Eco travel

In my broken Thai, I pointed toward the water and looked at the boatman. “Bua?” I asked. "Bua" means lotus in Thai. I tried to mimic the local accent and used a hand gesture, hoping he would understand and take me to see the flowers. He nodded and smiled, mumbled a string of words that I could not understand, and steered the boat into the open water, still shrouded in morning fog. The boat slowly pierced through the dissipating mist, eerily silent, like something out of a sci-fi movie. Before us, a sea of pink lotuses started to unfold, bit by bit, like a watercolor painting coming to life with each brushstroke. It was surreal, almost like a dream, yet it was real. My jaw dropped in awe when the scene finally unfolded in its entirety.

It feels like second-nature now, packing hand sanitisers in our bags, getting our temperatures taken at checkpoints, and having face-masks at the ready. So what trends can we expect to see in post-pandemic travel?

More and more of us are becoming aware of the impact our carbon footprint has on the globe and are already taking steps to limit this.

Around the world, a lot of countries build their economies around tourism, as travelers get to boost local businesses. However, the same tourists can also be the reason for a place's demise. One classic example is Thailand's Maya Bay, made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio's The Beach. Because of the massive influx of tourists, it had to be shut down so it could undergo rehabilitation. Sadly, rowdy tourists are a phenomenon everywhere on the planet—whether it’s the streets of Croatia or luxury resorts in Greece.