Fodor's 'no go' list discourages travel to places like Bali, Angkor Wat in 2020

If you want to be a responsible traveler in 2020, do the world a favor and avoid places like Angkor Wat, Barcelona, Bali and the Matterhorn. 

That's according to Fodor's "No List 2020," which singles out destinations to be avoided due to ethical, environmental and political reasons. 

"Every year, we use the No List to highlight issues that we're thinking about before, during, and long after we travel," said Fodors.com editorial director Jeremy Tarr in a statement. 

"Ultimately, they are our inspirations for our tomorrows," Tarr said. "Being featured on the No List is hardly a scarlet letter. Rather, it's a promise that when Fodor's covers the destinations on the list, we'll be doing so responsibly -- warts and all." 

If you don't want to add to problems of overtourism, editors suggest avoiding places like Barcelona, Big Sur, Angkor Wat, Bali and Hanoi, which are bursting at the seams and experiencing unsustainable visitor numbers to the detriment of locals and the environment. 

Fragile natural habitats and ecosystems that have been endangered by tourist activity -- like the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel in Mexico, Galapágos National Park and Komodo Island -- should also be avoided. 

You can't keep politics out of travel 

Editors also remind travelers to be extra vigilant when drinking alcohol in Mexico and Central America, where dozens of people have died from methanol poisoning. Also for safety reasons, the peaks of the Matterhorn, which claimed seven lives in 2019, are discouraged, as is crime-addled Cape Town. 

Travelers are reminded to refrain from riding elephants in Thailand, where animals are largely kept in cruel and stressful conditions for the entertainment of tourists. 

And lastly, editors encourage travelers to their homework before supporting businesses with their money. Because while some camps insist that politics should be kept out of travel, Fodor's points out that the two are inextricably linked. 

"... [F]rom passport stamps and currency exchange to geographical borders and transport accessibility, politics touch every aspect of travel from inception to return. As globalization bleeds deeper into countries and cultures, so too do ethical, political, and economic concerns that influence our choices around travel." 

This year, calls to boycott Equinox-branded hotels, gyms and their subsidiaries like SoulCycle and Pure Yoga were widely circulated when it emerged that corporate owner Stephen Ross is a Donald Trump supporter and fundraiser. 

Likewise, travelers should also be aware that the owner of the luxury Dorchester Collection -- which owns The Beverly Hills Hotel in the US, Le Meurice and Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris among others --  supreme leader of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, tried to implement laws making gay sex punishable by death. International outcry and celebrity-led calls to boycott the chain led the sultan to later place a moratorium on the death penalty.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Myanmar, (Burma) registers more tourist arrivals

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Tourists coming to Myanmar during the first months of this year have increased by 22 percent over the same period of last year, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

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 “We got more than 600,000 international visitors at the end of February, the number of which was greater than the same period in 2016,” U Myint Htwe, director from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism told The Myanmar Times.

However, the overall tourist arrivals last year were only 2.9 million, a decline of 38pc in comparison to the 4.68 million visitors in 2015, according to a new system of collecting data by the ministry, which did not include day trippers with border passes.

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“The previous system counted visitors coming through international border checkpoints. But this year’s figures were systematically categorized into tourists, business travelers, day trippers,” according to U Ohn Maung, Union Minister for Hotels and Tourism, who made this comment at the recently held ASEAN Tourism Forum in Singapore.  

“However, the overall tourism outlooks are very good, despite the 38pc decline due to a different way of counting foreign visitors,” Ma Hnin Hlwar Kyaw Win, sales manager from Myanmar Tourism Services Company told The Myanmar Times. She said that few visitors to Myanmar are coming from Russia and Japan but tourists from other countries have increased.

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Source - mmtimes

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Myanmar - Mrauk-U still struggling to woo tourists

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Mrauk-U, a town surrounded by hills in northern Rakhine State, is known as the ‘Stone City’. It was given the name because its 14th-century pagodas are made of stone.

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Mrauk-U is home to 1552 ancient stone pagodas – historic structures that are still standing strong today, owing to the wisdom of the old Rakhine kings who ordered them to be built from stone that can withstand the weather on top of the hills.

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“These pagodas are over 800 years old, but younger than those in Bagan in the Mandalay Region that were built in the 11th century,” local hotelier U Hla Myint from the Mrauk-U Princess Hotel said.

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Although Mrauk-U’s pagodas are similar to Bagan’s pagodas in being located close to residential areas, giving the location huge tourism potential, Mrauk-U has not attained international stardom like Bagan.

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Mrauk-U’s tourist arrival numbers are still much lower. While Bagan recorded 280,000 tourists in 2016, Mrauk-U only managed to hit 4000 the whole of last year.

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Hoteliers said the reason for the poor numbers was the instability affecting Rakhine, even in areas far from Mrauk-U, since 2012.

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Since the crisis that brought political instability, the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism imposed an order prohibiting hotels from accepting guests without official permission.

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Foreign ministries abroad also notified their citizens of the danger in Rakhine and discouraged them from visiting the state.

