Written by Leong Siok Hui on 9 Dec 2008
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After six months of short-listing the finalists and checking out the final eight properties, Wild Asia (WA) has selected its 2008 Responsible Tourism (RT) Awards winners.
In its third year, this year's Awards attracted a larger and more diverse group of tourism operators from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Laos, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India.
Initiated in 2006 by conservation group WA, the Awards showcase exemplary resorts and small community-based ventures that are committed to sustainable practices.
This year, WA introduced a new set of criteria which included:
Sense of place - whether tourists understand their destinations better through operators' efforts.
Sustainability - whether these RT efforts are long-term.
Involvement of guests - do the operators involve their guests in their RT practices?
Internalisation - how much is sustainability part of the day-to-day operations?
Reach - are the ideas and practices shared across the destination or industry?
"Each year, one of the challenges has been getting the categories right. I think this year we've covered a full spectrum of tourism operations that play a significant role in the region - from community-based initiatives to luxury resorts," says Dr Reza Azmi, WA founder and director.
"I see the need to make corporate responsibility real in the travel business. We need to take 'eco' values and learn how to build them into the heart of the travel business. After all, how can one sustain profits in travel without sustainable destinations?"
Judges' findings
After selecting the eight finalists, WA's team of fact finders and four RT judges, including yours truly, set out to size up the properties.
On our Sri Lanka visit, we were pleasantly surprised to find that some of the bigger hotel operators, notably Jetwing Hotels and Aitken Spence and mid-size resorts like Ranweli Holiday Village have been adopting "responsible" practices long before "green" became a buzzword.
In the mid-range categories, the Alila Hotels & Resorts properties - both Alila Manggis and Alila Ubud - are leaps and bounds ahead of other properties in the region in terms of their green initiatives. The judges had to crack their heads to decide the winner.
"The sway factor was due to Manggis being located in East Bali - the less pretty sister of beautiful Ubud in the uplands," says Rick Gregory, one of the judges and a WA advisor.
"They support poverty reduction programmes for the locals etc. So it was a recognition for their RT efforts in an area left behind by others."
"What's great about the Awards is we always find a gem - a property that challenges us in our evolving views of what makes a 'sustainable' business," chips in Reza.
"I had a preconceived idea of Sri Lanka's Treetops Lodge as yet another wildlife lodge but what we discovered was how local everything was. From the design of the mud huts to the entire wildlife experience.
"And despite being a small operation which hosted about 50 guests last year, the lodge serves as important business, educational and conservation catalysts for the area," says Reza.
Toh Su Mei, a WA advisor and one of this year's judges, was duly impressed with the homestay initiative in Spiti, India.
"One thing that stood out with Ecosphere is that they were really trying to address the big issues that face tourism development, e.g. carrying capacity of the area, tourism limits and the mechanism to strike a balance," adds Toh.
"I think apart from educating travellers and operators, local communities need to understand the short- and long-term impacts of tourism to their culture, their lives and their environment."
But as Gregory adds, "the purpose of the Awards is not to give out 'gold stars' to candidates each year. Our intent is to share the best practices of responsible operators to a broader audience and seek out new operators engaging in innovative programmes."
"Also, the Awards is not a recommendation for travellers but a recognition that certain operators are pursuing a responsible tourism path," sums up Gregory, an environmental consultant and writer.
"Each traveller will still have to decide if the operator meets their expectations and offers a valuable experience."
Winner highlights
Category: Budget accommodation
Tree Tops Jungle Lodge (Sri Lanka)
Wake up to the cacophony of chirping birds, sip freshly brewed Sri Lankan organic coffee and take in the invigorating jungle air from the viewing platform.
After a vigorous day's hike in the bush, take a cooling bath at the freshwater well. At night, guests sit down to a candlelit, scrumptious dinner of banana flowers, cassava and jack fruit curries served with locally grown organic rice.
Tree Tops Lodge is run by locals living on the fringes of Sri Lanka's Yala National Park. Living in mud or treetop huts, visitors have easy access to the stunning wildlife and get to sample the local lifestyle.
