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by Leong Siok Hui
From chic resorts and homestays to wildlife lodges across Asia, these 'green' operators not only offer a great vacation, they give back to the people and the planet. By LEONG SIOK HUI.
Two decades ago, Swiss tourism guru Jost Krippendorf said "once our basic holiday needs - eating, drinking, sleeping - had been met, we'd become more adventurous, would have social needs and want to be fulfilled on holiday..." (The Holiday Makers: Understanding the Impact of Leisure and Travel; 1987) A 'new' type of tourist would emerge, dubbed "ethical travelers," and they will be critical consumers, the founding father of sustainable tourism predicted.
Today, riding on the coattails of global warming, green travel is the buzzword. It raises questions like 'what's your travel impact? And how do you slash your carbon footprint?'
In 2006, Kuala Lumpur-based conservation group Wild Asia launched its annual Responsible Tourism (RT) Awards, focusing on how businesses impact the environment, empower the local economy and respect cultural sensitivity. Tour operators in Asia fill Wild Asia's RT checklist to self-evaluate their businesses. Then the Wild Asia shortlists the finalists and visits the sites to verify operators' claims. Checklists aside, the accommodations are assessed by criteria like their sense of place, long-term plans, whether they engage their guests in their RT practices and reach out to inspire others.
More than just a light footprint, these operators support local communities, connect their guests to authentic cultures and spur conservation efforts. From lush jungle, sandy beaches to island getaways, the list of award-winning operators here span every budget and landscape, with top-notch service thrown in, of course. Start planning your holidays...
Wild Asia's Top 10 Earth-friendly Retreats in Asia
SRI LANKA
The archetypal ecolodge, Treetops is a low-impact lodge run by locals living in the fringe of Yala National Park. Living in mud- or treetop huts, visitors have easy access to the stunning wildlife and get to sample the authentic local lifestyle while treading lightly.
Taking up only 5% of the total nine-acre land, the lodge accommodates no more than eight guests at any time. Aside from regular sightings of elephants, Chital deer and marsh crocodile, the area boasts 161 bird species, of which eight species are endemic to Sri Lanka.
Guests relish simple vegetarian village fare like cassava and jackfruit curries simmered over firewood (from dry dead wood and branches) stove with ingredients sourced from nearby villages. The lodge uses candles and oil lamps in place of electricity and water comes from the wells. Plastics are a big no-no at the lodge. Nature-based jobs like guiding create an alternative to hunting and tree-cutting, traditionally practised by the locals.
INDONESIA
Far from tourist-thronged Kuta and Ubud, this chic seaside resort is lodged between Bali's majestic Mt Agung and a remote, unspoiled beach in east Bali. Like any signature Kerry Hill-designed resorts, Manggis is modern yet imbued with traditional Balinese features like the alang-alang thatch roofs or the bale bengong (open-air pavilions).
Its popular cooking school allows guests to capture the taste of East Bali coupled with a visit to the village market. If cooking's not your thing, you can pick from a host of cultural activities like learning to weave and dye sarong or taking a crack at Balinese dancing.
The resort uses hand-made organic soaps supplied by the local village co-operative. Wastewater treated onsite is used to irrigate the lotus pond while kitchen waste goes into churning out compost for the resort's organic garden. Guests are invited to take part in the resort's social and environmental causes like helping a poverty-stricken, isolated mountain village or reforest Nusa Penida island off Bali.
Nestled in the lush, mountainous slope of Central Bali with a sweeping view of Mt Batukaru (2200m), Sarinbuana's quaint, handcrafted bungalows sit amidst a permaculture farm. Start your day with a platter of freshly harvested passionfruit and melons. Then lace up your boots for a day trek up Mt Batukaru. Cap off a delicious Balinese dinner with homemade vanilla ice cream before you lounge on the veranda and tune in to the forest's nightly symphonies. Guests can also explore natural waterholes, amble in the paddy fields or unwind with a Balinese massage.
Sarinbuana raises funds via Seacology grants for village projects like forest protection and hall construction. The lodge also works with local authorities to protect 800 hectares of neighbouring rainforest. 5% of annual profits from their Orangutan trek in Sumatra go back to the Sumatran Orangutan Society based in Ubud.
THAILAND
With rates starting from USD900 (RM3300) per night, Six Senses Yao Noi is your ultimate hedonistic getaway. Nestled in lush tropical vegetation, the 56-villa resort sits on a cliff overlooking the surreal view of limestone outcrops thrusting out of 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 coupled with personal butlers at your beck and call.
The villas are designed to maximise natural lighting hence saving on electricity use. Locally sourced sago-palm leaf thatch roofs and overhangs create shades and cool the villas. Yao Noi is 100% self-sufficient in its water supply. Guests can take guided strolls on a wooden walkway that meanders through the mangrove forest. The resort has taken initiatives to protect and rejuvenate the mangrove forest. The resort works with local schools and government to set up a recycling system. 0.5% of their annual revenue is funneled back into social and environmental causes.
Get pampered in this trendy 260-room spa resort with its restorative spa treatments and genial Thai hospitality. Take a breather from the kids and drop them off at Evason's Just Kids' Club. Explore the sandy white beach and lovely corals at Bon Island, a private isle exclusive for Evason guests.
A passionate proponent of responsible practices, Evason sets the bar high for other operators to emulate. The resort sources and hires locally, supports local charities and encourages guests to participate in projects like mangrove planting.
Heat from air-conditioners are reused to supply hot showers, lights are powered by energy saving bulbs and high voltage cables are installed underground to reduce power loss. 100% self-sufficient in its water supply, the resort collects and store their rainwater in a reservoir. Wastewater treatment plant churns out grey water for garden irrigation. Used cooking oil is recycled into bio-diesel for resort buggies.
