Ken Drew

Ken Drew, sustainable tourism blogger

Ken Drew

Ken Drew is a Cali­for­nia-based sus­tain­able tour­ism writer and con­tent strategist with more than a dec­ade of South­east Asia experience.

As a former seni­or edit­or at a European sus­tain­able travel pub­lic­a­tion, Mr Drew pro­duced des­tin­a­tion blogs, trav­el­ler guides, and invest­ig­at­ive fea­tures cov­er­ing gre­en­wash­ing, land­scape con­ser­va­tion, and the human cost of unchecked tour­ism development.

He also taught Tour­ism Eng­lish and led SDG work­shops at Phuket Raj­abhat Uni­ver­sity.

For sev­er­al years, in Ayut­thaya, Ken led free bicycle tours through the UNESCO World Her­it­age Park, fun­nel­ing curi­ous back­pack­ers dir­ectly into the loc­al com­munity with no tips accepted.

“Guid­ing trav­el­lers to unique exper­i­ences is why I help oper­at­ors, hotels, and des­tin­a­tions com­mu­nic­ate their green com­mit­ments to those who are look­ing for them.”

What local tourism students know about Phuket that global sustainability leaders do not

April 30, 2026

What do local tourism students know about Phuket that global sustainability leaders do not? A Gemini-generated image. "GT" added the words.

Trans­ition­ing from an emer­ging hot­spot to an estab­lished tour­ism-led eco­nomy is complex. 

Ken Drew exam­ines the grow­ing pains of Phuket, Thai­l­and where loc­als, includ­ing his former tour­ism stu­dents, too often find them­selves in danger.

Fol­low­ing last week’s Glob­al Sus­tain­able Tour­ism Coun­cil con­fer­ence on the island — planned amid reports of deadly land­slides, tox­ic fires, and poor air qual­ity — a ques­tion arises …

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