Feature:

One-Third

- A Project on Food Waste

Feature:

Banteay Chhmar, CambodiaCommunity-Based Tourism

Point of View:

Green Growth & Travelism –

A “Johnny Appleseed Journey”

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism

•Sarinbuana Eco Lodge, Mount Batukaru, Bali

•Heritance Tea Factory, Sri Lanka

07 12 32

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Issue 8 ● August 2013ISSN 2227-4065

ContentsSOST August 2013

Editorial

Feedback:

SOST gets feedback from around the world

News & Events:

SOST shares news and updates on its activities

Feature:

One Third – A Project on Food Waste

Feature:

Banteay Chhmar, Cambodia; Community-Based Tourism

Youth Speak:

Travelling Responsibly – The Impact on Sustainability

Interview:

Dr. Sunil Kainthola, Founder-Director, Mountain Shepherds Initiative

Best Practices in SustainableTourism: In the Spotlight:

- Sarinbuana Eco Lodge, Bali- Heritance Tea Factory, Sri Lanka

Point of View:Green Growth & Travelism – A “Johnny Appleseed Journey”

Market Intelligence:

Middle East Ecotourism Survey

Green Showcase:

Floating Leaf Eco Retreat, Bali

Market Vision:

- Travel & Tourism Research & Consulting- Sustainable Travel Development –Advisory Services

Contents

Kumud Sengupta

Managing Editor

email:

m.ed@sostinternational.com

SOST TEAM

M. Ivanova

B. Thomas

J. Vaz

I. Syed

ABOUT SOST

Spotlight on Sustainable

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

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

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SOST is delighted to that its new website www.sostinternational.com has gained a lot of

traction. Our Facebook page is also garnering some fans slowly but surely. Our subscriber

base is growing and we added more than 200 new subscribers in the last few weeks.

Please do subscribe to SOST, if you haven‟t already.

SOST is pleased to announce that as a media partner with The International Ecotourism

Society (TIES) for the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2013 (ESTC13) to

be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from September 24-27, 2013, we will be covering the event live. I

will also be presenting the first results of the Middle East Ecotourism Survey at ESTC13.

In the current issue, we announce the Finalists for the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism

Awards. SOST is the media partner for these awards and will be present in Singapore when

the winners are announced at ITB Asia in October 2013.

The current issue of SOST is a very special one, not least because of two key features that

we bring to you. One, that focuses on Global Food Waste through the photographic lens of

Klaus Pichler, celebrated photographer based in Vienna, Austria. The second, an article on

sustainability by 13 year old Kehkashan Basu an „eco warrior‟ who is a Grade 8 student in

Dubai.

In our Interview series, we feature an interview with Dr. Sunil Kainthola, Founder-Director of

Mountain Shephards Initiative, a community owned and operated adventure tourism

company in Uttarakhand, India. Another feature is on the 800 year old Banteay Chhmar

Temple in Cambodia, where Community-Based Tourism is dedicated to preserving and

protecting the cultural heritage of the area.

In our Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism feature, we showcase Sarinbuana Eco Lodge

in Bali , and Heritage Tea Factory, the highest located hotel in Sri Lanka. In Green

Showcase, we take you to the Floating Leaf Eco Retreat in Bali - a new, innovative Eco

Yoga Retreat set to open in January 2014.

Our contributing writer for the column Point of View is Professor Geoffrey Lipman, director

of greenearth.travel and Gatetrip, and President of International Coalition of Tourism

Partners. He emphasizes the need to „shift our thinking beyond the goldfish bowl of the

(tourism) industry itself‟, and simultaneously look at growth and green on the same page.

Last but not the least, Market Vision„s Middle East Outbound Ecotourism Survey is

completed and in the final stage of production. Read about its objectives and content in

Market Intelligence, and get in touch to find out how to get the report.

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

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’.

Editorial 03

Feedback

Congratulations and we are very pleased to see you sharing and

participating on the web with sustainable tourism . I will be happy to

spread the word and to participate whenever possible.

Glenn Jampol, President

National Association of Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism

Camara Nacional de Ecoturismo (CANAECO)

Costa Rica

Thanks for promoting the pledges for sustainability of Travel Foundation

and Green Expo Riviera Maya!

Giilda Sigi on Facebook

Thanks a lot SOST for giving me the opportunity to publish the story of

two great Mexican CBET projects in the column Point of View

"Community First: A Bottom-Up Approach to Sustainability“

Manuel Miroglio Consultant, International Speaker & Professor

Mexico

Thank you for the report done and for feeling part of this project. This

helps our destination to be known worldwide as one of the best

sustainable projects in Oaxaca. Once again thank you for your support.

Maria Garcia S on Facebook

Very interesting, I have just subscribed and look forward to next issues.

Manuelle Prunier , Sustainable and Aboriginal Tourism Consultant

Calgary, Canada

Thank you for alerting us to your latest issue of SOST with the Alila

article. I have downloaded the issue and look forward to reading it

soon. Thank you for your spotlight on Alila's sustainable practices. It

will encourage us all to continue to work hard to lead in sustainable

tourism.

Mark A. Edleson, President

Alila Hotels & Resorts , Singapore

Thank you so much for your support and this great publicity. All the best

to SOST.

Carin Cowell, Founder

Khanfous Retreat, Morocco

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

SOST is a great publication. I look forward to it always and find the

articles to be of very high quality.

Ali Mustafa

Cairo, Egypt

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

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.

Feedback04

The new website launched to coincide

with the June issue has gained excellent

momentum and good feedback. Over 200

new subscribers have come on board

since its launch!

SOST‟s Facebook page has also

garnered some fans. Thank you to all

those who‟ve liked SOST on the page.

Keep the dialogue going.

Please do subscribe to SOST on the

website, if you haven‟t already.

SOST is pleased to announce that as a

media partner with The International

Ecotourism Society (TIES) for the

Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism

Conference 2013 (ESTC13) to be held in

Nairobi, Kenya, from September 24-27,

2013, we will be covering the event live.

We will also be presenting the first results

of the Middle East Ecotourism Survey at

ESTC13.

The Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism

Conference (ESTC) is a unique annual

conference focused on the advancement

of sustainability goals for the tourism

industry. Promoting policies and practices

benefiting businesses and communities,

the ESTC helps to reinforce the role of

tourism in building a more sustainable

future. The ESTC13 is 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 conference program, including

training seminars, networking functions,

exhibition and poster session – will take

place 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.

More info:

www. ecotourismconference.org

As media partner for the 2013 Wild Asia

Responsible Tourism Awards, SOST is

offering an exclusive advertising discount

for responsible tourism businesses.

35% discount (off regular price) for

Wild Asia fans – quote „WILD ASIA‟

Exposure to over 10,000 readers

across Asia with an interest in

responsible tourism, and another

90,000 worldwide

Advertise in the October 2013 issues to

avail the discount

Feature in the 2013 Wild Asia

Responsible Tourism Awards Special

ITB Asia edition, October 2013

Contact advertise@sostinternational.com

for more information

News & Events 05

Finalists in six categories for the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism

Awards 2013 have been announced. Winners will be announced at the

signature ceremony hosted at Asia‟s biggest business-to-business

travel trade show, ITB Asia, in Singapore this October.

Best in Community Engagement and Development

Bali CoBTA, Indonesia

Bali Community Based Tourism Association

(Bali CoBTA) is a non-profit and non-governmental

organization that promotes sustainable tourism.

Lisu Lodge, Thailand

Lisu Lodge is part of a community-based

project that aims to conserve the natural heritage

of the Lisu hill tribes of northern Thailand.

Best in Cultural PreservationThis award recognizes engagement and efforts by tourism businesses

in preserving, enhancing and promoting local cultures and heritage.

Apani Dhani, India

Apani Dhani is based in the heart of Rajasthan.

They offer eco-friendly accommodation, excursions

and activities with locals such as cooking lessons,

initiation to traditional arts and crafts.

Sampran Riverside, Thailand

Sampran Riverside is a family-run property

close to Bangkok, where visitors can experience

authentic Thai way of life and learn about local

wisdom.

Best in Protection of Natural Areas and/or Wildlife

Conservation

Ranweli Holiday Village, Sri Lanka

Ranweli Holiday Village is an eco-friendly

resort located on a 22-acre peninsula where

mangrove forests and winding rivers converge to

meet the sea.

Scuba Junkie, Malaysia

Scuba Junkie provides daily dive trips to more

than 25 islands in the Celebes Sea in Sabah,

Malaysian Borneo.

