Inside Knowledge: What Others are Doing

When: 29-30 October 2009

Where: Istana Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Wild Asia is organizing a 2-day Responsible Tourism Training Workshop for general managers in tourism, sustainability professionals, business owners and the media. The workshop will provide a background on sustainable principles in tourism and showcase numerous case studies from around the Asian region.

Confirmed speakers for the workshop include;

• Mr Gopinath Parayil - CEO and Founder of the Blue Yonder and Nila Foundation, India on “The Blue Yonder: Responsible Tourism Initiatives for the Benefit of Local Destinations.”

• ITC Mughal – “Greening Initiatives within a Large Hotel Chain.”

• Ms Amanda Pummer - Environmental Consultant for GreenAsia Group, Indonesia on “Green Washing or Lifestyle Making?”

• Mr Rees Jones Stuart - Managing Director of Camps International Ltd, UK on “Profits for the Planet”

• Ms Sarah Baxter - Responsible Tourism Advisor, Wild Asia on “Green Marketing and Selecting Online Marketing Channels.”

The workshop is an excellent opportunity to learn and share with your peers, as well as, an opportunity to take home ideas for your own businesses. For the media, the workshop will highlight areas where travel journalism can expand.

What's in Store?
View the draft programme here.

Registration: USD120 per person. Concessions are available for members of the media.

To find out more or if you wish to attend the workshop, kindly contact us.

Awarding the Winners: 2009 RTA Cocktail Reception

When: 28 October 2009

Where: Istana Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Find out who the winners are at the cocktail reception for the Responsible Tourism Awards Finalists and Winners taking place as above from 6.00-8.30pm. There will be a presentation of this year's finalists as well as providing a networking platform and an opportunity for media to meet the finalists, winners and judges.

We are also keen to meet people from the tourism fields and make new friends! Join us for a night of mingling and learn about who are and why we are engaging the tourism industry.

Only invited guests and registered workshop participants only. For more information and attendance, kindly contact us.

Wild Asia at CSR ASIA Summit

When: 27-28 October 2009

Where: Istana Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Come over and find our booth at the CSR ASIA Annual International Summit happening right here in Malaysia! The Annual Summit is Asia-Pacific's most innovative and challenging conference on corporate social responsibility (CSR). This year's theme, "Sustainable Business as the Road to Recovery" will explore current hot issues in CSR and leadership strategies in times of crisis.

Wild Asia will be a part of this exciting event and we can't wait to introduce who this year's Responsible Tourism Awards finalists are to the general public so don't miss this chance!

For more details on the topics and registration, visit CSR ASIA.

Responsible Tourism Networking at ITB Asia

When: 22 October 2009, 6-8pm

Where: Suntec City, Singapore

Wild Asia will be present at the ITB Asia Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market on 22 October! The Trade Show, happening from 21-23 October 2009 in Singapore is a high profile event showcasing international travel exhibitors and attracts industry professionals of the MICE, Leisure and Corporate Travel sectors.

Come over and have a chat with the team! We would love to hear your say on Responsible Tourism either from a traveler's or manager's perspectives. What's more, the event provides an excellent networking ground and a platform for exhanging ideas and inspiring novel and innovative thinking!

To attend the event or if you would like to give a presentation on Responsible Tourism please contact the organizers or RSVP on Facebook.

7th Site Visit: Andaman Discoveries, Thailand

Relief is the immediate step after a natural disaster. Then what? An uncertain future lays ahead for communities whose livelihood and surroundings have been directly affected. Fisherman villages in Southern Thailand had to rebuild their lives and look for new opportunities to sustain their families after the 2004 tsunami.

Andaman Discoveries (AD) previously known as North Andaman Tsunami Relief (NATR) stemmed from tsunami relief pioneered by Bodhi Garrett to serve communities he had lived with and respected. After the initial rebuilding of homes through community-driven tsunami relief, it soon progressed into long-term post-tsunami development programs. Participatory workshops and community meetings sparked the idea of potential tourism as a means of economic renewal. Villagers wanted to welcome tourists in a way that will not bring negative and harmful impacts like that of mass tourism.

Since then, AD works closely with interested villagers on vocational training (covering aspects of tourism, guiding, hospitality, small business management, community development, English and computers). The idea was to maximize and utilize local knowledge and local people as a means of tourism. Villagers return empowered to set up home-stays and design a holiday experience for guests.

Now, guests can choose from six villages to stay in – mostly fishermen communities. Accommodation is simple and clean often with a fan, mattress and mosquito net for a good night rest. Guests are assigned to different host families whom they will spend their time with. Often times, guests leave with great memories of relationships being made. Some even stay to volunteer.

Activities in each village are focused on preserving the culture, religion and environment within the village. Busy your day with big net fishing, batik and soap making, cashew and fruit harvesting or even teaching English to villagers. Conservation programmes such as mangrove and orchid replanting are also encouraged to educate guests on the natural surroundings.

The majority of the money of each trip goes directly to the villagers and 20% of guests’ in-village costs are donated to the community fund which funds community-led projects. AD helps provide communities with new sustainable livelihoods to replace those they lost in the tsunami.



By: Deborah Chan (Kuraburi District, Phang Nga Province, South Thailand, 12- 15 September 2009)

Special Note: Andaman Discoveries is one of the finalists for the 2009 Responsible Tourism Awards (Category: Community Based Tourism). For more v-blogs on Responsible Tourism Awards 2009, please visit our YouTube Channel.