2009 - Asia
 ATDO has been supporting the WTM WRTD since 2007 helping remote rural communities in India to take advantage of tourism through agri tourism holidays and weekend packages. Changing the lives of farmers with agri tourism destination ventures, teaching them efficient utilization of existing natural resources, customer service skills, marketing and raising self esteem. In close co-operation with hotels, guesthouses, tour operators and local NGOs in Siem Reap and Cambodia, angkorhotels.org hope to repeat last year's WTM WRTD initiative’s success and organize a networking event with key industry stakeholders. Their aim in hosting an event on the WTM WRTD in Siem Reap is to bring together many NGOs and charities from all spectrums (environmental, health care, education, arts and crafts, centres for children and vocational training centres) to highlight their work and discuss how the tourism and hospitality industry can impact the local communities and their livelihoods, and environment they operate within in a positive manner. Additionally, they hope to create interest for and promote traditional Cambodian arts and culture to a global market. From 2009 onwards, every booking that Ashex Tourism travel agency take will plant one sapling. Each sapling will be planted through their guests at the destination they are visiting. Each property will be asked to look after the sapling and mark it with the name and date of planting. In partnership with Community Action Nepal (CAN), CAT provides fair employment conditions to its Nepalese staff. CAT supports CAN with its charitable projects which include educational, health and income generating community projects. One of their latest projects is the creation of a porters shelter at Gorak Shep in conjunction with International Porters Protection Group. Discovery Tours & Logistic feel responsible about educating people on how to take care of their country, in particular their local tourism areas and the communities that live there. Their initiatives include making tourists aware of how to conserve nature and local heritage, meetings are arranged between local communities and tourists so that cultural beliefs can be exchanged. Discovery Tours & Logistic will include the local community in their tours encouraging participation of local guides and local businesses selling locally made products. In celebration of WTM WRTD 2009, El Nido Resorts have added a Biodiversity Online page and Sustainability page to their website. The Biodiversity page will include a database of El Nido’s flora and fauna and the Sustainability page will detail the various environmental, social and cultural practices of the resort that have positive impacts to the local environment and community. The resort has also started distributing their 2009 calendars, printed on recycled paper, which showcase their commitments to the environment. Footprint Vietnam Travel provides a bridge between host and visitor, focusing on responsible travel, travelling in a way that respects culture, protects the environment and supports the communities visited. Footprints Vietnam Travel are currently supporting two projects, For a Green, Halong Bay which is a joint venture with Indochina Junk company supporting the floating villages with jobs in tourism and also supporting them in making their village clean and beautiful. The second project is Community Based Ecotourism in Ngoc Son - Ngo Luong Nature Reserve creating the proposal for community based ecotourism in Ngoc Son Ngo Luong and to help implement the project with activities such training the locals on home-stays and guiding. Setting up a responsible tourism club involving different tour operators who share the same responsible tourism views  Green Apple Experience have century old traditional houses and bungalows for their guests to stay in and go to great lengths in ensuring eco-friendly holidays. They strongly advocate the participation of the local community and appoint local personnel as hosts to their properties. Hosts appoint local guides, encourage guests to purchase local goods and handicrafts and ultimately maintain and protect the heritage of the area. Monies are set aside to fund the youth of these villages and communities for their education. Ibex Expeditions have been tailor making Eco Tours, Adventure Journeys, Cultural Holidays, Luxury & Safari Travel in India since 1979. Ibex Expeditions is committed to being environmental caretakers and seek to attain high standards of `minimum impact tourism'. They have an Environmental Pledge that they encourage each client to sign up to and numerous initiatives that they support, including home stays and snow leopards in Ladakh, the Corbett Foundation, Corbett National park, Thekkady Tiger Trail, Kerala, voluntary and humanitarian tours to name a few. Indochina Sails are supporting WTM WRTD for the first time with their Just A Book program by RV La Marguerite initiative. The RV La Marguerite is a new river vessel that is taking a proactive approach to adopt a responsible tourism ethos as her operating mantra. The Just a Book program is inspired by the passion of the Vietnam born French novelist Marguerite Duras who also inspired the creation of RV La Marguerite. The program encourages all travellers to bring with them their favourite novel and donate them to the schools where the vessel sails. Travellers are encouraged to pen their personal thoughts inside the books.  