Best in Resource Efficiency

Frangipani Langkawi Resport and Spa,

Malaysia

Frangipani Langkawi is an eco-friendly in Pantai

Tengah, southwest of Langkawi. It is the first

resort in Langkawi to implement Green practices

to preserve the environment.

Heritance Kandalama, Sri Lanka

This hotel overlooks the eighth wonder of the

world – the rock fortress of Sigiriya. It sits at

the heart of the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka,

close to five UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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. The

acronym SLOW LIFE (Sustainable-Local-

Organic-Wellness Learning-Inspiring-Fun

-Experiences) explains the Soneva philosophy.

Sukau Rainforest Lodge, Malaysia

Sukau Rainforest Lodge nestles on the

banks of the Kinabatangan River, home to

many of Borneo‟s magnificent wildlife. It

offers the rare comfort and luxury in the

midst of the Borneo Rainforest whilst

retaining an Eco-Lodge ethos.

Most Inspiring Responsible Tour Operator

Papua Expeditions, Indonesia

Papua Expeditions offers professionally guided birding,

general wildlife, hiking and trekking expeditions in New

Guinea‟s Wild West. Permanently based in West

Papua, their ecotourism programme focuses

exclusively on the little-known western half of New

Guinea under Indonesian administration.

ViaVia Tours, Indonesia

ViaVia tours are varied and they all offer

something unique. Adventure, gastronomy

and culture. ViaVia in Jogja offers art space to

young local artists and is also often the venue

of concerts, performance art, film festivals etc.

Part of its profits go to support educational,

social and cultural projects in and around Jogjakarta.

Congratulations to all the Finalists, and Good Luck from SOST!

Wild Asia‟s Responsible Tourism Awards (RTA) is one of the first

tourism awards in Asia specifically focused on sustainable tourism

best practices. Established in 2006, this annual award aims to

recognize accommodation operators who are making a positive

difference in the destination where they operate by adopting

sustainable management practices. This year, a new category of

award for the Most Inspiring Responsible Tour Operator has been

launched.

More info: http://tourism.wildasia.org/responsible-tourism-awards

News & Events06

One Third - A Project on Food WasteBy Klaus Pichler

Klaus Pichler is an award winning

photographer working for

international clients and creating

free projects. He lives and works

in Vienna, Austria.

According to a UN study, one third of the world's food goes to waste - the largest part

thereof in the industrialized nations of the global north. Equally, 925 million people around

the world are threatened by starvation.

The series of photographs titled 'One Third' describes the connection between individual

wastage of food and globalized food production. Rotting food, arranged into elaborate still

lifes, portrays an abstract picture of the wastage of food whilst the accompanying texts take

a more in depth look at the roots of this issue.

'One Third' goes past the sell by date in order to document the full dimensions of the global

food waste.

This project is dedicated to the workers of the global food industry.

Feature 07

Asparagus Blackberries

Cheese Chocolate Cookies

Feature

Think of a random item of food. An orange, for

example. This orange, cultivated on a

plantation in South Africa, harvested and

transferred to Europe by plane and truck over

a distance of 15.000 km, sold in a

supermarket and finally, although still in good

condition, discarded by the consumer.

Fiction? Fact! Waste of food around the globe

has increased to worrying dimensions:

According to a study, commissioned by the

UN and carried out in March 2011, one third of

all food products go to waste worldwide.

The series of photographs „One Third„ focuses

on this particular percentage. It highlights the

issue of food waste through photographs and

reports, which are combined to offer an insight

into this phenomenon, ranging from its

geopolitical background and cultural history to

individual consumer behaviour.

Global food waste and starvation- a

contradiction?In March 2011 the Food and Agriculture

Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

published a study about food waste. It

revealed that, on average, a third of all

products of the food industry go to waste

worldwide, ranging between 25 and 75%,

depending on the product. Altogether, 1.3

billion tons of edible goods are discarded

each year, while the global south is hit by

recurrent periods of severe starvation. This

problem has increased dramatically since the

hike in food prices on the global market after

the 2007 „Food Price Crisis‟. This state of

affairs is not as paradoxical as one may

assume; however, it is part of the neoliberal

global economic system, which the globalized

food industry is a part of.

Unsurprisingly, the worldwide percentage of

food waste per person varies greatly: In

Europe and North America, each consumer

wastes between 95 and 115 kilograms of

food, whilst only between 6 and 11 kilograms

of edible goods are discarded per person in

Sub Saharan Africa and South/ South East

Asia. Considering the underlying reasons for

food waste, however, comparisons between

the global north and south seem to make a lot

less sense: Taking a look at the „Food Supply

Chain‟, ranging from production, logistics and

retail to the end consumer, it becomes

apparent that losses occur at different stages

of the process, depending on the standards of

living in individual countries.

In countries with low income, losses of food

predominantly occur during the early stages of

the Food Supply Chain, usually as a result of

problems during the process of harvesting,

storing and the refrigeration and distribution of

goods. Altogether, these issues could be

categorized as infrastructural problems. In the

wealthy industrial nations of Europe and North

America, however, food mainly goes to waste

during later stages of the Food Supply Chain:

buying and selling practices of supermarkets

and consumer behaviour are to blame for the

enormous amounts of food products going to

waste.

Since the 1980s the world market has been

dominated by neoliberal structures, which

further increased the colonially flavoured

economical gaps between the global north

and south. So called „Structural Adjustment

Programmes‟, run by the International

Monetary Fund and the World Bank, have led

to a liberalization and deregulation movement

across the agricultural sector, along with the

enforcement of free trade systems, which

increased hunger and poverty in the global

south. Under pressure of unfair „Economic

Partnership Agreements‟, agricultural

production in large parts of the global south

was switched to the production of „exportable

goods‟, which led to a drastic increase in

subsidies for agricultural production in

monocultures whilst small scale businesses

for the supply of local markets suffered

severely.

Therefore, the policies of the World Bank and

the International Monetary Fund laid the

08

Lemons

foundations for an increased level of

dependency on imported food products,

combined with aggressive export policies.

This resulted in the fact that, as stated by the

FAO, two thirds of developing countries which

were net exporters of food products in the

1980s are now net importers, forced to buy

food products from the global economic

market. The concentration of the market in the

global south which was induced by the

„Structural Adjustment Programmes‟

destroyed local economies as well as vital

natural resources which made it difficult to

guarantee a good supply of staple foods for

the local population. This, in turn, led to further

periods of starvation. Multinational enterprises

and supermarket chains, which are able to

offer an all year round supply of exotic food to

the consumers of the wealthy north, emerged

as the winners.

‘Food Miles’- International

transportation of food

Along with the globalization of trade

throughout recent decades, the transport of

food products has increased drastically. It is

not unusual in industrial nations to find

supermarket shelves stocked with goods from

all around the globe. Consumers take it for

granted to have a constant supply of fresh fruit

and vegetables available throughout the

winter months. However, they don‟t seem to

be concerned about the fact that

transportation of these goods often covers

vast distances and huge amounts of CO2 and

waste gases are produced.

The global economic north south divide is to

blame for the fact that it is cheaper for

producers to move the cultivation and

production of goods to distant parts of the

world. In other words, the abundance and

constant availability of food would hardly be

possible without the unfair division of power

between the global north and south. Critics

label this state of affairs as neo-colonialism,

referring to the still ongoing dependency

structures between former colonies and

colonial nations. A flow of migration, which

has resulted in the existence of „colonial

enclaves‟ in agricultural areas of the global

north, is another indicator of neo-colonial

tendencies.

The area surrounding the southern Spanish

town of El Ejido is a perfect example of this

phenomenon. Greenhouses covering an area

of 36.00 hectares (the equivalent of 50.000

football pitches) have turned the landscape

into a sea of plastic. Working against

significant logistical difficulties, the town is one

of the main suppliers of the European food

market, particularly in winter. Aid

organizations for migrants as well as the

international media regularly report about

inhumane working conditions in greenhouses,

which predominantly northern African migrant

workers are affected by. Similar conditions

prevail in other parts of the world where food

is produced on an industrial scale- Chile,

Thailand, Southern Italy, Egypt or China, for

example.

Global food trade and consumer

behaviour in industrial nationsAs well as being embedded in global

economic structures, wasteful consumer

behaviour is also closely linked to the food

industry and its methods of operation. This

branch of economics, which is supported

financially with significant resources drained

from the profits of producers, is one of the

leading factors which create the frameworks

for food consumption. The frameworks for

food consumption do not only include

geopolitical economic dependency structures,

but also the European culture industrial usage

of the product „food‟, as advertising and

pricing determine consumer behaviour.

