Bangkok, Thailand – February 19, 2025
Sustainable tourism that protects children is possible if we all work together. This was demonstrated through a project implemented in Phang Nga and presented at an event hosted by the Embassy of The Netherlands in Bangkok on Tuesday, 18 February. The event brought together government representatives, tourism leaders, child protection advocates, and community partners to discuss the model developed in Phang Nga and its potential for replication across Thailand and beyond.
The Case Study: Phang Nga Thailand highlights how ECPAT International, along with ECPAT Foundation Thailand and local partners, strengthened the capacity of travel and tourism businesses, established a child protection network, and empowered children and youth to increase their resilience. The project engaged with the local community and vulnerable children, including out-of-school, migrant, and undocumented children. Furthermore, the TUI Academy, established by the TUI Care Foundation, Plan International and Defence for Children ECPAT Netherlands, worked to develop life skills and provide job opportunities for disadvantaged youth within the tourism industry.
Key takeaways from the case study and the event include:
The project’s success in Phang Nga was facilitated by a strong network of partners, including the Phang-Nga Children’s Home and DISAC Surathani. The launch event also promoted the Handbook for Child Safe and Child-Friendly Tourism, a multi-stakeholder initiative developed during the project.
“We hope that the practices discussed can help realize the potential of safe and sustainable tourism, and most importantly, the well-being of local youths,” expressed Mr. Christiaan Bergwerff, speaking on behalf of the Embassy of the Netherlands.
Mr. Wanchai Roujanavong, Thailand’s Representative to the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), called for “national level policies for the travel and tourism industry to ensure child protection measures are implemented through multistakeholder partnerships.”
Ms. Sendrine Constant, Director of Research and Learning at ECPAT International, stressed that “children and youth activists need to be engaged with governments, businesses, educational institutions and CSO partners to build destinations that protect, benefit, and respect them.”
The case study and the discussions at the launch event provide a strong foundation for building safer and more sustainable tourism destinations, in line with the Global Call for robust child protection structures in travel and tourism. The launch of the case study was part of an ongoing effort to scale up the model and promote the protection of children in travel and tourism in Thailand, and other countries.
For more information, please contact communications@ecpat.org.
About ECPAT International:
ECPAT International stands as a united front of over 120 civil society organisations spread across over 100 nations, each passionately committed to the shared vision of eradicating the sexual exploitation of children. Harnessing the power of over three decades of experience in multi-stakeholder engagement and advocacy, our expansive network operates on national, regional, and global levels. We relentlessly drive forward, fuelled by the conviction that every child deserves a world free from sexual exploitation.