Spotlight on Sustainable Tourism (SOST)

Issue 9 ● October 2013 ISSN 2227-4065

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism

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Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards Winners and Finalists

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Feature: ESTC 2013: Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference

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Feature: African Impact, South Africa Volunteer Tourism

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Point of View: Travel with a Purpose – Small gestures make a big impact

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Contents

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Kumud Sengupta Managing Editor email: m.ed@sostinternational.com

28 SOST TEAM M. Ivanova B. Thomas J. Vaz

Contents

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I. Syed

SOST October 2013 ABOUT SOST

03 Editorial

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04 Feedback:

Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards Winners & Finalists

SOST gets feedback from around the world

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Travel with a Purpose – Small gestures make a big impact

News & Events:

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism: In the Spotlight:

Point of View:

Tourism (SOST) is an e-journal published by Market Vision for internal circulation and to our clients and subscribers.

It is available to our website

SOST shares news and updates on its activities

06 Feature:

Spotlight on Sustainable

34 Market Intelligence: Middle East Ecotourism Survey

Ecotourism & Sustainable Tourism Conference - ESTC13, Nairobi

36 Green Showcase:

09 Feature:

Mangrove Lodge, Zanzibar

African Impact, South Africa Volunteer Tourism

39 Market Vision: - Travel & Tourism Research & Consulting - Sustainable Travel Development – Advisory Services

visitors on: www.sostinternational.com

Market Vision Research & Consulting Services FZ-LLC P.O. Box 32394, Dubai, UAE Tel: +9714-3911241 Fax: +9714-3911245 www.market-vision.com

Editorial

The last two months have been very busy and exciting for us at SOST.

SOST’s mission is to motivate stakeholders in the travel & tourism industry to adopt sustainable business practices with the message that sustainable tourism is ‘Good for the Planet and Good for Business’.

Early September, we travelled to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the ITE HCMC 2013 tourism exhibition. I was invited as a Keynote Speaker to talk about trends and prospects in the India Outbound Tourism sector. Later in the month, we were in Nairobi, Kenya to participate in the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2013 (ESTC13) organized by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), where I also presented the key findings of the first Middle East Ecotourism Survey. Just as we were preparing to go, the terrorist attack on Westgate Mall in Nairobi began. It was extremely heartening to note that the event proceeded as scheduled, with hardly any cancellations. A great show of support by the tourism fraternity for Kenya and the Kenyans.

ESTC13 was a well attended event with over 300 delegates from 40+ countries.

Discussions and presentations centered on four key themes - Conservation & Communities; Plans, Policies, and Partnerships for Destinations; Tools, Solutions, and Strategies for Businesses; and Tourism and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Our main feature provides key highlights of the event.

At ESTC13, we met with representatives of African Impact, the largest on-the-ground volunteering operator in Africa. Our feature on their work is presented in the current issue.

We have been involved in the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards as the Main Media Partner, interviewing the Finalists and Award winners. In the current issue, our Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism feature showcases six winners and six finalists. The winners were announced at ITB Asia in Singapore on October 25, 2013.

Our contributing writer for the column Point of View is Kristen Hoyle, Member of the Board of Directors at a charitable organization Pack for a Purpose, based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Kristen believes travellers' purposeful in-kind contributions can go a long way in supporting local communities in destinations where they travel. And in Green Showcase, we cover the Mangrove Lodge in Zanzibar, that embodies the values and core principles of sustainability.

Last but not the least, Market Vision„s Middle East Outbound Ecotourism Survey is completed and some of the key highlights are presented in Market Intelligence. Ecotourism businesses wanting to tap the Middle East market can count on the expert advice of and marketing support from Market Vision consultants.

We hope you enjoy this issue. As always, we look forward to your comments and feedback.

Let us know what else you would like to read about.

Happy Reading!

