Tourism in South-East Asia

Photo of the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The South-East Asian Tourism Organization (SEATO), formed in 2009 with the co-operation of government and non-government organizations, aims to increase inputs to tourism and spread its financial impacts so that they make inroads into smaller villages, towns and cities that are not on the global tourism map.

South-East Asia is an assortment of similar, yet dissimilar countries and island states juxtaposed between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

There is a reason that South-East Asia is one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the world; in fact there are many reasons. Tropical and balmy climates year round, vibrant culture and friendly peoples, beautiful and pristine expanses of beaches, utterly lip-smacking and delicious cuisines and diverse wildlife are some factors that have made this possible. Top this with excellent travel and airline options, a wide range of accommodation places across every location category and best of all, rates and prices that range from the most luxurious to the cheapest, and you have a winning combination that spells success!

Value for Money

A study by travel advisories points out that five of the ten cheapest tourist destinations are located in Asia, specifically South-East Asia. The findings were arrived at based on factors like:

• One night stay in a 4-star hotel
• Two course dinner with a bottle of wine
• Pre-dinner cocktails
• Two-way taxi transport airport to hotel

The 5 cities are, ranked in first, second, third, fifth and eighth places in the Top Ten are the following:

1. Hanoi
2. Beijing
3. Bangkok
4. Kuala Lumpur
5. Jakarta

Pointers to History

Several of the South-East Asian countries have a strong 'Indianized' connection; pre-historic South-East Asia was a largely unified mainland. Over centuries with the breaking up of the continents, land mass drifted across the Indian Ocean forming newer states and island nations like Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand However, the population of these nations happened largely as a result of migrations from India, evident as it is from shared languages, cuisines, religions, dress styles and many others. Archipelagoes like East Timor, Philippines, etc. are thought to have separated from mainland China and Taiwan.

There are several prominent locations dotting South-East Asia that can be identified with multi-cultural economies, politics and lifestyles but some of the most prominent of them, with a blend of the ancient and modern, are:

• Bangkok - the bustling, cosmopolitan city with colorful nightlife

• Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) - Vietnam's largest city and a power economic centre

• Jakarta - an intermingling of the old and new and an emerging metropolis in Indonesia

• Kuala Lumpur - once a sleepy tin mining village, now a completely modern city and an extremely popular tourist destination

• Luang Prabang - a former French colony and ex-capital city of Laos, now a UNESCO World Heritage Centre to protect its temples and the architecture of the colonial era

• Manila - a friendly city and the hub of development in Philippines

• Phnom Penh - this quaint city was termed 'the pearl of Asia' before the 1970s, is emerging from the crossfire between the Khmer Rouge and the then US backed government

• Singapore - known in local parlance as 'Simhapura' this is an affluent city with world class standards and a medley of Indian, Chinese and Malay influences. A clean, efficient and orderly island-state, Singapore is one of the most economically advanced countries

• Yangon (former Rangoon) - the ex-capital of Burma (now Myanmar), this city is an amalgamation of British, Chinese and Indian influences; it has had its fair share of traumatic encounters with foreign invaders from the Mongols to the British to the Japanese.

To a tourist, visual imagery of Thailand as a tourist destination is highlighted by world renowned beautiful, tropical beaches that are a breathtaking paradise of sugary white sands and aquamarine water. Hotel jobs in Thailand are much sought after even by hotel management students from thousands of miles around the world, considering the privileges and perks that go with the work opportunities.

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