The collaboration between culture industry

and trade contributes significantly to the

current culture of food waste in industrial

nations. This is indicated, for example, by the

Feature 09

Corn Cobs Ice Cream

Pineapple Rice

tendency for supermarkets to put pressure on

food producers to supply them with „perfect‟

products. This pressure is to blame for the

common practice of goods being discarded

and destroyed immediately after harvest

because of minor imperfections. Furthermore,

it is not unusual for supermarket chains to

purposely acquire a surplus of food, so

shelves can remain fully stocked with

perishable items (pastries, meat, fruit and

vegetables) right until closing time.

Supermarket chains also dispose of a large

amount of goods before they even reach their

sell by date, even though they are in perfectly

satisfactory condition. The food retail industry

and supermarket chains in particular, are

therefore partly to blame for the alarming

amount of edible goods which are destroyed

day by day.

Food Culture and Food Waste in

Industrial Nations„Eating‟ does not just describe the intake of

food; it also incorporates an important social

element. Despite increasing individualization,

the activity of eating remains to connect

people across all social classes, as people

everywhere enjoy eating together and turn

this into a creative process. The culinary

culture of western industrial nations has

created a culture industry focused on food,

which provides accessories, creates new

designs, produces cookery shows on

television and sets new trends.

On the other hand, little value is attributed to

food products themselves: They are readily

available goods which are bought and used

whereby any surplus is simply disposed of.

The lack of interest in where, by whom and

under which working conditions the

consummated goods were produced, as well

as the behaviour of individual consumers can

be defined as disturbing developments. This

particularly refers to the careless attitudes of

consumers who pride themselves in being

wealthy enough to live a life of gluttony, which

comes with the privilege of being able to

waste food.

According to a recent study, 40% of food

wasted by consumers is still in its original

packaging when ending up in the waste bin,

not ever having been part of a meal. We all

know the types of behaviour which lie at the

heart of this issue: discount bulk buys in

unmanageable quantities, the waste of

leftovers which are discarded without

consideration whether they could be used for

a meal after all, or the waste of products

which have only just exceeded their sell by

date, but are still in satisfactory condition.

However, people do seem to be conscious

about food waste to some extent: Recent

studies revealed that approximately 69% of all

German households feel guilty when throwing

away food and consumers do not feel good

about their own behaviour.

Numerous action groups and NGOs attempt

to deal with the problems of the global food

market and food waste, ranging from an

individual to a geopolitical level. They put

pressure on higher ranking authorities as well

as dealing with this problem on an individual

level and offering a platform for involvement

and participation.

‘One Third’ – highlighting global food

wasteThe pictures of the series show food which is

no longer edible, at various stages of decay.

The products used for this study were once

tasty items of food, for sale in supermarkets

after being transported there from various

parts of the world. The immediate idea behind

this series was to picture food products at

different stages of decay in order to highlight

the issue of food waste.

Food products come with their own individual

history and are produced in different ways in

different parts of the world. They only have

one thing in common: They are thrown away.

This waste is strongly linked to the culture

Feature10

industry and therefore also to people‟s ways

of life, especially in industrial nations.

In the photographs, this is made obvious

through the combination of food with

accessories of the culture industry focused

around food (e.g. dishes, cutlery). Therefore,

the pictured food items are portrayed as part

of a European culinary culture and history.

This culture is closely intertwined with the

history of exploitation of European colonies

and, as a result, the import of cheap food

products from other continents. Because of

these historical aspects, an artistic

examination of the issue of food waste in

industrial nations of the 21st century has no

alternative but to give consideration to

geopolitical inequalities which have developed

throughout history.

The products used for this project originated in

various parts of the world, ranging from locally

sourced products to those who have been

transported over tens of thousands of

kilometres. The majority of the pictured

products are unprocessed food items as it is

possible to trace their origins and to examine

production methods. This is usually difficult

with processed food, however, even though

this would be particularly informative as the

transport distances covered by the various

ingredients would add up to an unbelievable

number of kilometres. The destination of

Vienna was chosen at random (it is also the

location where this series was produced, by

the way) but any city in northern industrialized

nations could have been chosen without

resulting in major changes in the overview of

transportation routes.

The selection of food products ranges from

staple foods, dairy products, meat, cereals, to

fruit and vegetables, sweets and exotic

delicacies. As a result, it covers the whole

spectrum of items which are found on our

plates. The ingredients used for this project

were all bought - predominantly in

supermarkets - in order to be left to rot and to

finally be disposed of after the photographs

had been taken. Of course, this should be

considered to be provocative: Consumers do

not waste food on purpose, it „happens‟ as an

unwanted side effect. In this project, however,

food products are wasted consciously and

purposely.

More details on: www.kpic.at

Food products come with

their own individual

history and are produced

in different ways in

different parts of the

world. They only have

one thing in common:

They are thrown away.

This waste is strongly

linked to the culture

industry and therefore

also to people’s ways of

life, especially in

industrial nations.

The hospitality industry – hotels, pubs, restaurants, fast food outlets –

contributes hugely to global food waste on a daily basis, disposing

billions of tonnes of left-over food in customer plates. The industry

must focus on this issue, and implement policies to reduce waste and

use resources efficiently.

– Managing Editor

Feature 11

Banteay Chhmar, CambodiaCommunity-Based Tourism

Banteay Chhmar Temple is one of Cambodia’s national treasures. Dating from the Angkorian period,

it is a precious and irreplaceable link to the cultural heritage of the Khmer people. For 800 years, the

temple has remained mostly undiscovered, untouched and unprotected, leading to its gradual

degradation.

Banteay Chhmar Community-Based Tourism (CBT) is a group of local villagers dedicated to

preserving and protecting the cultural heritage of the area as well as creating a sustainable tourism

industry in Banteay Chhmar. They are supported by the Cambodian government, local authorities

and partners such as Global Heritage Fund and Heritage Watch who are dedicating their time and

effort to the temple’s conservation and to the improvement in the livelihoods of the local

community.

Feature12

Banteay Chhmar (The Citadel of the Cats) is

one of the great architectural masterpieces of

Southeast Asia and the Khmer Kingdom‟s

epic Angkorian Period. It is currently among

Cambodia‟s top-listed sites for nomination to

UNESCO‟s World Heritage List.

Since the 19th Century, teams of explorers,

archaeologists and architects have made

these temples their lives‟ work, dedicating

themselves to their study and conservation.

However, in very few cases have these great

works led to improvements in the lives and

livelihoods of the Cambodian people.

Tourism in CambodiaTourism is Cambodia's second largest

industry, accounting for nearly 20% of the

country's gross domestic product. As a result,

the government also anticipates the need for

more skilled employees in the hospitality

industry. Apart from the major tourist centres

of Siem Reap, Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh,

the country has seen an increase in rural,

Community-Based Tourism (“CBT”) projects.

CBTs worldwide are viewed as a means of

supplementary income, one that may aid in

poverty alleviation and in certain cases, a CBT

may become the primary source of income for

a segment of the local population.

Banteay Chhmar Community-Based

Tourism

The Banteay Chhmar commune, located 170

km from Siem Reap, contains 14 villages with

four villages surrounding the 12th century

Banteay Chhmar Temple. Presently, villagers

rely on rice and cassava farming and cross-

border trade as their primary livelihoods. The

Global Heritage Fund (GHF), a non-profit

organization whose mission is to protect,

preserve and sustain the most significant and

endangered cultural heritage sites in the

developing world is at the forefront of the

Banteay Chhmar Conservation Training

Project in Cambodia. The vision of GHF is to

preserve and protect the last great Angkorian

Temple in Cambodia that remains unstudied,

unconserved and unprotected, and in doing

so, hand back the conservation of local

heritage to the Cambodian people.

The CBT was launched in early 2009 as part

of the Preservation by Design® program,

when GHF began its conservation project on

the Banteay Chhmar Temple and has since

been the most important financial and

operational supporter of the CBT body. At

present, more than 70 people are directly

involved in the CBT as tour guides, cooks,

homestay owners and providers of services

and activities.

As the largest stakeholder involved in the

tourism project in Banteay Chhmar, the CBT

project has the ability to positively influence

the local economy and affect the livelihoods of

the community including issues like

environmental and heritage protection.

The CBT tour guides hold a key position to the

success and survival of the project. In addition

to giving temple tours, the tour guides are also

responsible for meeting the visitors upon

arrival, bringing guests to the homestays,

ensuring that the cooks, activities members

and homestay owners are all informed of a

guest's needs. In this capacity, the tour guides

work as "committee members" when hosting a

group. They also liaise with tour operators,

transportation services and sometimes need

to communicate by phone with visitors.