Kumud Sengupta Managing Editor Certified Assessor & Consultant for Sustainable Tourism Founder-Director, Market Vision

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Feedback

Feedback

Thank you so very much for covering us in SOST. The article is beautiful and we are thankful and honored to be included among so many wonderful initiatives. I will share this widely and promote it to all my circles.

Michael 'Mikaku' Doliveck, Owner Floating Leaf Eco-Retreat Bali, Indonesia Wonderful issue. Will use publicly (my article), with ref to SOST of course. And thanks so much for sharing my views with your audience.

Professor Geoffrey Lipman, Director Greenearth.travel and Gatetrip Belgium Very happy to read about SOST. We promote ecotourism in India and will be pleased to assist you with promoting it.

Sunil VP Vrindavan Holiday, India Thank you for your publication. I have subscribed to SOST. Mahboob Kawsar, Managing Director K N's Limited Bangladesh

We are pioneering eco-tourism in China by advocating responsible travel practices. Would be happy to share with you some of the stories.

Ling J, General Manager CnAdventure-China Adventure Tours Thanks for the great presentation of my work! I am very happy with it .

All the best to SOST. Klaus Pichler Vienna, Austria I find SOST one of the best around in the area of sustainability and thus would like to subscribe to it.

Anthony Wong Managing Director, Frangipani Resort and Spa Langkawi Island Adjunct Professor Tourism, Hospitality and Events University Utara (Northern) Malaysia/Taylors‟ University The latest issue of SOST was the best. The young student Kehkashan’s story was impressive and very inspirational.

Shobha Bhatia Dubai, UAE Thanks for SOST. The topics are timely and very interesting.

Antonio Carlos via LinkedIn

SOST is read by a diverse audience consisting of professionals in the tourism industry, tourism business owners, destination marketers and academia. It has particularly found favour with those interested in sustainable and responsible tourism. SOST is promoted to (a) a growing database of subscribers and customers numbering over 10,000 travel and tourism industry professionals, and (b) online business networks with memberships exceeding 90,000. It is also read by visitors to its recently launched website: www.sostinternational.com, and Facebook page: www.facebook.com/sostjournal. Twitter account @SOST_intl has also been recently launched – do follow us.

Launched in March 2012, four issues of SOST were published in the year. From 2013, SOST has become a bimonthly publication (six issues per year).

For sponsorship and advertising details, please contact: advertise@sostinternational.com.

News & Events

SOST announces the launch of its online Business Directory which will accept registrations from eco-tourism businesses and tourism experts.

Please visit the Resources Section on the SOST website to list your business in the specific category.

Also do subscribe to SOST on the website, if you havenâ€&#x;t already.

SOST was in Nairobi as a media partner with The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) for the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2013 (ESTC13) held from September 24-27, 2013.

We also presented the highlights of the first Middle East Ecotourism Survey at ESTC13.

Conference (ESTC) is a unique annual conference focused on the advancement of sustainability goals for the tourism industry. The ESTC13 was co-hosted by TIES, Kenya Tourism Board and the African Wildlife Foundation, and in cooperation with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and IUCN Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group.

The Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism

The conference program, including

As media partner for the 2013 Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards, SOST attended ITB Asia in Singapore, October 23-25, 2013, where the Awards were announced .

The current issue of SOST is a special issue featuring the Award winners and finalists in the section Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism.

training seminars, networking functions, exhibition and poster session was held at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, which stands on 50 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens incorporating a wide variety of indigenous trees and offering sanctuary to a startling array of birds and butterflies.

The next edition - ESTC14 - will be held in Bonito, Brazil in April 2014.

SOST Managing Editor led a workshop on the topic Impact Of Sustainability Initiatives On Customer Choice, as part of the Responsible Tourism Clinic at ITB Asia. Details will follow in the next issue of SOST. SOST DVDs were distributed to exhibitors and delegates at ITB Asia.