Khiri Travel believes that with the right choices, tourism can enhance cultural understanding, respect the environment and bring economic growth. The organisation’s contribution starts by supporting community businesses and supporting a local schoo, Luang Prabang Orphanage School in Northern Laos. The organisation, as a responsible operator values and respect unique traditions and customs of indigenous people, for example they actively support the Apsara Arts Association in Cambodia and are members of Wildlife at Risk. Khiri Travel have strict rules for their guides and groups such as a “zero litter” policy. The organisation encourages empowerment to everyone, particularly women and the physically challenged. For 2009, not only is their CEO, Mr Willem Niemeijer speaking at WTM WRTD 2009 but they are actively involved in setting up a sustainable tourist project in Sambor Prei Kuk, Cambodia that supports local people and enhances their skills. Kurumba Village Resort employ local people, buy local materials from food to construction and use energy saving systems, water conservation systems and waste water management. The foundation of their organisation is built on these tools and the way that they think. Supporting WTM WRTD for the first time this year, Malaysian Discovery Tours and Travel are continuing their creation of responsible tourism packages but are working towards improvements to lessen the affect they have as an organisation upon our environment. Nomadic Journeys offer treks and horse rides supported by local nomads with their yak or camel supported caravans and they also operate four secluded low impact ger camps in different habitats around the country. Nomadic Journeys are also the co-founders of the www.tigeralliance.com, a network of Asian tour operators in Mongolia, China and India, all sharing a passion and commitment to ecotourism and responsible travel. Tour specialists for trips throughout Southeast Asia. Currently working with 12 communities in the Seuang River Valley of Luang Prabang Province, Lao PDR, on the Seuang River Experience. The Seuang River Experience goal is to fight poverty, preserve traditional cultures and conserve nature. This experience will be accomplished through the Seuang River Community Based Tourism cooperative agreement that applies ‘Sustainable Tourism for the Elimination of Poverty’ (STEP) principles. Supporting WTM WRTD for the first time, Primeclass-Traders, although based in the UK run two websites that specialize in the Philippines and encourage responsible travel to more remote areas such as the Cuyo Islands of Palawan. 2009 has seen the organisation involved in the Ursa Freedom Project which is highlighting the plight of the Moon Bears in South East Asia. They have been raising monies to donate to Animals Asia Foundation so that they can build two new bear houses in Vietnam. 2010 will see them opening their own small bear sanctuary in the Philippines for the Tarsier, an animal endemic to the Philippines and one that is endangered. Responsible TourismPartnership are constantly developing and implementing practical sustainable tourism solutions to help protect and enhance Sri Lanka as a tourist destination. Among their many projects that they support are Trees For Life, Dickwella Lace, Saving Lives – Life Guard Training and the Minimising Hassle to Tourist and Building Community Friendly Tourism. Their newest project however, is Greening Sri Lanka Hotels, their main objective is to lead the hotel industry to improve their overall energy and natural resources management and environmental best practices. Responsible TourismPartnership are currently working with 37 hotels in this pioneering project to reduce the carbon footprint of the hotel sector. Seychelles Connect have created Brand “Hotel de Charme” which includes 3 hotels all of which are under the management of 3 sisters who train and employ the locals. They offer local fishermen work taking their clients around the island and show them how local fishing operates, catching the right type of fish without disturbing the marine life. The fishermen also teach the visitors how to cook the fish. Local farmers provide the hotels with local produce which in turn provides the locals with sustainable jobs. Shakti Travels & Tours Nepal, among other things, is developing cultural values and identities to highlight WTM WRTD 2009. Some of their projects are currently undertaking external appraisal to calculate their carbon and other benefits include proposals from New Caledonain Woodlands. The Blue Yonder are continuing their Travellers Forest eco-restoration project and have planted 500 saplings in the village of Naduvattom in an effort to regenerate the catchment are of a small rivulet. The Blue Yonder have dedicated 1% of its billing to support forestry initiatives in 2009. After Cyclone Aila hit in West Bengal in May 2009 The Blue Yonder started raising funds for the victims. Other programmes introduced this year have been a Micro-loan support programme to set up a workshop for bell metal workers in Desamangalam and a martial arts institution for a young entrepreneur. The Regent Maldives is still on pre-opening stage, scheduled to open within the first half of 2010. From conception to design, the hotel has had an eco-friendly mindset. For example, the interior design has included sustainable bamboo used for the ceilings in the villas and guest rooms, indigenous, local plants have been used, local products have been sourced and construction methods have been implemented to reduce the production of waste materials. The hotel has many other initiatives including a desalination plant and water purifying unit, an organic Chef’s garden, recycling facilities, composting facilities to name but a few. Traveltocare.com was set up to provide an opportunity for properties and tour operators who work in responsible tourism to connect directly with the originating markets. For the first time, more than 200 properties have an opportunity to display their responsible tourism products in India in one platform. Traveltocare.com, along with The Blue Yonder and Help Tourism, have initiated the Cyclone Aila Support Group to support those affected by Cyclone Aila that hit the Sunderbans region at the end of May 2009. The three organisations have set up the online group to help raise funds and transfer funds to provide basic necessities to the communities affected by cyclone. Uday Samudra Beach Hotel supports many initiatives including Green Uday Samudra that nurtures responsible citizens to contribute towards reducing the global warming impact and help mankind to survive better. They are devoted to educating the local school children, taking training classes for the local fisherman’s community children who are very poor. They teach them about how to grow vegetables, how to preserve nature and the basic issues in society such as cleanliness, hygiene and also about their future on global warming. |
Official Sponsor 2010
