A self-guided tour of temples in Chiang Mai, Thailand, offers not only beautiful carving and golden shrines, but the chance to sign up for meditation classes.
The economies of countries dependent on tourism are clearly hurting, with visitor numbers plummeting as a result of the pandemic.
The Thai government estimates a loss of 100 billion Thai baht (over US$3 billion) in the first quarter of 2020 and a loss of about 1.45 million jobs as a result of this slump in tourism.
However, the actual loss cannot be captured in these numbers alone. Many cross-cultural exchange opportunities have been lost as well.
I spent much of the previous decade living in Chiang Mai, a medium-sized city in northern Thailand, which relies heavily on tourism. As a scholar who was studying the relationship between tourism and Buddhist temples in the region before the pandemic started, I am able to assess the impact of COVID-19 on these sites of religious importance.