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Feature

ESTC13:

Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference, 2013 Organized annually by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC) brings together tourism industry professionals from around the world with the goal of sharing ideas, opportunities and solutions for a more sustainable future of global tourism. The 2013 conference was held in Nairobi, Kenya, in partnerships with the Kenya Tourism Board, and the African Wildlife Foundation. It was attended by 300+ delegates from over 40 countries. SOST was represented at ESTC13 by two delegates.

Visit www.sostinternational.com for the complete article. Read it online or download your copy of SOST.

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Feature

Dr. David Western, Hitesh Mehta & Megan Epler Wood

Megan Epler Wood receives Lifetime Achievement Award from TIES Megan Epler Wood, Founder of the International Ecotourism Society (TIES), received The International Ecotourism Society‟s (TIES) Lifetime Achievement award in Nairobi at ESTC13.

“TIES Lifetime Achievement Award was created to celebrate the commitment and thought leadership of true pioneers within eco and sustainable tourism. Megan led TIES from 1990-2002, when its programs helped to define ecotourism as it is known today,” said Kelly Bricker, chair of TIES.

Severe lack of land use planning, unmanaged waste, poor sanitation, and overuse of water is causing conflicts with local needs and escalating impacts worldwide. Epler Wood called for new international and national protocols to monitor the industry‟s growing planetary impacts.

While filming in Kenya, Epler Wood approached Dr. David Western with the idea of founding the Society. Western, who worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Nairobi and who is a renowned expert on wildlife conservation in Africa, agreed to chair the organization. The two worked together to form the first board of directors and raise the essential funds.

Visit www.sostinternational.com for the complete article. Read it online or download your copy of SOST.

Epler Wood spoke to over 300 delegates from around the world at ESTC. She highlighted the valuable contributions that ecotourism has made to conservation of wild lands around the world, presenting examples from Latin America, Asia and Africa. However, she expressed concerns that the growth of tourism now overshadows these efforts and that new, more robust tools are needed to oversee and manage the impacts of tourism growth.

With over one billion international tourists in 2012 and projections for 3-4% annual growth, the tourism economy is expanding at nearly double the rate of the global gross domestic product. Epler Wood underscored that tourism growth lacks proper oversight worldwide.

Before the event, she visited a positive example of ecotourism, led by the Maasai in Kenya‟s Southern Rift Valley. The South Rift Association of Land Owners manages over two million acres of land via a land trust that allows them to manage their ranches sustainably and use tourism as a means to support their traditional way of life.

About Megan Epler Wood and TIES A pioneer in her field for over three decades, Megan Epler Wood founded The International Ecotourism Society in 1990, serving as its executive director from 1990-2002. As a young staff person at World Wildlife Fund-U.S. in the 1980s in Washington, D.C., she formulated the idea for the Society and worked with members of the conservation community there to flesh out her ideas. In 1989-1990 she produced a television special for WTBS and the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), The Environmental Tourist, which was broadcast in 1991.

She has dedicated her professional career to the creation of professional tools, guidelines, policies and educational resources for sustainable tourism development working in over 30 countries. She has led an international consulting practice EplerWood International since 2003. Currently she teaches Environmental Management of International Tourism Development at Harvard Extension School in a global digital classroom and will co-teach the new course International Development of Sustainable Economies in January 2014.

Epler Wood is also developing tools for sustainable destination development at the Cornell University‟s Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management as a Senior Professional Fellow.

Feature

African Impact, South Africa Volunteer Tourism

Visit www.sostinternational.com for the Volunteer Tourism – commonly referred to as voluntourism, isn’t always a term regarded positively, but undertaken correctly it can effect long-term, sustainable change in impoverished communities complete article.

Read it online or around the world. Volunteer tourism is a growing area of travel which sees more and more people from all walks of life opting for a volunteer vacation which they can ‘give back’ to the download your copy ofthrough SOST.

communities and the country they are visiting. Volunteer work can range from wildlife research and conservation, to teaching and childcare, healthcare or building.

