People Fixing.
People Fixing the World.
Welcome to People Fixing the World from the BBC World Service with me, Mayra Anubi.
Now, grab your passport, because on the show I take you all around the world to explore new ideas that are making our planet a better place.
And this week, dear travelers, you and I are going to Thailand to find out about a radical idea that's trying to fix tourism so that it works for everyone.
Along the way, we'll be making silk, joining a traditional dance and tasting some chicken covered with ants.
Imagine that you live in a historical site and you've always lived there.
It's beautiful.
And then one day, a tour bus full of people arrives.
They get off the bus and they start taking photos of the area, maybe even some of you and your neighbours.
And then they get back on the bus and they leave.
The visitors have had a good time, but has life improved for you?
Tourism is big.
It's worth US$10 trillion to the global economy.
But the vast majority of that money goes to airlines and hotels and tour groups.
In fact, According to one UN, as little as 25% of the cash from international tourism goes to the host country.
And sometimes only a tiny amount actually trickles down to local people.
This problem is sometimes called tourism leakage, and I've seen it with my own eyes in places like my home country, Kenya, and also when I've had chances to visit other places like in South Africa.
So is there another way?
Well, our reporter William Kramer has been in Thailand to see how one project is trying, trying to put more power and more money in the hands of local people.