Wednesday, July 15, 2009

RTA 2008 video now live!

Having spent hours editing, slicing, rendering and all sorts of post processing - Wild Asia's Responsible Tourism Award 2008 video is finally worthy of viewing. Many thanks to Emran Taib and his team for their meticulous hard work and sacrificed rest to see this through.

Catch a glimpse of what Responsible Tourism (RT) is all about and find out what some of the tourism operators are doing to create a positive impact on the environment and the local communities surroundding it. The video highlights RT best practices as examples for other operators to step into the programme and to help tourists make a green and sound travel plan for their next trip.

Keep an eyes peeled on this space as we bring you video snippets of RTA 2009 finalists site visits - happening in the coming month!

Draft Programme for "Responsible Tourism for Media & Tourism Professionals" Training Workshop

Our draft programme for this year's annual workshop is now live. Check it out and do sign up for places. Seats are limited. This year the workshop will focus on members of the media and tourism professionals.

About the workshop?
This annual training workshop provides a background to sustainability principles in tourism and numerous case studies from the region. The workshop aims to help arm the media, property owners, managers and tourism professionals with what is going on in the region. The workshop format and discussions will make this a truly engaging event. By sharing the winners’ best practices and demonstrating how easy and beneficial Responsible Tourism is to implement, we hope to inspire change with other operators. Who should attend? We are targeting the workshop at the media and tourism practitioners (managers or business owners) and will be focusing on practical examples from Asia. We also think people who sell tourism (marketing managers) would also benefit from the workshop. It will help you understand what you will be marketing and more importantly, help you market meaningfully.

To learn more about the workshop, click here.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

RTA on FuturArc Magazine

A few months back, journalist Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle from FuturArc contacted us to propose writing a story on Eco-Tourism for their Green Issue. FuturArc is a quarterly journal published by media group BCI Asia "that showcases the new and progressive in architecture in Asia-Pacific. Recognising the significant impact the built form has on society and the environment, FuturArc advocates for architecture that demonstrates creativity, social responsibility and sustainability. It encourages architects, engineers and developers to become innovators in design and early adopters of technologies."

FuturArc published its annual green issue highlighting pertinent issues concerning the world of architecture and the environment. "Travel with a conscience" was the story churned out by Y-Jean with quotes from Dr. Reza about eco-tourism and its impacts on the natural, built and social environments. The article also highlighted reasons why people participate in eco-tours and what improvements could be made and new initiatives taken to lessen the impact on the environment.

Click on the image below to read the article. If you would like a soft copy of the article, email rt@wildasia.org. Enjoy the read!








Add Image

Monday, July 6, 2009

July 2009 Update: Chance to Wild Asia site visits

Wild Asia is keen to work with keen Malaysian-based photo or video talent. We are looking out for someone that can help us bring out the best in this year's finalists. If you are chosen you will get an exclusive privilege of joining our fact finding mission this year.

Why bother?
A chance to visit new places and get behind the scenes with some of the region's most inspiring tourism operators. Your work will help us highlight the winners and do more to inspire others.

The catch?

None really. Wild Asia's work is always licensed under the creative commons banner and you will hold all rights to your material. We just ask for the freedom to use your photographs to highlight the cause.

The costs?
Your basic travel costs (flight tickets and accommodation) will be fully covered. Other travel related costs (meals, in-bound travel) is on your own.

The date(s)?
Visits are planned for August and September. If you are able to spare at least 5 days per trip (and there are 8 planned across Asia) you stand a chance to be part of as many trips as possible.

Do send us a link to your work before 27th July 2009 and let us know the dates you can travel between August to September. If you need more information, do contact us at rt@wildasia.org.