As the CBT has grown, visitors have begun to

express an interest in helping the community;

tour operators and volunteer groups have also

made significant labour and financial

donations to the CBT and community. Some

examples include the CBT library, garbage

pickup days and painting the primary school.

The potential financial and social benefits of

community development projects cannot be

underestimated. They have the long-term

potential to make enormous positive changes

for the community and support the CBT's

operations.

Capacity Building to Sustain GrowthIn order to improve the human and skills

capacity of the CBT members, education

classes are provided on issues such as water

safety, hygiene and waterborne diseases and

training was granted to support the ceramic

water filter project - largely sponsored by GHF

and assisted by Operation Groundswell (OG),

a youth-oriented tour company of

„backpacktivists‟.

The homestays that are part of Banteay

Chhmar‟s CBT board have been receiving

upgrades over the past few years such as

modern toilet facilities, proper showerheads

and battery-powered fans. These amenities

add value, quality and comfort to the home-

Feature 13

In addition to the support of GHF, the CBT

has received considerable support

towards infrastructure improvements such

as solar panels, kitchen supplies and

homestay upgrades from partners.

Further support has gone toward

community development projects such as

solid waste management, installation of

ceramic water filters and a local library.

stay experience for visitors and allow local

businesses to offer needed comforts to

conduct business.

Partner Support for the CBTIn addition to the support of GHF, the CBT has

received considerable support towards

infrastructure improvements such as solar

panels, kitchen supplies and homestay

upgrades from partners. Further support has

gone toward community development projects

such as solid waste management, installation

of ceramic water filters and a local library.

From 2010-2011, Heritage Watch

implemented and managed a grant through

the Archaeological Institute of America which

included one year of English language

instruction for the CBT members and tour

guides; four workshops on heritage protection

and three months of training in Angkorian and

Cambodian history for tour guides. These

tours are due to receive official licenses from

the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) and a training

manual for Banteay Chhmar Temple.

Visitor Involvement in the CommunityVisitors can contribute to the community by

purchasing filters for families through the CBT

while local CBT members are entrusted as

project facilitators. The CBT is currently

evaluating several other types of community

projects that have potential to be implemented

including fruit tree planting, which would be

relatively very easy to implement. The Ministry

of Forestry is also working on a separate plan

for visitors to plant trees in and around the

temple complex.

Future Plans of the CBTOver the next six years, the CBT will target a

multi-faceted approach to improve its

business sustainability. This includes

strengthening current activities as well as

adding new activities, services and different

types of tours to offer a distinctive Cambodian

travel experience for visitors. Major

infrastructure improvements such as a paved

road from Sisophon making it easier and more

comfortable to reach the site are also planned.

Community-Based Tourism is a powerful aid

in poverty alleviation and can become the

primary source of income for the local

community. Tourism businesses need to

support such initiatives and projects, in

conjunction with government authorities,

international NGOs and with members of the

local communities who are taking an active

part to improve their own welfare and future

livelihoods.

Content and Images: Global Heritage Fund

http://www.globalheritagefund.org/

http://www.visitbanteaychhmar.org/

Feature14

Travelling Responsibly – The Impact on SustainabilityBy Kehkashan Basu

Kehkashan Basu is a 13 year old environmental and

social activist living in Dubai, UAE whose sole objective is

to involve and mobilise children and youth in the

movement for a sustainable and green future. Born on 5th

June which is also World Environment Day, she feels that

it was pre-ordained that she should grow up to be an eco-

warrior.

Kehkashan is UNEP’s ( United Nations Environment

Programme) Global Coordinator for Children & Youth and

a member of its Major Groups Facilitating Committee.

When I came upon a news report about Kehkashan and her long list of accomplishments, I

contacted her and invited her to write for SOST. I had her article within 48 hours, as promised!

Kehkashan is an inspiration not just to youth around the world, but to all those she impacts through

her energetic and tireless efforts in spreading the message about sustainability. With motivated

youth like her, the future of our children is in safe hands. SOST is delighted to bring you this

amazing young lady and her perspective on travelling responsibly.

- Managing Editor, SOST

The world is now a much smaller place thanks

to the technological advances made in the last

century. Almost all parts of the globe are

connected and human migration is at an all

time high. Social media has also brought

about an increased awareness about the

increased economic opportunities in various

parts of the world thus resulting in people

moving out of their native homeland to

greener pastures.

The travel industry has been a direct

beneficiary of the economic progress of the

past decades. Every year there is an increase

in the number of tourists which in turn results

in greater and more intense transport

networks , be it on land, air or sea. While all

this is wonderful for the economy and also for

society since this human intermingling leads

to a more cohesive and open minded society,

the impact on the environment is nothing short

of disastrous.

Mount Everest , the hallowed peak in the

Himalayas , is now a mountain of trash. On an

average , there are 35 expeditions annually to

the summit. The climbers bring with them

tonnes of equipment and leave behind

humongous amounts of litter which cause

immeasurable damage to the mountain

ecosystem.

Another iconic peak , Mt Fujiyama in Japan,

has to bear the brunt of 200,000 hikers and

tourists daily on its slopes. The trash they

leave in their wake seeps into the ecosystem

poisoning and degrading the hill side. While

the economic benefits of this tourism splurge

is immediate and real time, the ecological

damage isn‟t so obvious to the eye hence it

gets ignored.

The travel industry provides livelihood to

millions across the globe. But the wheels of

this industry are one of the main causes of

increasing the carbon footprint of our planet.

Corporates and industry leaders have a big

role to play in this regard to strike a balance

between economic gains and offsetting this

footprint. The concept of “carbon offsetting”

needs to become a norm which all travel

bodies and corporates need to comply with.

The concept of carbon offsets basically allows

companies or even individuals to compensate

or “offset” their greenhouse gas emissions

through sponsorship of activities or projects

that avoid release of or contribute to the

absorption of carbon dioxide. In other words,

one balances out one‟s economic gains with

social and environmental responsibility, which

is basically at the core of sustainable

development.

This concept of carbon offsetting can only be

implemented with proper awareness and

legislation. Left to itself, it will languish as

another good concept which will only get

talked about in conferences while our

environment continues to get degraded.

Civil society has a defining role to play in

balancing out the three pillars of sustainability

– we are the drivers of change and must take

responsibility for the wellbeing of our planet‟s

future. The pleasure of travel cannot be had at

the expense of our environment.

Youth Speak 15

Kehkashan Basu is UNEP‟s Global

Coordinator for Children & Youth and a

member of its Major Groups Facilitating

Committee. At 13 years, she is the first minor,

ever, to be elected into this position in the forty

year history of UNEP. She is the Global

President of the Children‟s Board for Plant-for-

the-Planet, the Youth Advisor of World Future

Council and the Chairperson of the UAE

chapter of the International Youth Council.

She is a youth ambassador for several

international organizations and in this capacity

has represented the voice of the youth at

more than 30 international conferences

through her workshops and presentations.

She was the youngest participating youth

delegate at both Rio+20 in Brazil and COP18

in Qatar.

Recently, in August, she gave a presentation

at the 12th United Nations Youth Assembly in

New York where she addressed over 800

youth leaders from around the world about her

vision of the post2015 agenda and

sustainable development goals. Earlier in the

year, she spoke at the City Hall in Bonn,

Germany on invitation from its Mayor. She has

also visited Seychelles on invitation from the

Ministry of Tourism and Environment to

spread the message of sustainability amongst

school children.

Kehkashan is the founder of a youth

organization, Green Hope UAE, which seeks

to provide a networking platform to children

and youth in the region to carry forward the

Rio legacy through several environmental

workshops and ground level projects on

biodiversity conservation, waste segregation

and reversing land degradation.

She is the recipient of several international

awards, notable amongst which are those

from UNCCD and Korea Green Foundation in

2012, The Living Rainforest U.K. and most

recently the 2013 International Young Eco-

Hero award from Action for Nature, USA.

Kehkashan is involved with several charitable

and social upliftment causes and works with

Dubai Cares, Mother Teresa‟s Missionaries of

Charity and the King Hussein Foundation from

whom she received a certificate of

commendation for her donations to the war

refugees. She is a Peace Ambassador of

“Emerging Future Youth Network – USA” and

a Hub Leader for “Children of the Earth”.

My Experiences Interacting with

Local Communities

During Rio+20 in June 2012, I was chosen

by the UN Major Groups for Children and

Youth to represent them on a visit to a favela

(the slums of Rio are called favelas). These

favelas are infamous and are home to some

of the poorer sections of civil society. The

objective of my visit was to interact with the

youth and children of these favelas and

enlighten them about sustainability and the

green movement . I spoke to them through a

translator and their enthusiasm and

hospitality were truly heart warming. I

realised then that it is possible to integrate

every section of civil society with just that

little extra effort.

