The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the advent of the luxury steamship in the late 19th century heralded a golden age of travel in early 20th century Southeast Asia. Travel offices and tourist information bureaus such as the Officiële Vereeniging voor Toeristenverkeer in the Dutch East Indies and the Office Central du Tourisme Indochinois in French Indochina were set up by the colonial administrations in response to the steady increase in European tourist arrivals in the Far East. These tourist bureaus promoted the exotic splendour of their colonies through advertisements in newspapers, magazines and publicity materials such as postcards. Writers and seasoned travellers also took to publishing guidebooks offering essential travel information and suggested itineraries, a trend which continued even in the initial period after the Second World War.
