The Best Beach Links and Destination Resources
After years of studying, researching, and working with travel and tourism in Southeast Asia, we keep coming back to some of the same online resources. We would like to share these beach links and travel resources to help you make informed holiday choices and enjoy reading from the best resources out there. We will regularly update this page with new beach links and resources.
Southeast Asia
Top Islands & Beaches Online Resources
If you are interested in beaches in Southeast Asia, here is the ultimate resources where you will find a ton of high quality information, inspiration, stories, and images.
How we use Tezza’s Beaches and Islands:
- Detailed personal accounts of islands and beaches in Southeast Asia
Online Magazines & Blogs
Among the thousands of personal travel blogs and travel related magazines with Southeast Asia as the geographical focus, these are our top recommendations.
Southeast Asia Backpacker is a great portal for backpackers and adventurers going to the region. The website has personal travel stories from backpackers in Southeast Asia, along with great information pages on specific destinations, upcoming events, and themes like diving, trekking, cooking, yoga, and much more. Southeast Asia Backpacker publishes free copies of their magazine every two months. Southeast Asia Backpacker’s Facebook page has a huge backing with active community members.
How we use Southeast Asia Backpacker:
- Travel inspiration
- Entertaining reading
- “How to” guides and travel tips
Thailand Travel Bag is a website focusing on all the things that make Thailand a great country to travel and live in. The small team behind Thailand Travel Bag clearly has a soft spot for Thailand, which shines through in their articles about the country. They are based in Krabi, but cover all of Thailand. You will find a lot of tips and information about Thai destinations, Thai food and culture, and of course great descriptions of Thailand’s islands and beaches. What we especially like about Thailand Travel Bag is their creative and slightly quirky posts about top beaches, activities, food experiences etc.
How we use Thailand Travel Bag:
- Insights on Thai islands and beaches
- Blog post inspiration
Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia is part of the Travel + Leisure magazine brand which was started back in 1971. Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia has a traditional printed edition which comes out every month. The issues are also available electronically. Their website has destination guides on hotels, food & drink, shopping, and special interests. Many of the destination pages have not yet been fully developed, so what we usually do is head to the T+L Blogs section. Here guest writers can sign up and post their stories and tips. T+L Southeast Asia has a huge following, so what you get here is a mixed bag, which is part of the fun.
How we use Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia
- Inspiration from a big variety of blog topics and destinations
- Travel news and reviews
If you are looking for travel blogs about Southeast Asia, give these websites a quick view. They will give you inspiration and stories about life and travel in the region.
Other resources to help you find valuable information about travel and tourism.
Tourism Industry News & Articles
If you are looking for tourism industry related news like airline route updates, hotel chain mergers, aviation regulations and visa rules, hotel openings, and industry events, we recommend the following resources:
National Tourism Organizations in Southeast Asia
The quality and relevance of the information varies greatly on the official websites from countries within Southeast Asia. However, it is always a good starting point if you need information about a traveling to a certain geographical area. Here is a list of the visitor websites of the national tourism organizations:
- Cambodia | Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia
- Indonesia | Wonderful Indonesia
- Laos | Sabaidee Laos
- Malaysia | Tourism Malaysia
- Myanmar |Tourism Myanmar
- Philippines | Visit Philippines
- Singapore | Singapore Tourism Board
- Thailand | Tourism Authority of Thailand
- Vietnam | Vietnam Tourism
Beach Science and Knowledge Resources
There are some great online resources if you are looking for the science behind beaches and shorelines. Look no further than these websites.
- Sandatlas.org – all you need to know about sand grains, pebbles, rocks, and minerals
- Beachapedia.org – knowledge and research to help you understand various phenomena of coasts
- Dr. Beach – a large body of knowledge from Dr. Stephen Leatherman (Dr. Beach) with reviews and evaluation of beaches
Sustainable Tourism Resources
There are plenty of websites offering tips, tools, reviews, articles, and webinars on sustainable tourism. Here are our favourite sites to get you started on environmentally friendly and socially responsible travel.
Sustain PATA – Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a major player in tourism research and events. Their Sustain.Pata.Org branch is their website dedicated to sustainable tourism. They have great links to tips, tools, videos, and articles (also ours!). It is a good place to start if you are looking for case studies or facts related to sustainable tourism development.
Sustainable Travel International – STI is a leader in sustainable tourism development, providing guidance and education to public and private tourism stakeholders who aim to take advantage of the travel industry’s potential to bring about positive environmental and social change.
The International Ecotourism Society – TIES is a non-profit organization that has been a pioneer of sustainable travel. Since 1990 TIES has provided the tourism industry and governments with guidelines, ecotourism standards, certifications, educational tools, events, and much more centred around sustainable tourism.
Global Sustainable Tourism Council – Another non-profit organization offering education and training for all tourism stakeholders. GSTC has its own set of criteria for sustainable tourism and offer certifications to travel destinations, hotels, and tour agencies. GSTC sets the baseline criteria for sustainable tourism and is backed by global organizations such as United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), The United Nations Foundation, The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and Rainforest Alliance.
Wild Asia – This non-profit Malaysian social enterprise offers consulting and technical guidance on social and environmental development. It has three main focus areas: Sustainable building solutions, the growth of sustainable palm oil, and sustainable tourism development. Through their “Responsible Tourism Initiative”, Wild Asia assists tourism stakeholders with sustainable destination management, resource management, marketing and communications, along with training and capacity building. Most famous, however, is the organisation’s annual Responsible Tourism Awards, where Asian industry leaders of sustainable tourism are recognized for their efforts on sustainable tourism development and responsible travel.
- If you want a comprehensive guide to the ins and outs of sustainable travel, we recommend you take a look at this hands-on responsible travel guide from eco-.
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