when we travel. Whilst some countries remain opposed to wearing masks, the majority (and particularly here in Thailand and across South East Asia, wearing masks has been common place long before Covid-19 surfaced.

March 2020 changed travel for many forever, following the global pandemic of Covid-19 which stopped global travel in its tracks. Five months on, both the world and the travel and tourism industry, now more than ever, are not only thinking when we will travel again but where and why we travel.