A new company aims to make it easier for Westerners to have once-in-a-lifetime, immersive cultural experiences when traveling in Asia. Backstreet Academy acts as a go-between that allows residents of small villages in Asia to share their cultural knowledge and local experience with Westerners who want to find the true spirit of the places they visit.
Backstreet employees travel to far-flung villages and chat with locals to find people who are interested in the program. They then market the villagers’ services to Western tourists and assume responsibility for bringing in Western travelers. The company’s services allow Western travelers to experience things they never would in a normal trip and visit places untouched by tourism. The villagers benefit economically from the influx of travelers.
Some of the specific experiences offered by Backstreet are traditional knife making workshops in Laos, river fishing in Cambodia, and bag making in Sim Riep. Participating in these traditional crafts can make trips to Asia more meaningful for Western visitors, because they make tourists get in touch with the day-to-day life of people who live off the beaten tourist path.
Read the full article here: Choose a Local as Your Guide in Asia
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