In July this year, I visited Seychelles on

invitation from their Ministry of Tourism and

Environment to interact with the students of

their Eco schools and share with them my

experiences as a 13 year old youth

ambassador. It was truly inspirational to

meet the students and share my journey with

them. They had so many queries about my

projects and their interest and passion to

learn was amazing. I also gave a speech to

a selected audience at the Seychelles

Botanical Gardens which is a World

Heritage site.

- Kehkashan

Youth Speak16

Mountain Shepherds Initiative

Community-owned & operated adventure tourism enterprise

Launched in 2002, and officially incorporated as a private community-owned enterprise in 2008, the

Mountain Shepherds Initiative (MSI) represents a grassroots effort to evolve a new model of tourism

in the High Himalayas. Operating in the vicinity of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) in the

North Indian state of Uttarakhand, MSI’s vision is to create a model of sustainable tourism in which

the community is not just a mere beneficiary, but emerges as the prime stakeholder in the region’s

tourism map. MSI is an adventure tourism enterprise offering innovative treks and ventures

including high altitude yoga for its clients.

In this feature, Dr. Sunil

Kainthola, a psychologist

and Founder-Director of MSI

and one of the winners of

Leap Local International

Tour Guides & Services

Competition, takes us

through the background,

history, achievements and

challenges of this wonderful

grassroots organization that

promotes ecological and

environmental justice while

providing the highest quality

of tourism experiences to

tourists.

How did the Mountain Shepherds Initiative

come about? How did it gain momentum?

The Mountain Shepherds Initiative (MSI)

germinated in Lata, a high-altitude Himalayan

village situated in Niti Valley, near India‟s

border with Tibet. The people of the region,

which forms the Western boundary of the

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, belong to the

Bhotiya tribe, an Indo-Tibetan ethnic group.

Two events had a significant impact on the

economy of the region. The first was the India-

China war in 1962 resulting in the closure of

the age old cross border trade relationship

with Tibet. The other was declaration of the

Nanda Devi region as a National Park in 1982.

The announcement aimed at protecting the

place from further ecological damage due to

mountaineering and trekking expeditions to

the immensely popular Himalayan peak

Nanda Devi and allowing the ecosystem to

heal unfortunately had a deep negative impact

on the local economy.

Restrictions were imposed on the local

communities, from grazing their herds,

practicing religious rights inside the core zone,

harvesting medicinal plants to collecting

“fallen wood".

What was extremely upsetting was the fact

that these restrictions were imposed

unilaterally, without consultation with the

communities or any consideration regarding

local livelihoods.

In May 2001, after the formation of the new

Interview

Dr. Sunil Kainthola (right) with guests

17

state of Uttarakhand, the state government

considered reopening the park to limited

tourism activity. This gave birth to the Nanda

Devi Campaign in Lata Village.

The Bhotiya community members of Niti

Valley held a workshop elaborating their

community-based ecotourism proposals to

achieve a new relationship between tourists

and the local communities based on equity

and mutual learning.

In 2002, Dhan Singh Rana, a community

leader from Lata village in Chamoli district,

and I joined hands with people from the

nearby villages in the region to launch the

Mountain Shepherds initiative.

In 2003, the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve

(NDBR) was partially opened, with the

government allowing 500 visitors to enter a

small segment of the park's core zone every

year (although the peak itself would remain

off limits), a policy decision which paved the

path for the region‟s economic rejuvenation.

MSI is about efforts at grass root levels to

evolve a new model of community-owned

tourism and sustainability of livelihoods in the

Garhwal Himalayas. It is attempting the

monumental task of establishing a future

without human exploitation and environmental

degradation. As a development role model, its

success will have an important bearing on the

fate of the Himalayas and its people.

In the initial years during 2003-2005, MSI

pioneered several innovative and creative

programmes to raise awareness of the Nanda

Devi region. Student groups from American

and Canadian universities visited Lata village

as part of their studies in Mountain Geography

and Sustainable Development.

These programmes raised the global profile of

the region and demonstrated the contribution

of tourism in helping diversify the community's

economic strategies. In 2004, these efforts

were recognized when the area was selected

as a runner-up for Best Ecotourism

Destination by Conde Nast Traveller.

How have you tried to address the issue of

capacity building at the local level?

As MSI emerged out of the Nanda Devi

Campaign, we realized the need to move from

a campaign mode to a professional business

venture. To make it a successful business

model on the grounds of equal opportunity, it

was critical to adopt the principals of

choosing people on the basis of need,

interest and ability.

MSI's emphasis is on developing leadership

skills of Himalayan youth, who in turn would

eventually become the major stakeholders; a

new community- owned and operated tourism

company.

What started as a co-operative initiative was

later on converted into a Private For-Profit

Organization and the boys, majority of whom

are Bhotiyas, currently own 12 per cent of the

company.

Narendra Singh from Lata village is one of the

„boys‟ who has been with MSI since the start

of the company and today has moved up the

rank as one of the directors in MSI. A

graduate in geography, he is a guide, trains

volunteers and is also one of the shareholders

in the company.

In October 2004, members of the USA based

Winterline Foundation who had visited Lata

Village were keen on supporting the MSI as

they saw this as an opportunity for the local

community to claim their stake and control

over tourism development.

Interview18

The Winterline Foundation helped fund and

train the first batch of 40 youths in the basic

course in mountaineering at the Nehru

Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi (NIM)

for capacity building of the local youth.

The NIM training provided a fresh start to

many of the youth who could not finish

school or return to their traditional livelihood.

By equipping their traditional knowledge with

modern techniques, they could access more

specialized and therefore higher paying work.

Most important was the increased probability

of Himalayan youth finding gainful

employment near their homes rather than

migrating to urban centres.

Currently MSI has over 70 youth (boys and

girls) who have undergone training. Most have

completed 3-4 courses and are now qualified

instructors, certified search and rescue

volunteers for accidents in high altitude areas.

In addition to the trekking and mountaineering

courses, these youth have also been given

training in yoga, cooking, English language

and computers. They have also been trained

to use the Global Positioning System (GPS).

The accumulation of specialized manpower in

these remote regions is an extremely valuable

asset - replacing the need to hire such

expertise from cities. We insist that our guides

do a thorough documentation of all treks - fill

up trek logs, location coordinates using GPS,

water sources, bridges, zones of rock fall - all

this helps in building collective knowledge.

The training and this collective knowledge is

the basis on which MSI is able to say, "As we

go higher up in the Himalayas there are two

options - first option is to take a well cultured,

well spoken, English speaking guide from

Delhi.

The second option is to use our guide who

doesn't know English (though he will manage

to say yes/no and hold minimum

communication), but if there is a problem, our

boy being technically qualified and well versed

with the terrain can carry you aII the way

back. So it is up to you to decide who you

wish to take.”

Can tourism initiatives really address

sustainable development priorities? How has

the MSI helped in improving the local

economy?

Presently tourism is the fastest growing

industry and it will remain so for the next few

decades. As the remote and under developed

areas are gradually transforming into exotic

destinations, the real issue is of the

involvement of rural communities as a

stakeholder or else they will be marginalized

in their own land thus negatively impacting the

sustainable development priorities.

In recent years, there has been significant

growth in the number of tourists wanting to

MSI trained guide during a trek

The accumulation of

specialized

manpower in these

remote regions is an

extremely valuable

asset - replacing the

need to hire such

expertise from cities.

Interview 19

experience village life by staying in traditional

homes. They do not expect high end

comforts, but primarily want basic facilities

like clean accommodation, toilets etc. An

extremely innovative idea for solving the

accommodation problem, with minimum

investment is to use non- performing assets.

Most communities in the region have a

summer and winter home, at a higher and

lower altitude respectively.

During summers (also the tourist season), the

winter homes which are vacant are leased out

to MSI. People engaged in providing home

stay facilities in the villages of Lata and Tolma

receive between US$3-6 per person per day

on twin sharing basis.

Through the system put in place, MSI has

ensured that the income generated through

home stay and allied activities lands directly in

the hands of women and trickles down to the

community. At the village level we have

developed a rotational method to ensure

equitable distribution of opportunities.

A system of backward linkages is in place - for

instance, if one family is providing home stay

facility, another family provides food supplies,

and from a third the tourist is encouraged to

buy souvenirs. A part of the profits earned by

MSI is reinvested back as micro credit to help

owners renovate their homes, build

bathrooms and toilets.

We also see a huge potential in developing

souvenirs, an entire component that is

overseen by the village women. In every

house there is a Khaddi (weaving loom).