INDIA
Visitors to this western Himalayan region will be blown away by its 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 for six months a year due to harsh winters. Tourism provides sustainable livelihoods for a community who traditionally relies on agriculture and livestock and as a means of preserving the natural and cultural heritage.
Historically part of Western Tibet, Spiti is home to Tibetan Buddhists and the 10,000-population is spread across 66 villages.
You get a slice of the traditional Spitian lifestyle by staying with local families in mud homes, sampling delicacies like steamed momos (meat or veggie-stuffed dumplings) and learning how these traditional homes are ingeniously designed to adapt to extreme temperatures. Adrenaline junkies can opt for high-altitude trekking or river rafting while those who prefer a laid-back holiday can take a guided stroll to the 1000-year-old Dhankar gompa or enjoy the masked dances during festivals. 10% of each tourist's homestay revenue goes back into a conservation fund used for restoring heritage monuments, conserving wildlife and building passive solar houses to heat up homes and reduce fuel use during winter.
Cloaked in the spice-tinged air of the Cardamom Hills, Spice Village offers an authentic Kerala experience for visitors. Guests stay in the 56-tribal, thatch roof cottages set amidst an organic landscaped spice garden.
You can savour scrumptious Kerala curries or learn to whip up a Kerala specialty like fish moilee at Chef Velu's cooking demonstration. Ayurvedic massage will help loosen your tense muscles. Or the free, nightly classical South Indian dance or traditional dance-drama, Kathakali, keep you entertained. A stone's throw from the Periyar Tiger Reserve, a guided trek with the resort's brilliant naturalists is a must-do.
Spice Village's elephant-grass thatch roof and terracotta floors help revive a traditional cottage industry. The lack of air-conditioning and TV ensure guests enjoy the great outdoors and save electricity simultaneously. Food scraps are turned into fresh, earth-smelling compost via earthworms while plastic bottles are recycled into pellets for synthetic textile factory. Solar panels provide hot showers while the in-house biogas treatment plant converts organic waste into cooking gas.
The resort buys pepper from the indigenous communities at 30% higher than market rate. Resident naturalists hold talks at schools or conduct resort tours for schoolchildren to learn about nature conservation and eco-friendly practices.
CAMBODIA
Bird watchers and naturalists travel to the remote village of Tmatboey for a good reason - to spot the Giant Ibis and White-shouldered Ibis, two of the most endangered bird species in the world. US-based Wildlife Conservation Society established this community-based ecotourism project to protect the birds and their habitat. In return, tourism income benefits the locals.
Guests stay at the community-run chalets and relish delicious home-style cooking prepared by the villagers. Local guides, some ex-poachers, increase the chances for visitors to spot the Ibises. In the 2007/8 season, the community raised more than US$12,000 through tourist donations and payments which is used to fund local projects like building wells (the main source of water supply) and provide employment. The bird population has increased and there is a growing sense of ownership amongst the villagers. They are proud that foreign tourists are visiting and are keen on the visitors being able to see 'their' birds.
33 families received an average of US$20/month through part-time employment, an increase from their average family earnings of US$350/year.
MALAYSIA
This 137-room resort's selling point is its natural beauty - the long stretch of sandy beach, shady Casuarina trees and lovely tropical garden. An ISO 14001-certified (an international environmental management system) resort, Tanjung Rhu conserves more than 70% of its natural habitat. Its resident naturalists introduce Langkawi's incredible ecosystems to guests through nature walks and mangrove tours. The resort encourages non-motorised water sports for guests to conserve the coastline and maintain seawater quality.
Its herbal garden supplies herbs for the kitchen and plants that serve as natural insect repellent. Locals who traditionally depended on the fishing industry are hired as service staff. Instead of direct instructions from management, staff orientation includes environmental education to inculcate responsible tourism practises amongst the employees. The resort regularly organises beach clean-up projects with local community.
Through Kuching-based tour operator Borneo Adventure (BA), visitors to Nanga Sumpa experience the Iban lifestyle and culture through activities like living in a longhouse, fishing with locals and whipping up a traditional meal in the forest.
There is no 'forced' cultural dance performance. Visitors are treated like guests and are encouraged to mingle with the residents as they go about their daily lives. Community tourism gives the locals an alternative income and reinforces the need to preserve their traditional culture and conserve the forest nearby. Villagers earn extra income through selling handicrafts, cooking, guiding service and providing boat transfers to the longhouse.
BA set up an education fund to enable local kids to pursue higher education and offers interest-free loans to villagers for business ventures.
Hot, clammy weather with no electricity, flushing toilets and shower, in exchange for elephants trundling nearby through lush jungles? MARIE-CLAIRE CHABOT and SUDESH DHARMARATNA didn't mind a single bit as they went back to basics at Tree Tops Jungle Lodge in Sri Lanka.
Written on 11 August 2005 by Marie Claire Chabot & Sudesh Dharmaratna
Escaping from the hustle and bustle of city life, SHIRENE CHEN retreats to the Sarinbuana Eco-Lodge, winners of Wild Asia's 2007 Responsible Tourism Award, where she unwinds in the tranquility of nature, enjoys the fruits of a food forest, and comes home with vanilla pods.
Written on 04 February 2008 by Shirene Chen
CGH Earth's 'Spice Village' in Thekkady, Kerala, Southern India won Wild Asia's 2007 Responsible Tourism Award. Why are they worthy winners? REBECCA THOMASON explains.
Written on 16 February 2009 by Rebecca Thomason
With a 20-year success record, a community tourism project in Sarawak shows that responsible tourism is the key to sustainability LEONG SIOK HUI went to visit.
Written on 08 September 2008 by Leong Siok Hui
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Original URL: http://www.wildasia.org/main.cfm/library/Green_Travel
Published: 16 November 2009
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