Sitting on a nine-acre (3.6ha) piece of land leased from the government, the lodge's built-up space takes up only 5% of the leased area. The former slash/burn farmland has been regenerated into a natural forest. Aside from regular sighting of elephants, Chital deer, armadillos and marsh crocodile, the wilderness area boasts 161 bird species, of which eight species are endemic to Sri Lanka.
The lodge accommodates no more than eight guests at any one time. Guests relish simple vegetarian fare cooked over a gas or firewood (dry dead wood and branches) stove.
Food is sourced from nearby Budaya and Ilukpitiya villages or the market in Buttala, about 8km from the lodge. Local farmers are encouraged to grow organic rice and vegetables.
The lodge uses candles and oil lamps in lieu of electric lights, and water comes from the wells. Sewage is treated onsite using septic tanks and traditional pit toilet. Biodegradable ayurvedic soaps are supplied to guests.
Drinking water is served in traditional clay jugs which cools the water naturally and no plastic (polythelene) bags or containers are allowed at the lodge.
"The idea is to generate as little waste as possible. We take responsibility for our own waste," says Treetops director and founder Lars Sorensen.
Local staff take care of the guests, cook, clean, do guided treks and night watches to look out for potentially dangerous wildlife. These nature-based jobs create an alternative to hunting and tree-cutting, traditionally practised by the locals.
A school dropout at 16, villager Deepal Dissanayaka @ Kamal has risen through the ranks from being a lodge sweeper to a managing assistant in seven years.
"My family was poor and couldn't afford my schooling," says Kamal, 23 who hails from Budaya village. His father is a baker while his mom grows lentils and peanuts to support the family.
The staff learned about wildlife, picked up guiding and computer skills. Youths from the nearby villages have limited job options - they either join the army, farm or look for jobs in the city. Not surprisingly, some of Treetops' staff are ex-poachers and tree cutters.
"This lodge is like my 'university'. I learned so much more than I ever did in school" chuckles Kamal, the father of a three-year-old girl.
"I've a job I love, a good salary and my family has a better life. With Sorensen's help, Kamal plans to take up a wildlife management diploma course in Colombo next year. Currently, Kamal and a group of villagers are forming a community-based nature conservation organisation to find solutions to the human-elephant conflict.
For more, visit Tree Tops Jungle Lodge. The Lodge is currently closed for refurbishment until mid-2009.
Category: Mid-range Resorts and Hotels
Alila Manggis, Bali, Indonesia
This seaside resort is lodged between Bali's majestic Mt Agung and a remote, unspoilt beach in east Bali.
The 55-room Manggis is modern yet imbued with traditional Balinese features like the alang-alang thatch roofs or the bale bengong (open-air pavilions) reflected in its reception and restaurant designs.
Its popular cooking school allows guests to capture the taste of East Bali, coupled with a visit to the village market. Apart from whipping up local cuisines, guests learn to make Balinese sweets or coconut oil.
Guests get to pick from a host of cultural activities like learning to weave and dye sarong, making organic sea salt traditionally, Balinese dancing or joining in the village festivals and Hindu temple ceremonies.
The resort uses and sells hand-made organic soaps supplied by the village co-operative. All wastes are separated and recycled.
Wastewater treated onsite is used to irrigate the lotus pond while kitchen waste churns out compost for the resort's organic garden. Manggis encourages suppliers to reduce plastic usage and replace plastic food wrapping with banana leaves.
Guests are invited to take part in the resort's social and environmental causes like donating to a non-profit organisation that helps poverty-stricken, isolated villagers in East Bali, or to reforest Nusa Penida, an island off Bali.
The Green Globe-certified resort has also been awarded Bali's Tri Hita Karana Tourism Award which recognises tourism enterprises that practise the Balinese ancient principles of harmonious relations between man and his spiritual, social and natural environments.
For more, visit Alila Manggis
Category: Luxury and Boutique Resorts
Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi, Phang-Nga Bay, Thailand
With rates starting from US$900 (RM3,300) per night, Six Senses Yao Noi is your ultimate getaway.
