What do visitors want from their holiday?

In establishing Gecko Villa, one of our firm beliefs was that the appeal of packaged holidays in anodyne hotel rooms has utterly lost its lustre. Whilst each visitor will have his or her own preferences and expectations, we believe there exists an underlying desire in many to experience the authentic, the hands-on, the unpremeditated and the unusual.

The visitor to Thailand can readily take refuge in a mass tourist beach resort, consume international fast foods, stay at a small cog of an international hotel brand – and take the children go-karting. But surely more memorable would be a welcome from the locals, a private property you call home, feasting on indigenous delicacies and learning to drive a samlor, to plant rice, to guide a water buffalo, or to glide through lotus lakes on a traditional longboat, without a jetski in sight…

We believe travellers are, quite emphatically, not seeking a busman’s holiday – a coach trip through paradise where the windows never open and the destination is fleetingy passed through, rather than genuinely experienced. Joining the Local Travel Movement underlines our belief: our fellow members all adhere to clear values supporting responsible and sustainable tourism, environmental protection, and direct benefits to – and interaction with – indigenous peoples.

So let’s celebrate diversity, seeking out the unique and eclectic, discovering the secret, the hidden and the offbeat – and revelling in the changes that local travel can bring to both guest and host.

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