Now in their ninth year, the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards, has just announced its 2015 finalists.
The Wild Asia Awards was the first of its kind to identify Asia-based sustainability superstars in the travel industry, and remains the only regional award program for responsible travel. The awards are based on the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s criteria, and provide a unique opportunity for tourism businesses and projects to benchmark their work against international standards. Participants also benefit from gaining third party verification from the panel of esteemed expert judges.
This September, winners will be officially announced and celebrated at the 2015 PATA Travel Mart in Bangalore. “Sustainability is one of the main advocacy themes of the Association and an important issue to address when we talk about the responsible development of travel and tourism,” said Mario Hardy, PATA CEO. “We are therefore delighted to host the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards at this year’s Travel Mart and share in the celebration of tourism organizations that truly exemplify what it means to be sustainable. Wild Asia is a valued PATA Sustainability partner and a special partner of the Responsible Travel Pavilion at PTM, a space where like-minded organizations can gather, share knowledge and build business.”
Best in Community Engagement and Development
This award recognizes exceptional commitment to supporting the local community and economy in which your business operates.
- Lanjia Lodge, Thailand
- Xintuo Ecotourism, China
- CRDTours, Cambodia
Best in Protection of Natural Areas & Wildlife Conservation
This award recognizes tourism businesses’ consideration of their local environment and biodiversity by actively supporting and protecting their natural assets.
- Club Med Cherating, Malaysia
- Gaya Island, Malaysia
Best in Resource Efficiency
This award recognizes excellence in waste, water and energy management and sustainable architectural design to minimize environmental impact.
- Jetwing Yala, Sri Lanka
Most Inspiring Responsible Tourism Operator
This award recognizes an innovative tourism operator that excels by taking into consideration key principles of responsible tourism (maximum positive impacts to the local community and minimum negative impacts to the environment).
- El Nido Resorts, Indonesia
- Khiri Travel Group, Thailand
- Nikoi Island, Indonesia
Most Inspiring Responsible Tourism Initiative
This award recognizes grass-roots initiatives championing local responsible tourism.
- Capilano University Sapa CBTs, Vietnam
- EXO Foundation, Cambodia
- Kinyei, Cambodia
Over the next couple of months, all finalists will undergo further rigorous investigation to determine the 2015 Winners. During this time, thorough open-source articles will become available on the Wild Asia website for each of these businesses or projects. The purpose of sharing their successes, challenges and lessons learned is to inspire and influence the industry to adopt measures to become more socially and environmentally responsible.
For those wishing to join the PATA Travel Mart and celebrate alongside the winners, the deadline for applying to showcase your business at the Responsible Travel Pavilion is June 30th, 2015. Full details can be found here.