Nestled in lush tropical vegetation, the 56-villa resort sits on a cliff overlooking a view of limestone outcrops in the emerald-green Andaman Sea.
Touted as one of Condé Nast Traveler magazine's "Hot List Hotels 2008", the villas come with private infinity pools and sun decks, Bose sound systems, wine chillers and personal butlers.
The villas are designed to maximise natural lighting hence saving on electricity. Locally sourced sago-palm leaf thatch roofs and natural ventilation cool the villas. The Quantum Heat Recovery system reuses heat from air-conditioners to heat hot showers.
Freshwater is scarce on the small, remote island where the resort sits. Yet Yao Noi is self-sufficient in its water supply. Deep wells and a reservoir that collects and stores rainwater supply the resort. Treated and filtered water are handed out to guests in recyclable glass bottles as complimentary drinking water. Low-flush toilets and low-pressure shower heads have been installed. A wastewater treatment plant churns out grey water used for landscape irrigation.
A rubber plantation, a beach and a mangrove forest surround the resort. Endemic plants have been added to improve the area's biodiversity and to attract wildlife.
Guests can stroll on a wooden walkway that meanders through the mangrove forest. The resort has taken the initiative to protect and rejuvenate the mangrove forest.
Yao Noi works with local schools and government to set up a recycling system. "Banks" are created for students to bring in recyclable material in exchange for money. Recycling bins are provided at 7-Eleven stores. Five percent of their annual revenue goes to social and environmental causes.
For more, visit Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi
Category:Community-based Homestays
Ecosphere, Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India
Visitors to this western Himalayan region will be awed by the stark, stunning landscape - vast plateaus framed by lofty peaks, plunging gorges and a backdrop of ancient gompas (Buddhist monasteries) carved into sheer limestone cliffs. But this isolated district of Lahaul-Spiti in Himachal Pradesh is cut off from the rest of the world six months a year due to harsh winters.
Tourism provides sustainable livelihoods for a community that traditionally relies on agriculture and livestock (agro-pastoralists), and as a means of preserving the natural and cultural heritage.
In 2002, an Ecosphere homestay programme was set up for the Spiti villages.
Founded by a bunch of pals from neighbouring districts of Shimla and Dehradun and local Spitians, the programme enables locals to earn extra income from homestays, guiding, yak service, handicraft sales and cultural performances.
Historically part of Western Tibet, Spiti is home to Tibetan Buddhists. The population of 10,000 is spread across 66 villages.
Tourists get a slice of the traditional Spitian lifestyle by staying with local families in traditional mud homes and sample delicacies like steamed momos (dumplings stuffed with meat or veggies).
Adrenaline junkies can opt for high-altitude trekking, mountain biking or river rafting while those who prefer a laid-back holiday can take a guided stroll to the 1,000-year-old Dhankar gompa or enjoy the masked dances in the monasteries during festivals.
Ten per cent of tourism revenue goes back to a conservation fund.
Tourism now adds an extra 20% to the people's income and the extras are used for household expenses and education.
"Locals can only take part in the homestay programme on condition they don't kill wildlife, in particular, the Himalayan wolf (a critically endangered species). The villages have also banned the sale of fossils (to preserve the geological wealth of Spiti) and impose fines for those who extract endangered medicinal plants," says one of Ecosphere's founders, Sunil Chauhan of Shimla.
For more, visit out Spiti Ecosphere
Rethink Travel
This article is part of our Rethink Travel series.
In 2008, Wild Asia started an exciting year-long collaboration with the Malaysian national newspaper, The Star. The Weekender section ran a series of monthly articles on responsible tourism under the theme, Rethink Travel. The aim was to promote sustainable practices in Asian travel destinations and challenge common perceptions and ideas on travel.
Other features in this series:
- Green Luxury
- One With Nature
- Trouble in Paradise
- Inspiring, earth-friendly retreats
- Ready, jet set . . .
- Live & Learn
Write to Leong Siok HuiLeong Siok Hui
Leong Siok Hui writes for The Star Weekender. The Star is Malaysia's largest English daily newspaper.... more inside »
Leong Siok Hui also contributed 5 other articles in this section:
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