Asia's rise of sustainable tourism: Is it for real?

Growing numbers of travelers in Asia are reassessing the way they travel to make their trips more moral as they seek to reduce negative economic and social impacts on the community and environment in the places they go to, says Eri Sugiura, a Nikkei staff writer.

““Connecting and talking with local residents is much better than scanning a guidebook to find interesting places to go.””

— Akihiro Doi, interviewee

“Instead of attracting as many tourists as possible, destinations should be “focusing on a framework to enjoy a maximum economic return even with a smaller number of visitors.””

— Masaru Takayama, founding chair of the Asian Ecotourism Network