Highs of social media and lows of distribution in the Long Tail of travel
Every time I attend events such as the Mekong Tourism Forum , I end up with two main thoughts.
I wish I had more time to travel to experience all the wonderful things I learnt about and how does one, as a traveller, find all these products in the crowded, cluttered, confusing web?
From zip lining, tiger spotting and communing with gibbons in Laos, to temple safaris in Cambodia and sleeping in Tibetan-style tents in Yunnan, these are the products that make the Mekong region such a tourism jewel – but unless you are a traveller with very specific interests, and you go searching for them, how do you find these products?
Often, they are created by people who are passionate about authenticity and committed to conservation but don’t have the budgets to stand out in the crowded marketplace and they also don’t have the ability to scale – nor do they necessarily want to.
As Jef Reumaux who founded The Gibbon Experience in Bokeo, Northern Laos, says proudly: “We have no potential to be replicated.”
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IFCAlso in theaters, 6/12.IFCWith boldness and entrepreneurial flair, Clay made this in Thailand and, in doing so, fascinatingly absorbed the influence of Thai filmmakers such as Joe and more »
