Yangon, Myanmar — Tourism success should no longer be measured solely by visitor arrivals, but by the value it creates for local people, cultures, and destinations, according to tourism veteran Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya during a keynote presentation at the Mekong Tourism Forum 2026 held from 16–18 June in Yangon.

Speaking under the theme “Tourism for People, Travel with Purpose” Chattan shared insights drawn from an iconic 37-year career with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and his current role as Head and Country Representative (Thailand) for AirAsia MOVE.

Addressing tourism leaders, policymakers, destination managers, and industry stakeholders from across the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), he argued that the industry is witnessing a significant shift in traveler expectations.

“The modern traveler no longer simply wants to see the world,” Chattan said. “They want to connect deeply with it, understand it, and ultimately leave it slightly better than they found it.”

According to Chattan, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a change already underway. After years of unrestricted travel, the global shutdown reminded both travelers and destinations how fragile tourism can be.

“Who would have thought that the tourism industry would collapse during COVID?” he asked. “We learned that tourism cannot be taken for granted. Travelers returned with a greater appreciation for places, people, and experiences.”

Drawing on global sustainable tourism research, Chattan noted that a growing majority of travelers now seek sustainable tourism options, while many are willing to pay more for accommodations and experiences that demonstrate a positive social and environmental impact.

For destinations across the Mekong region, he said, the opportunity lies in moving beyond traditional tourism models focused on volume and toward experiences that encourage learning, connection, and personal growth.

“The future belongs to destinations that create better outcomes for communities while delivering richer experiences for visitors,” he said.

From Arrivals to Impact

Throughout the presentation, Chattan challenged the industry's long-standing reliance on visitor numbers as the primary measure of success.

“Increasing arrivals is important,” he said. “But extending length of stay and increasing local spending often creates far greater benefits for communities.”

He illustrated the point with a personal example.

As a self-described food enthusiast, Chattan said he is often willing to travel beyond major cities to discover a single local dish.

That extra journey generates spending on local transportation, restaurants, accommodation, and small businesses, spreading tourism benefits beyond traditional tourism hubs.

“Sometimes the most valuable visitor is not the one who visits the most places,” he said. “It is the one who stays longer, spends locally, and connects more deeply with the destination.”

Authenticity Matters

A recurring theme throughout the session was the importance of protecting authenticity as tourism grows.
Chattan warned against the temptation to commercialize destinations to the point where they lose the qualities that attracted visitors in the first place.

Recalling his time working with a rural tourism community in Thailand, he described how a successful homestay destination eventually replaced some of its traditional character with facilities designed to appeal to mass tourism.
Visitors, he said, quickly noticed the difference.

“This is not what they travelled for,” he recalled hearing from disappointed guests. “People come looking for authenticity, not a copy of something they can find anywhere else.”

The challenge for tourism planners, he said, is finding ways to scale tourism while preserving the culture, heritage, and lifestyles that make destinations unique.

“How do we scale hyper-local slow travel across the GMS without destroying the very authenticity we are trying to promote?” he asked. “That is a question we should continue asking ourselves.”

Communities at the Center

Chattan stressed that local communities must remain at the heart of tourism development.

Drawing on his experience helping reopen destinations during the pandemic, he described how community consultation became essential to rebuilding tourism safely.

Rather than imposing solutions from above, local residents were asked whether they wanted visitors to return and under what conditions.

“This is their home,” he said. “Communities know best what is right for their destination. They should have a voice in shaping its future.”

He encouraged governments and tourism organizations to invest in community-based tourism, local entrepreneurship, workforce training, and digital platforms that connect travelers directly with local experiences.

“Technology should not replace human interaction,” he said. “It should help create it.”

A Simple Lesson from Yangon

One of the most memorable moments of the presentation came not from a tourism statistic or case study, but from a brief encounter during Chattan’s first day in Myanmar.

While visiting the iconic Shwedagon Pagoda, he purchased an admission ticket and was greeted warmly by the seller.
“She handed me the ticket and said, ‘Welcome, brother.’”

The story drew smiles from the audience and reinforced the central message of his presentation.

“That brief interaction stayed with me,” he said. “It was genuine, it was authentic, and it reminded me that hospitality is ultimately about human connection.”

For Chattan, that simple exchange represented the true value of travel.

“The most sustainable and powerful form of tourism remains person-to-person interaction,” he said.

Technology as an Enabler

Looking ahead, Chattan said digital platforms can play an important role in helping destinations spread tourism benefits more widely.

Rather than concentrating visitors in a handful of well-known locations, technology can help travelers discover local experiences, community enterprises, artisans, guides, homestays, and emerging destinations across the region.

Chattan said platforms such as AirAsia MOVE can support this shift by helping travelers connect with experiences that deliver meaningful economic benefits to local communities while creating richer and more authentic journeys.

He added that AirAsia MOVE’s role is not only to move people from one destination to another, but also to help make travel more inclusive, accessible, and connected to the people and places that give each journey meaning.

“Our responsibility is to create the conditions that allow those connections to happen,” he said.

As destinations across the Mekong region look to the future, his message was clear: tourism works best when it improves lives, protects what makes places special, and leaves both visitors and communities better for the experience.