BANGKOK — With summer around the corner, soaring prices and other complications from the war in the Middle East are straining the tourism-dependent economies of countries in Southeast Asia, including Thailand and Vietnam.
The region's peak tourist summer season is at risk as elevated jet fuel costs, coupled with ceasefire uncertainties, prompt flight cancellations and higher ticket prices.
Some families are pulling back on travel as visiting gas stations and grocery stores gets more expensive worldwide. Crowds have thinned at some places once synonymous with travel.
"With gasoline prices rising and tourism declining, how can we make money?" asked Siv Pech, a 58-year-old tuk-tuk driver in Siem Reap, home to Cambodia's centuries-old Angkor Wat temple complex.
Tourism is an economic lifeline for many developing nations. It contributes nearly 13 percent of GDP in Thailand and nearly 9 percent in Vietnam, and it underpins millions of jobs in Cambodia. Travelers bring in much-needed foreign currency for import-dependent economies, such as the Philippines and Nepal.