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Tourism in Mrauk-U has not been able to recover since then, even though the town is more developed, better connected, and even has an airport in the pipeline.

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Rakhine Hoteliers Association member Daw Ohnmar Khin said travellers needed to be informed that Mrauk-U was safe.

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 She said there should be more familiarisation trips organised with the collaboration of hotels and tour companies.
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“For Mrauk-U’s tourism growth, we need political stability. But we also need to get the right information out to let people know that Mrauk-U is a safe place to visit.
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“Not everyone knows about us so we need better promotion. We need to help travel agents bring visitors here,” she said.
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Mrauk-U has several prominent heritage sites such as the palace, Shit-thaung (80,000 Buddha images) Pagoda, Htukkanthein Pagoda, Koe-thaung (90,000 Buddha images) Pagoda and Laungbanpyauk Pagoda.
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In the Chin ethnic villages in Mrauk-U, visitors can meet women who have kept the tradition of having tattoos on their faces. For beautiful sceneries, tourists can visit the Laymro River that has water so clear the stones on the river bed can be seen.
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In 1996, local authorities first applied to UNESCO to get Mrauk-U’s archaeological zone recognised as a world heritage site, but were unsuccessful.
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The Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library of Mrauk-U is now trying again, with a team of experts conducting surveying work such as 3D mapping of the ancient architectural and cultural site, to draft a new application.
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There had been some conservation challenges when work was carried out to restore some of the ancient pagodas in Mrauk-U.
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One example was the the loss of the Shit-thaung Pagoda’s heritage value when conservation was not properly done.
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There were also concerns by nearby locals that they would be forced to move if the sites became UNESCO world heritage sites, Mrauk-U guide association chair U Kyaw Hla Maung said.
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“The people are worried about possible relocation. The authorities should talk to them and hear their views and suggestions before proceeding.
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“Do it like what State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi suggested for Bagan. Then they can also educate the people and help them understand why the UNESCO listing is a good thing,” he said.
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U Hla Myint said tourism would bring prosperity to the locals, who could sell crafts and find jobs in tourism-related businesses.
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Source - The Myanmar Times
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Exploring Angkor Wat gets pricier despite increased numbers of tourists

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Future visitors to Cambodia may be unhappy to hear that if they want to visit the iconic Angkor Wat, they’re going to have to pay nearly double the previous admission fee.
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At the beginning of February the cost of a one-day pass to the temple went up from US$20 to $37.
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Officials justify the increase by saying that this was the first price hike in nearly 25 years for many of the sites and was long overdue.
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Angkor Wat is not the only Cambodian tourist destination to increase its prices.
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(Read also: Cambodia says visitors to Angkor temples must dress properly)
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According to the English newspaper, The Phnom Penh Post, three-day passes to the Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap went from $40 to $62 and week-long passes are now $72, up from $60.
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The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh was the first tourist spot to announce price increases, with fees going from $6.25 to $10. Tickets to the National Museum and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum also rose from $3 to $5.
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“The move comes amid reports of increased tourist visits last year, but lower total revenues,” according to AFP. (sul/kes)
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Indonesia records 1.03 million tourist arrivals in January

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The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded 1.03 million foreign tourist arrivals in January, a 26.58 percent increase from the figure in January, 2016, which stood at 814,300.
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However, the 2017 January figure was 7.42 percent lower than the figure in December, 2016, said BPS chairman Suhariyanto during a press conference on Wednesday.
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He said the increase in December was pushed by the year-end holidays -- Christmas and New Year.
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The BPS recorded that the visits through 19 main gates reached 930,930 people, while visits through other gates reached 99,800 people.
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(Read also: Minister expects MXGP 2017 to boost tourism)
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China contributed the most tourists at 200,190 arrivals from 114,770 in January, 2016, followed by Singaporean tourists, which increased to 100,860 from 96,790, Australian tourists to 100,860 from 94,370 and Malaysian tourists to 97,370 from 83,370.
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The BPS also recorded a high increase of tourists from India to 38,670 arrivals from 25,590. “There is a special tourist promotion to India,” said Suhariyadi as reported by tempo.co. (bbn)
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Chiang Mai, #Thailand

Chiang Mai is the largest and the best city in Northern Thailand if you’re up to traveling to extraordinary places, tasting delicious specialities and experiencing glamorous architecture all at once.
This cultural center features over 300 Buddhist temples (for example Wat Phra Singh from 14th century) and holds various traditional festivals such as Songkran, Loi-Kratong and so on.
There are also good news for those who are seeking natural sights. Chiang Mai is an amazing place for long and romatic walks over long green plains and rainforests.

CAMBODIA - KINGDOM OF WONDER

Amazing country for a holiday.

Different very clean beaches.

Gentle People.

Rich on Culture.

Also in Cambodia we provide you with the best service:

For the Best Hotels & Resorts
We help you with your bookings
http://thailand-besthotels.com/
http://phuket-besthotels.com/
http://hotels-patong.com/
http://thailandrentcar.com/

Khmer Dance