During the non-agricultural season the loom

runs in every home and the women are

engaged in carpet weaving.

However, as the carpets are fairly large and

heavy for tourists to carry back home, we

have introduced smaller mats with motifs for

yoga or meditation. MSI also aims to

regularize and upscale the production of

vegetable dye-based products in the area with

the involvement of women and market it

online.

With more and more tourists visiting villages

and buying directly from the village women, in

addition to financial gains, it also boosts the

motivational levels of the entire women folk in

the community. This gives a reason to

continue the age old tradition of weaving

carpets during the lean periods of agricultural

activity.

MSI works on the principles of fair wages and

the income generated is distributed in an

equitable manner and amongst as many as

possible. For example, while a pony is able to

carry the load of four men and is much more

cost effective, MSI wherever possible,

chooses to go with porters as this would help

four people benefit instead of one. Also the

porters that MSI engages usually carry less

weight compared to porters hired by other

groups (20 kilograms) as we do not want them

to be loaded with more weight, just in case of

an emergency when trekkers may be required

to be carried down.

Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Award, 2010

Love your staff, employ locals, and give above-market wages. Guests want

to get to know the local people, make it easy for them to hear their stories.

Encourage responsibility by guests, starting on your website. Give them

green choices and explain why your practices or products are different.

Through the system

put in place, MSI

has ensured that the

income generated

through home stay

and allied activities

lands directly in the

hands of women and

trickles down to the

community.

At the village level

we have developed

a rotational method

to ensure equitable

distribution of

opportunities.

Interview20

Doesn‟t the environment come under stress in

peak periods at the ecotourism destinations

served by you? Do you take any special

measures to counter this effect?

Ecotourism around the remote Himalayan

destinations is a seasonal activity with

intermittent lean periods providing

opportunities for natural regeneration thus

making it sustainable if practiced in a

responsible manner. The peak and lean

periods of activity vary by destination and we

do try to prevent trash generation in remote

locations so that it can be effectively

managed.

MSI has put in place strict regulations for

youth groups and other tourists during the

treks. For example, the youth are strictly

prohibited from consuming alcohol and

smoking, and the tourists are asked to carry

back the wrappers of the snack food they

consume during the trek.

MSI is trying to encourage its youth to carry

back the garbage generated during the trek.

An action workshop was organised with

Equations, an advocacy NGO in November

2008 along the Kauri Pass Trail to develop

strategies for zero waste and no trace

principles. As a result MSI is now working on

new packaging systems so that most of the

plastics/polythene is left at the base itself

before commencing the trek.

Other than environmental management,

livelihood protection and conservation, what

other areas do you think MSI can influence?

Provided Mountain Shepherds develops on a

scale it can definitely help in insuring peace in

the region which is an essential prerequisite

for conservation and development.

What we are witnessing all around us is the

rampant pace of inequitable development

which was not exactly part of our traditional

economy. We are playing a very small but

significant role in ensuring equity in tourism

opportunities in our state.

MSI is attempting to create an egalitarian

culture by encouraging the guides and

porters to move away from the 'sir' system

and address the client by his/her first name.

They are encouraged to relate with the client

as an equal rather than as the boss, so that if

need be they can exercise necessary

authority (particularly if the client's demands

cross the boundaries of safety during

mountaineering or trekking).

MSI has inculcated in the youth a sense of

cleanliness and hygiene (towels, mirrors,

shaving brush etc are given to all guides and

porters).

MSI has invested in life insurance and

personal accident insurance for its youth in

the core group; 50% of the insurance

premium is borne by MSI and the remaining

50% by the youth themselves.

MSI believes that youth who belong to a

particular region will be more environmentally

responsible compared to youth who do not

belong to that region. This is because a boy or

girl who belongs to the Nanda Devi knows

that his or her livelihood depends on that area

and if that area gets dirty then there will be

no tourism there and so he/she will not have

any source of livelihood.

What are the main challenges faced by MSI

today?

For MSI there are still many challenges,

developmental lags and sustainability issues

that lie ahead.

There are significant challenges related to

retaining youth, further training in

communicative English, briefing them on

aspects of hygiene, food & water safety and

trash collection, etc.

As MSI is in a nascent stage and business is

not guaranteed, many youth trained under the

MSI banner have moved on and joined other

(more steady) employment. Many of them

switch over to seasonal opportunities which

fetch better money.

The developmental lags that need to be

addressed include bringing in more equity and

transforming the initiative from a people's

movement mindset to that of an ethical

business entity.

Another of the challenges that MSI and

Uttarkhand‟s tourism sector is likely to face in

the near future is the growing competition

from tourism businesses in Kashmir and

Nepal, once the regions become more stable

politically. In that context MSI‟s biggest

challenge lies in being able to scale-up

without needing to make any compromise

regarding its principles and vision.

Having been at the forefront of community-

Ecotourism around the remote Himalayan destinations is a seasonal activity with

intermittent lean periods providing opportunities for natural regeneration thus making it

sustainable if practiced in a responsible manner.

The peak and lean periods of activity vary by destination and we do try to prevent trash

generation in remote locations so that it can be effectively managed.

Interview 21

based ecotourism for the past decade or so,

and based on the lessons you have learnt,

what would be your advice to others who wish

to tread a similar path?

With the recognition of tourism as a tool for

poverty alleviation, now lots of donor agencies

are ready to support tourism projects. The

most critical aspect is of transforming the

funded projects into business entities. There

are ample opportunities for the native

communities to benefit from tourism but these

opportunities come with a baggage of

responsibilities.

My advice is to avoid large scale projects

originating from non-profit platforms and

device new mechanisms to support

community owned micro enterprises. Focus

on creating a small success story using a

business platform and upscale later based on

your experiences.

Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Award, 2010

This interview was done by our contributing author

Sriparna Saha, an Indian architect who is associated

with a number of sustainable tourism initiatives. She

also loves travel writing and writes for a number of

travel and tourism publications in India and overseas.

Interview22

Sarinbuana Eco Lodge

Mount Batukaru, Bali

Sarinbuana Eco Lodge is located at 700 metres on the slopes of Mount Batukaru in a lush forested area in central Bali, Indonesia. It is owned by Norm and Linda vant Hoff and their two sons, Larz and Oska. Norm is from Australia and Linda is from New Zealand. They first came to Bali in the mid-eighties.

In this interview, Linda vant Hoff talks to SOST about their motivation to set up the Sarinbuana Eco Lodge far away from their native country, and provides insights into the sustainable tourism policies and practices that they follow at the Lodge.

You and Norm started Sarinbuana Eco Lodge

way back in 2000. How did it come about?

What motivated you to set it up?

Norm had been consulting in the developed

parts of Bali for several years, but commuting

so far to work is not sustainable, so building

an eco lodge was the obvious way to

generate income for our family and for our

remote, local community.

There‟s no chance for social or environmental

sustainability without a sustainable economy,

so we needed to find a way to combine our

green lifestyle, with sufficient income; this

applies to families and whole communities.

What are the key tenets of your sustainability

policy? And how do you ensure it is

implemented? Can you give us some details

about the lodge‟s key features and the

environmental best practices that you follow?

Keep it simple, make plans of action, and get

on with it! There are three basic criteria for

assessing sustainability, against which all

business can, and should be measured:

Social, Environmental & Economic.

Energy & water conservation, solid & liquid

waste management, selecting green building

materials, employing locals & buying

locally, growing some food in the gardens &

providing some bird/ butterfly habitat,

minimization of toxic chemicals, fair & safe

working conditions, funding for social and

environmental projects/programs… these are

the „nuts and bolts‟ of sustainability, and they

are routine in our operations by now.

You will find more details about our

management practices on our website:

www.baliecolodge.com. As an example, we

make efficient use of energy by following the

following practices:

Our energy consumption through mains

power is limited to max 6,500 wt

We encourage guests to turn off their lights

when not in use

We use low flow shower hoses in guest

showers

No baths to conserve water

Energy saving & LED light bulbs only

throughout the property

Energy saving front loading washing

machine to reduce water & energy

consumption

Gas clothes dryer – used only when

sunlight is not sufficient

Natural gas for cooking

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism 23

Above all, we believe that it’s not all about

reducing your negative impacts, although this

is clearly the first priority.

We want to keep ourselves at the forefront of

eco tourism in Bali, so we‟re always looking

ahead, and we like innovating… finding new

ways to increase our positive impacts.

What measures are taken to monitor

performance and progress in meeting

sustainability targets? What operational cost

savings have been achieved?

Monitoring costs in operations is part of

business management, whereas monitoring

your impacts in the community and

environment requires extra resources.