In this feature, Alanna Wallace and Natalie Spires who work in Marketing at African Impact, the largest on-the-ground volunteering operator in Africa, share with us examples of the real and positive impact voluntourism is having on the social, cultural and physical environment in host communities in Africa.

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Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism

Visit www.sostinternational.com for the complete article. Read it online or download your copy of SOST.

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Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism

RT Awards

MOST INSPIRING RESPONSIBLE TOURISM ACCOMMODATION PROVIDER

SONEVA RESORTS, THAILAND & MALDIVES Soneva Resorts is the original barefoot luxury brand, and still one of the travel industry’s greatest innovators.

Arnfinn Oines, Manager for Social & Environmental Conscience shares with SOST the key features of Soneva, and what it means to be a WARTA Winner.

biggest islands in the Maldives, Kunfunadhoo, which had an abandoned resort. Rather than building several hundred rooms room they initially built 45 villas and focused on high-end and quality tourism. Till date, there are only 65 villas, which are all hidden behind vegetation and hardly visible from the outside.

Thatched roofs and use of natural materials makes it blend in well with nature. The resort has one of the largest forests in the Maldives thanks to this low density building policy.

For people who live in a cramped and polluted concrete jungles true luxury is to eat a freshly picked salad grown from our organic garden, to see the stars in a perfect night sky through our observatory, or to dine alone on a desert island. Such experiences are rare in the modern world and when combined with the extraordinary space, privacy and comfort of our villas and the intuitive service provided by our hosts, it adds up to one thing Intelligent Luxury.

Visit www.sostinternational.com for the complete article. Read it online or download your copy of SOST.

What was the motivation behind setting up Soneva Resorts?

Soneva Resorts was originally started by a chance. Our founders Sonu and Eva Shivdasani wanted to build a house in the Maldives in the early 90's. As this was not allowed, the only option they had to realize their dream was to set up a resort. They bought a hotel management company in Thailand and then built Soneva Fushi in the Maldives, where their house is still there.

When they developed Soneva Fushi in the early 90's Maldives was a destination for three star mass-tourism package tours. Most of the food was served in tin-cans and not very good. Sonu and Eva wanted to change this as they thought the stunning destination deserved better. They took over one of the

To get away from tinned food, strong focus was on using local products and to set up our own herb & vegetable garden. It has taken some time to turn the sandy and salty soil into a nutritious and ph-neutral garden that produces all the resorts herbs and about 30% of its salads.

What is your philosophy?

Sustainable

Tourism

Sonevaâ€&#x;s core purpose is to create innovative, enlightening SLOW LIFE. Our guiding philosophy is SLOW LIFE (Sustainable-LocalOrganic-Wellness Learning-Inspiring-FunExperiences) and we have redefined the meaning of what is truly luxurious to our guests.

For Soneva, combining luxury sustainability goes hand in hand.

and

What are the key features of your property and what are the Responsible Tourism practices you follow?

Both properties are on large plots of land and we have built low density low rise buildings that blend in well with nature. Two-thirds of the land has been left undeveloped to ensure that guests experience nature at its best.

We focus on ensuring our operations have minimum negative impact. We have minimized energy consumption by focusing on large open spaces with plenty of cross ventilation. At Soneva Fushi we have installed a 70kW solar PV field and are in the process to expand that considerably. We also focus on

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Point of View

Travel with a Purpose Small gestures make a big impact Our contributing writer for the column Point of View is Kristen Hoyle, Audit Partner at a Certified Public Accountancy firm, and Member of the Board of Directors at a charitable organization Pack for a Purpose, based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Kristen believes travellers' purposeful in-kind contributions can go a long way in supporting local communities in destinations where they travel. She introduces us to Rebecca Rothney, the founder of Pack for a Purpose, and shares an inspiring story with the message to the travel trade and travellers to support such initiatives and do good.

