Tourism fails to ease poverty

RAJA AMPAT, Indonesia, 25 September 2017: A tableau of white sandy beaches, colourful coral reefs and turquoise water, the islands of Raja Ampat are set to be Indonesia’s next tourism hotspot — but locals fear the government is failing both them and the environment in its development push.

Stretching across 67,000 square kilometres in Indonesia’s far east, the picture-perfect islands might be as close to paradise as visitors can find.

“It’s amazing. We’ve been to millions of islands and I would say it’s the most beautiful one,” Canadian Angelika Redweik-Leung said at a lookout above the Pianemo island group. Read more

Ibiza running out places to stay

IBIZA, 14 September 2017: Gabriel Alberto Andrade has lived in a van for a year, unable to pay for a home in Spain’s Ibiza where rental prices have shot up as mass tourism takes its toll on locals.

Known as much as a wild party island as a place of tranquillity with coves of turquoise blue water, Ibiza has increased in popularity over the years.

But behind the sea, sun, dancing and yachts lurks a serious problem of tourism overcrowding that is preventing many locals from finding affordable accommodation. Read more

Wyndham signs Phu Quoc resort

PHU QUOC, VIETNAM, 10 August 2017: Wyndham Hotel Group has signed a new Wyndham Garden branded resort slated for development on the island of Phu Quoc, Vietnam.

The Wyndham Garden Phu Quoc is scheduled for completion in 2020 giving the US-based hospitality three properties in Vietnam. The other two are in Halong Bay and Danang.

The 150-key all-villa resort will be located in Duong To Commune close to Phu Quoc’s Bai Truong, the longest beach on the island. Read more

Phuket hotels on grey side of law

PHUKET, 19 July 2017: Thousands of tourists, heading for Phuket, are booking holidays in hotels that are not registered or legally recognise by local authorities.

It doesn’t sound like much of a problem for visitors who are keen to lap up the sunshine and enjoy the island’s famous beaches as long as nothing goes wrong.

According to a new report by hospitality consulting group C9 Hotelworks, just 429 out of 1,724 resorts and hotels are currently licensed. Read more

Vietnamese island takeover

HAI PHONG, 15 July 2015: Vu Yen Island, off the northern Vietnamese city of Hai Phong, will be turned into an ecotourism destination with entertainment and second home residential complexes under a megaproject worth USD872.76 million.

Tuoi Tre News reported the Vu Yen eco-park project broke ground on the island last Sunday, witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai and representatives from the developer,  Vingroup.

The 870-hectare project covers almost the entire Vu Yen Island where three rivers, Cam, Ruot Lon and Bach Dang, meet.

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