However, if you‟re really doing the right things,

the practical results will be obvious to

anybody who‟s interested in taking a look.

We‟ve had an enormous impact on our local

economy, and we‟ve always supported

various community programs. The evidence is

in higher incomes, better homes, more

personal transport, better access to health

services and education, and so on. It is easy

to see.

Environmentally, the area around the eco

lodge is unpolluted, nature has better

protection now via eco tourism, thousands of

native trees have been planted in the forest,

and our gardens (<1 hectare) are home to the

greatest concentration of birdlife in our area.

There is a growing awareness in the

community that a beautiful bird in a tree, is

worth more than a beautiful bird in a cage, but

this is difficult to quantify.

It‟s too simplistic to ask if it is cheaper or more

expensive to run a green operation, but there

are certainly energy & water savings for most

businesses, and we don‟t waste money on

chemicals or other unsustainable products.

Do you provide Environmental Education &

Training to your staff and do you have an

Environmental and Respectful Code of

Conduct for guests?

Staff training is ongoing; 50% of our staff have

been with us since the beginning of our

operation. Consequently, they are very aware

of the importance of the environment due to

staff training and also our “eco” minded guests

over the years.

Our policy regarding how guests relate to our

staff is very simple: if they‟re impolite or don‟t

show basic respect, the staff doesn‟t have to

put up with it, and we would simply advise

them that we‟d rather they move on to other

accommodations.

You embrace a leadership role in the local

community through involvement in and

sponsorship of several Community / Village

Tree House Bungalow

Sustainability Features of Sarinbuana Eco Lodge

Housing has been designed for

low visual & environmental impact

following the natural lay of the

land

Traditional Balinese designs are

featured

Local sustainable timbers &

materials harvested from the

property or the surrounds where

possible have been used for

furniture & buildings

Sustainable building techniques

Rendered bamboo for structural

strength for walls in the kitchen &

restaurant

Sky lights & glass tiles for natural

light

Locally made terracotta natural

floor tiles

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism24

Outreach Programs such as weekly classes

for local children. Could you enlighten us

about these initiatives and programs?

The lodge has sponsored many community

programs over the years, including school

renovations & improved hygiene awareness,

English classes, Football coaching, Martial art

training, support with school & university fees,

regular contributions to the community (Adat),

monthly rubbish pickup (from seven villages),

environmental signage, creating a trekking

guide association, Balinese dance classes, a

children‟s library, sponsored football

tournaments and National Independence Day

events.

What opportunities do you give your guests to

be involved in the local community and

contribute to its development?

We invite our guests to join our weekly

sponsored children‟s projects. Guests often

visit our school bringing gifts for the children,

and many guests bring books for our library &

educational equipment & games for the

school. Other guests contribute by passing on

their knowledge or skill. Just last week, I was

able to compile a book identifying our local

birds with the help of bird-watching guests.

This book will also include the local names of

the birds so that our guides can become

familiar with the English names, while we can

learn the local names for birds. We have had

guests such as Doctors and Osteopaths who

have given free treatments to our staff.

What is your labour policy? What percentage

of your staff is local, and how else does your

business contribute to the betterment of the

local community? What measurable impact

has been made on the local environment in

which you operate?

All of our staff comes from the local

community - all live within 15 minutes of the

lodge and they were trained on site if they

were unskilled. Several skilled women who

returned from the city to raise families, now

have appropriate full-time employment as

cooks and our manager, instead of having to

go back to farming.

Our lodge contributes to the local economy in

a very real way, employing 13 fulltime staff

and over 30 others in the community directly

(others indirectly) who financially benefit from

our lodge.

We‟ve estimated that the Eco Lodge

generates around 30% of the total income

coming into our local economy every month.

What positive impact has being a responsible

Bamboo Bale made with local timbers & bamboo

Natural interiors

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism 25

tourism company had on your business?

What are the long term benefits from being

involved in sustainable business practices?

Can this be a competitive advantage?

Definitely a competitive advantage - most of

our guests comment on our friendly & happy

staff.

We look after our staff well: good working

conditions & wages, time off for ceremonies,

we close the lodge for two major ceremonial

periods, so all our staff are able to attend to

their duties. The staff know that we‟re there for

them in a personal crisis.

We also encourage our staff to use their

personal skills to make extra money within

paid work hours to teach our guests by

holding workshops on cooking, making

offerings or learning about our local plants.

Our staff don‟t just look happy they are happy.

Our staff now have better knowledge about

issues like their family‟s health, their kids‟

education, energy and water management,

the meaning of „organic‟, and how to stop

using toxic chemicals and pesticides in the

home and garden. This all gets translated into

treating our guests better and making them

loyal advocates of our business.

Sustainable communities make for

sustainable businesses and improved

economies.

What trends do you see for the tourism

industry in the future? Do you see a growing

interest in sustainable tourism or eco-friendly

travel?

I have observed that the sustainable tourism

industry has been growing exponentially over

the last 5-6 years. Our lodge was often full

and we felt it a shame that guests ended up in

less sustainable accommodations.

With the knowledge that the sustainable

tourism market was expanding, Norm & I felt

so confident that we designed and built

another eco lodge (for an Australian couple)

based on our model, just 20 minutes away

from our own eco lodge. Now both lodges are

often full and another remote village has

financially benefited.

Do you follow any international guidelines in

Best Practices in Sustainable Management?

Does Sarinbuana Eco Lodge have any

external eco/green certification?

We have won the Wild Asia Award on two

occasions in 2007 & 2010, and our lodge was

nominated for the International Virgin

Responsible Tourism Award, also on two

occasions.

Locals trained as trekking guides

Guests playing with animals at the lodge

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism26

We are familiar with International Standards

and Green Certification, and would be happy

to join if they introduced more realistic annual

fees for indigenous businesses and small

operators such as ours.

We are confident that if the Eco lodge were to

be assessed for sustainability against it‟s

global competition, it would compare very

well.

As you mentioned, Sarinbuana has twice won

the WildAsia Responsible Tourism Award for

best Eco Lodge in South East Asia, and has

also been nominated for the Virgin

Responsible Tourism Award . What do these

accolades mean to you and your staff at

Sarinbuana?

Responsible tourism awards mean a lot to us.

Awards, nominations and short-listings are an

acknowledgement of lots of hard work, and

they lend green credibility to the operation.

Awards also support and amplify the dream to

make more eco lodges in other beautiful and

undeveloped locations, remote areas that

need economic development, quiet places

where there are no other tourists, no gift

shops or restaurants, only limited electricity &

no TV‟s in the rooms.

And finally, what‟s your sustainability message

to the travel trade?

Love your staff, employ locals, and give

above-market wages. Guests want to get to

know the local people, make it easy for them

to hear their stories.

Encourage responsibility by guests, starting

on your website. Give them green choices

and explain why your practices or products

are different.

Consider what luxury means to different

people. Going „eco‟ doesn‟t mean you‟re down

grading. We‟ve designed and built a green but

modern, solar-powered, solar-passive, ecolux

seaside villa, and we‟re currently finishing a

very luxurious, but still very green, four

bedroom beach house. Many guests now

want something more natural, a comfortable

wood and bamboo bungalow, where the room

& especially the gardens, where much of the

food comes from, are free of toxic chemicals

and pesticides.

The basic message from us is - Get serious

about sustainability! Stop mucking around with

superficial attempts to look green, assess

each department for its sustainability, set

goals and start taking practical steps towards

them, and most of all…. don‟t „green wash‟!

Community sharing their skills with guests

Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Award, 2010

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism

SOST Assessment

➜ Sarinbuana Eco Lodge

demonstrates compliance with most

indicators for baseline certification

under the Global Sustainable Tourism

Criteria (GSTC).

➜Assigning an employee to oversee

its sustainability initiatives and health

and safety related policies, and

documenting energy records to

calculate its total net annual

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are

some of the steps it needs to take in

order that the company may be

assessed as a GSTC-aligned

sustainable tourism business.

SOST Assessment is based on the business’s response (self-reporting) to a series

of questions on sustainability policies and practices in line with GSTC-complaint

criteria. It is undertaken by SOST’s Managing Editor – a certified auditor for

sustainable tourism. It does not purport to be a ‘verified’ third-party assessment.

Bamboo shingle roof

Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Award

27

Heritance Tea Factory

Sri Lanka

Heritance Tea Factory is part of Heritance Hotels & Resorts, a collection of architecturally

unique resorts that blend with their natural environment. A premium hotel brand, it is owned

and managed by Aitken Spence Hotels, a management company with a 140 years heritage

of trust and reliability.

