World Responsible Tourism Awards 2. Best for Responsible Wildlife Experiences: Nam Nern Night Safari (Laos)


Category sponsor: Namibia Tourism Winner’s background Located in north-eastern Laos (in the Nam Et-Phou Louey national protected area), Nam Nern’s goal is to conserve the area’s ecosystem and increase the populations of tiger, gaur, Sambar deer, gibbons and otters. The area has the last known breeding population of tigers in Indochina and one of the largest known populations of white-cheeked crested gibbon in the world.


What they do Nam Nern Safaris mixes cultural experiences inviting visitors to enjoy a Lao picnic dinner and Khmu ethnic folk tales told by village guides before setting off on


a river night safari to spot wildlife and staying overnight in bungalows all built with local materials. Nam Nern involves tourists in conserving wildlife by asking them to keep a record of the animals they see. Each animal is allocated a value, according to its endangered status: the more animals tourists see, the more money villagers get, which contributes to eradicating poaching. Average sightings per boat have doubled from two to four in four years of operation, and 90% of the tour revenue goes back to the communities. The project gives work to 38 individuals from 38 families. A contract was signed with each village regarding the distribution of ecotourism benefits, and was signed by every family in 14 villages (more than 1,000 signatures).


Judges’ comments “Jointly managed with 14 local communities and developed with various agencies, this tour has a unique approach to promoting wildlife conservation in this area of Laos where many species are endangered. It’s


3. Best for Water Conservation: Chepu Adventures Ecolodge (Chile)


Category sponsor: I Love New York Winner’s background Located in Chepu, Chiloe Island (Insular Patagonia, south Chile) Chepu Adventures EcoLodge offers kayaking at dawn through forests. Amory Uslar and Fernando Claude were former city people who in their early 50s left the big city for a sustainable life. The project started in 2000. It has been growing by word of mouth and during the last season received 1,000 visitors.


What they do This eco lodge relies solely on rainwater even in dry season. An electronic system showing in real time how much water is used enables tourists to manage their own water consumption. This interactive approach has helped drastically reduce


water consumption levels. Another initiative is the paper-less digital check-in, which uses fingerprint signatures. Guests then use a tablet throughout their stay, which shows and reports their water availability and usage to the lodge. The eco lodge uses roofs as rain-collectors, saving water in a well and large water tanks. Solar water heaters provide hot water. Their custom-designed and constructed automatic water collection system can store 20,000 litres of rainwater. They have designed automatic showers controlled with a push button in the wall, which has reduced water consumption to 21 litres of water per shower. In addition, the eco lodge uses solar energy for electricity, buys fresh produce from local organic farms and green houses, and promotes local handicrafts. By showing the value of


4. Best for the Local Economy: Village Ways (India and Ethiopia)


Category sponsor: Johannesburg Tourism Winner’s background Village Ways aims to combat the issue of rural depopulation in India, Ethiopia and Nepal, where many traditional farms were being abandoned as younger people moved to the cities for work. Their projects have helped reverse this trend, strengthening small communities and sustaining vital services such as schools.


What they do Village Ways works in partnership with rural communities to establish, develop and manage a very special kind of tourism, which is based on a sound business model ensuring that villages are fully prepared to host tourists and benefit themselves.


Guesthouses are built: these can be new- builds in traditional style, or renovations of existing buildings but also a houseboat, as in south India. Guides, cooks and porters are trained; excursions are planned and walking routes created. Communities are encouraged to become involved, with village committees set up to oversee the management of guesthouses and ensure income is distributed broadly. The revenues created by tourism are significant. The core principle for Village Ways is sustaining the values of village life by assisting such rural life to grow in an economically viable way: guest numbers are small with parties of two or four; reservations are rotated so that no one community receives too many guests and meals are cooked with local produce.


Judges’ comments “Village Ways has long been committed to responsible tourism and in 2009 won an award for Best Tour Operator for Cultural Engagement. Judges always expect past winners to provide evidence of progress since they last won. Village Ways has grown and now operates in two more regions in India and in Ethiopia, and soon will start in Nepal. The company has stayed true to its principles, providing training to villagers, working with craftsmen or musicians. Village Ways is about long-term thinking and impacts targeted at villages in poor areas.”


Highly commended n Basecamp Explorer, Maasai Mara, Kenya


07.11.2013 47


preservation of the forests through tourism, the kayaking tours are helping to reduce the rate of tree cutting in the area.


Judges’ comments “The judges were very impressed with this eco-lodge in an insular area of Patagonia, which relies solely on rain water. An electronic system showing in real time how much water is used enables tourists to manage their own water consumption and understand how they impact on the environment. Yet this has not compromised comfort as customer satisfaction has increased.”


Highly commended n Chumbe Island Coral park, off the coast of Zanzibar/Tanzania


simple and inclusive: villagers benefit by ensuring that poaching does not take place, and they contribute directly to the visitor experience. It works because 90% of the tour’s revenue goes back to local communities. This contributes significantly to raising living standards. With sightings doubling in four years thanks to the villagers’ commitment to conservation and tourists consistently rating their experience very highly, the judges hope this project will be replicated in other similar areas.”


Highly commended n ReefCI, Belize n The Great Projects, Africa, Asia, South America & Europe


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61