When my good friend Rebecca Rothney and her husband Scott travelled to Africa for the first time, they saw the poverty and wanted to do something about it, something to help. You know, with international travel you always save a little bit of space so you can bring back some souvenirs, some goodies. Well, they found out that the airline had an allowance of 100 pounds (45 kgs) of checked luggage plus a 40-pound (18.14 kg) carry-on per person – far too much space than what they needed.

Thus, when planning their second trip, they contacted their safari company to find out if a particular school near their accommodation in Botswana had any specific needs. Armed with that information, they were able to deliver 140 pounds (64 kgs) of school supplies, including soccer balls, to the school. It was enormously rewarding to be able to help the people in the community that had given them such a lifechanging experience and became the genesis for starting Pack for a Purpose (PfaP).

PfaP assists travellers with up to date information about needed supplies for community-based projects supported by lodgings around the globe. Travellers use their luggage to bring school, medical and other supplies to the communities they visit.

Itâ€&#x;s a really simple idea. It is based on the belief that people fortunate enough to travel to other countries often wish they could make meaningful contributions to the places they visit. PfaP's goal is to assist travellers who want to say thank you or who simply want to expand their generosity beyond their own communities.

Visit www.sostinternational.com for the complete article. Read it online or download your copy of SOST. PfaP is totally volunteer, totally web based.

And totally free for lodgings and the travellers.

Lodges and other accommodation providers can register online and list the supplies needed by the charities they support.

Travellers planning to visit a particular destination can go online on the PfaP website and check the specific items such as school supplies, medicines, clothes, shoes etc that are required by the local charities. They can then hand them over to the lodge who will get it to the charity, or they can personally visit the end beneficiary.

In only three and a half years, PfaP has expanded to support hundreds of community

Rebecca Rothney, Founder, PfaP

based projects in 49 countries via more than 300 lodges. PfaP travellers have taken over 20,000 lbs (9,091 kgs) of needed supplies around the world!

I myself brought three bags full of needed supplies for the Basecamp Foundation on my current trip to Kenya. It feels so good to be able to support the local people, albeit in such a small way. The trip takes on a whole new purpose, and the holiday a whole new dimension and is an unforgettable experience.

Travellers who 'Pack for a Purpose' are encouraged to share their stories on the PfaP website. Judging by the response, their experiences have been joyful and meaningful.

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Market Intelligence

Middle East Ecotourism Survey In July 2013, Dubai-based tourism research specialist Market Vision launched the first ever consumer study of its kind focussed on Middle East outbound ecotourism trends. Key findings were presented to delegates at ESTC13 in Nairobi in September 2013. Here are some of the highlights. For more information, write to ecosurvey@market-vision.com.

Visit www.sostinternational.com for the complete article. Read it online or download your copy of SOST.

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Green Showcase

Mangrove Lodge, Zanzibar

The Mangrove Lodge was built in Chuini, the village where Haji Ramadhan Ali, the owner and managing director, was born 40 years ago. It is situated 15 km north of Zanzibar Town on the Mawimbini beach.

The Mangrove Lodge features in our Green Showcase, as it embodies the values and core principles of sustainability.

SOST spoke with Marina Avanzi at ESTC 2013, to understand the lodge's sustainability philosophy, practices and initiatives. This is what she said:

Visit www.sostinternational.com for the complete article. Read it online or download your copy of SOST.

First of all we have a great respect for the nature; we live in something like a jungle. We didn‟t cut a lot of trees during the construction phase. We used only local people, local material and resources. We have a lot of plantation and we try to grow vegetables in our own garden. We have our own well, so we don‟t use the water of the local people. Now we have local staff, and we are trying to help the community.

Haji and Marina Marina Avanzi, co-owner, says that the Mangrove Lodge‟s goal is to enable guests to travel responsibly, enjoying and learning about the natural, historical and cultural characteristics of Zanzibar, whilst preserving

the integrity of traditions and the environment of Zanzibar, and increasingly stimulating the economic development and well-being of the local community.

We have developed strong relationships with the local community. For example, we work together with doctors, the chief of the village, the important people of the village with great

Market Vision

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