Written by Wild Asia on 3 Feb 2010
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.jpg "Bronwen Evans who operates Faasai Resort & Spa shares her experience as resort operator and information about Fassai Resort & Spa. - Photo © Chiang Ai Lin Eileen")
Wild Asia's Leaders in Destinations (LID) is a training programme crafted to expand our efforts to inspire change in operators in Asia. The workshops are developed specially for tourism professionals and business leaders who want to understand and work towards sustainable tourism in their operations.
Through a showcase of best practices in Asia and using innovative training methods, the workshop aims to demonstrate that there are real financial incentives in operating sustainably. Run by experienced trainers and experts, our workshops are participatory, practical and lively. Currently, our workshops are tailored to meet the specific needs of each business client. Our talented team can work with all levels of staff, and best of all we come to you to conduct the workshops!
Contact us at for more information about LID and how we can adapt our unique training programme to suit your time availability and needs.
Sustainability audits
As a travel operator, you may be asking these questions: "Where do I start?" "How can I do more to make my operations more "responsible"? "How is my business impacting the surrounding environment?"
The aim of Wild Asia's sustainability audit is to give clients a thorough understanding of where they are now, in terms of sustainability. We work closely with our clients to identify the problems and solutions specific to their situation and business. By understanding the bigger picture into which their business fits we are able to create solutions that not only deal with the immediate on-site problems, but also positively impact the wider community and environment.
Our audits will usually begin with a site visit and meeting with key staff, and an assessment of the current situation. This is normally a one or two day visit in which we examine all areas of the business and its situation and impacts on the local environment and community. We work alongside a member of your team to discuss our findings and broadly outline the appropriate remedial measures. The aim is to provide our clients with a comprehensive view of where they are and what they should focus on.
Contact us so that we can help you find sustainable solutions for your business.
Workshop facilitators
The Leaders in Destinations workshops will be facilitated by highly experienced experts in responsible tourism, conservation and education. They are:
Dr Reza Azmi
The workshop will be led by Wild Asia Founder and Director Dr Reza Azmi. A strategic thinker, Reza has had over 12 years of experience in understanding the issues of sustainable tourism. He has been involved in field to policy projects in nature conservation and sustainable development. His formal background has been with biodiversity conservation: taxonomy, ecology and researching the relationships between communities and natural resources. He currently specializes in looking at ways in which businesses can play a positive role in the local environments they operate in.
Gonthong Lourdesamy
Gonthong Lourdesamy is the General Manager for Wild Asia. She studied Marine Science and Environmental Biology in University of Kasetsart and Mahidol University. Her first environmental teaching career was as a Scuba diving instructor. She left the sea to teach environmental education as Director of the EE program on Chao Phraya River. This position involved leading trips to the Chao Phraya for international students and exposed them to environmental awareness firsthand. She has also worked on various independent education projects including: Thai NGO in energy conservation, environmental projects, conscious consumption, sustainability, as well as facilitating workshops and trainings for teachers, park rangers, and professionals throughout Thailand and neighbouring countries.
Melissa Cornejo
Melissa Cornejo is a Responsible Tourism Advisor for Wild Asia. She holds a Master's degree from Florida International University in natural resource management, with a specialty in responsible tourism. She also has a Masters degree in education, and has worked in both fields for the last 10 years. She is experienced in community based ecotourism, eco-lodge management, ecotourism certification and consulting, workshop training, and environmental education.
Deborah Chan
Deb got her first dose of the great outdoors at the age of seven and naturally stuck at it. Her weekends are filled with campouts, hikes, backpacking travels and underwater escapades. After graduating in Mass Communication from Murdoch, she garnered diverse skills in corporate training, tactical communication and strategic branding across a variety of industries. Her philosophy in effective communication lies in ground-breaking research to ensure that the message lives up to the brand promise. Having worked in the corporate for four years, the Generation Y promptings finally kicked in. Deb decided that the 8 hours spent at work daily has to translate into a more significant purpose. Then begin her job hunt for something that contributed to a greater cause - hence her stumble into Wild Asia!
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_01.jpg "One of the discussion groups for Responsible Tourism Workshop (Operators). - Photo © Chiang Ai Lin Eileen")
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1 older comment | show
reza
05-Jun-2004
Posts: 20
Friday, 17 July 2009 at 12:16 PM:
Thanks for the support! We are excited about the enfolding programme...and will try to get on skype a renown "eco architect" and we have other key speakers lined up that have a lot to share.
Yang Razlan
Friday, 11 December 2009 at 2:41 PM:
Kudos to Wild Asia. Wish i can attend the workshop but have to be somewhere on those dates. Hope to attend others soon. Well done again Dr Reza.
Vimal T
Wednesday, 16 December 2009 at 11:47 PM:
Wish I could also attend this workshop..
Best wishes