In this interview, Roshanlal Perera, General Manager, talks to SOST about Heritance Tea

Factory, which to date is recognized as a global case study for green architecture,

sustainable construction and operation.

Please provide a short background about

Heritance Tea Factory.

Heritance Tea Factory situated 6800 ft. above

sea level, in the Hethersett village is the

highest located tea factory and hotel in Sri

Lanka. A factory built during the British Raj,

which had been abandoned for several

decades, was converted and developed into

a unique 54 room four star hotel by a former

Chairman of Aitken Spence. This property

started operation in November 1996 and was

re-branded as Heritance Tea Factory on the

15th of December 2009.

Heritance Tea Factory is recognized as an

environment friendly hotel in Sri Lanka. What

is your sustainability philosophy and what are

the core tenets of your sustainability policy?

Heritance Hotels represent a unique Green

Philosophy that combines responsible tourism

with environment friendliness.

Sustainability is a core belief of the hotel and

an integrated sustainable policy is

implemented to every conceivable operational

process, proactively across all functions and

levels. The hotel adopts best practices in

environmental and social governance in

harmony with the principles of the United

Nations Global Compact and the Millennium

Development Goals and adopts Global

Reporting Initiative Sustainable Reporting.

The hotels‟ sustainability objectives revolve

around three core areas:

Enrich the lives of employees by providing

a safe working environment, conducive to

learning and maturing not just

professionally, but personally too, thus

creating responsible citizens of the future.

Manage the carbon footprint by

implementing best practices in terms of

energy, green cover, transport, resource

management and getting involved in

replanting the seeds of a healthy

environment.

Reaching out to the communities that the

hotel is directly and indirectly associated

with such that their immediate and future

prospects are considerably improved.

Projects are aimed at not only creating

livelihoods, but also bringing about a

change in outlook so as to make communities

more cooperative and tolerable towards one

another.

Heritance Tea Factory has the distinction of

being built to ISO 14001 and EarthCheck

certification scheme‟s strict environmental

standards. What is the goal, and what does

this mean from the point of view of

sustainability?

We do not consider that our endeavour

towards sustainability ends with the

achievement of ISO 14001 and EarthCheck

certifications,. We consider it as an

endorsement of our compliance with the

environmental standards.

Roshanlal Perera, General Manager

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism28

Our goal is to sustain all our best practices

with continual improvements and thereby to

make a greater contribution in this aspect.

Do you provide Environmental Education &

Training to your staff and do you have an

Environmental and Respectful Code of

Conduct for guests?

We have an annual training plan, where we

have included three training programmes on

environment and energy for the staff per year.

In addition, several other programs are

conducted in cooperation with external

consultants bi-annually.

Our environment policy is displayed in all the

public areas of the hotel for the information of

our guests.

Through room directories, tent cards, leaflets

at travel desk and in house movies we explain

how our guests can become more responsible

tourists. They are requested to respect nature

and culture and local communities in the area.

How else do you sensitize your guests to the

local environment and to behave responsibly?

Our hotel website provides insight on

appropriate behaviour towards the local

environment. Its provides responsible travel

tips such as respecting the local customs,

respecting the rights, feelings and privacy of

the local people, fair bargaining, purchasing

local craft etc.

What opportunities do you give your guests to

be involved in the local community and

contribute to its development?

There are a number of ways that guests can

get involved and give something back to the

country and also to the people. They can:

o Plant indigenous trees for reforestation

o Provide scholarship to children in the

Heathersett Village

o Sponsor a youth for skill transfer in

hospitality from the North and East areas of

the country through the Aitken Spence

School of Hospitality

o Donate to Heritance Tea Factory

Community Development Fund

We have a till box at the Reception Desk with

information on all the community projects

initiated by the hotel, so that the guests have

the option of making cash contributions if they

wish to.

What is your labour policy? What percentage

of your staff is local, and how else does your

business contribute to the betterment of the

local community?

65% of our staff is local and 55% of the

Management staff are also from the locality

which makes a significant economic

contribution towards the local community

which in turn provides opportunities for better

educational facilities for the children of the

employees, greater exposure for the staff and

a chance to enhance their lifestyles.

We actively participate in integrating the

endemic culture of the area, giving

prominence and a sense of recognition to the

communities who have contributed to the

development of the tea industry in Sri Lanka.

By employing citizens from within the

community and also by purchasing goods and

material from them, we have made a direct

impact towards integrating commerce,

conservation and community.

Your hotel embraces a leadership role in

several other sustainability initiatives including

involvement in a number of Community

Outreach Programs such as involvement with

local schools . Can you tell us about these

initiatives?

We believe that we should grow or develop

with the community within which we operate in

order to achieve sustainability. It is in this

context that we have carried out a number of

initiatives for the benefit of the village, such

as:

Painting of roofs of houses of the village to

match with the environment

Sustainability Features of Heritance Tea Factory

Recycling of waste water

Composting with Solid waste (wet

garbage from the kitchen)

Production of Bio Gas

Prevention of air pollution with Bio

Mass Gasification

Prevention of Soil erosion through

non-conventional methods such

as using of coloured bottles as

retaining walls, growing of

gotukola (Indian Pennwort) as an

under layer.

Organic tea and vegetable

gardens

Fitting of aerators to the pipes to

reduce the flow of water

Conservation of Rain water

Maximum use of day light with

transparent roofing sheets

Environmental Friendly Fly control

system

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism 29

Construction of garbage bins with

segregated sections for different types of

waste

Donation of books to the local village

school

Donations in cash and kind for several

worthy causes and projects in the village

Construction of a bus stand and a water

tank for the village

Funding English classes for children

What positive impact has being a responsible

tourism company had on your business?

Being a responsible tourism company has

paved the way for more awareness among all

our stakeholders on the importance of

sustainability.

Environmental and socio-cultural initiatives

are measured by way of discussions and

evaluations at monthly environmental

meetings. Economic gains by way of

operational savings are measured and

quantified monthly.

Some of the savings compared to the

previous year are as follows:

Saving on electricity per room (through

usage of LED bulbs per year) – 6.18 kwh.

per occupied room

Saving on diesel (due to bio mass

gasification) – 1.37 ltrs. per occupied room

Saving on water consumption (by fitting of

aerators ) - 1 cubic meter per room

From your experience in leading the Heritance

Tea Factory and knowledge of the industry

and customers, what trends do you see for

sustainable tourism in the future?

We see a trend where the tourists prefer

sustainable and eco tourism which are

considered as ethical or free from the guilt of

having to think that they have contributed

towards more pollution.

How can the conflict between the need for

environment protection and the economic

interests of tourism businesses be mitigated?

What‟s your sustainability message to the

travel trade?

According to us, there is no room for a conflict

between tourism and environment protection.

Our sustainability message is clear and

straightforward: environment protection

should not be considered as a rival for tourism

businesses or vice versa; rather tourism

should be blended with the environment for a

sustainable business.

Heritance Tea Factory is a premier luxury

hotel. How does that balance with the need for

simplicity and authenticity from the

responsible tourism perspective?

Heritance Tea Factory is a unique hotel due

to the very concept of reuse of a dilapidated

building and its transformation into the luxury

hotel complex that has been recognized

internationally. Being the highest located

factory/hotel in Sri Lanka, it is a reminder of

the past in perfect blend with innovations of

the present. From it‟s architecture, to every

conceivable space within the hotel, a story of

tea is told and a “Total Tea Experience” is

offered .

Heritance Tea Factory showcases some of Sri

Lanka‟s best attractions as one irresistible

package, from lush tea gardens, culture, and

exquisite cuisine to exceptional service. It has

to be experienced to appreciate its simplicity

and authenticity.

The Heritance Tea Factory is the recipient of

several tourism awards. What do these

accolades mean to you and your staff?

We are very proud of the fact that our

commitment to sustainability has been

recognized worldwide. It humbles us as well,

since we believe that we still have a long way

to go.

At the same time, such accolades spur us on

to achieve more.

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism30

Some of the Recent Awards & Recognitions

o International Green Hero Award at International Green Awards Presentation held at the House of Commons on 14th

November 2011

o National Cleaner Production Awards 2011 – Silver Award for Service Sector

o NCPC awards 2011 - Special award in recognition of achievement in Energy Efficiency in Service Category

o NCPC awards 2011 - Special award in recognition of achievement in Material Efficiency in Service Category

o NCPC awards 2011 - Special award in recognition of achievement in Water Efficiency in Service Category

o PATA Grand Award 2012 for Heritage & Culture

o Green Apple Award 2012 (for the Gasifier)

o Skal Award 2012 for Sustainable Development in Tourism – General Countryside

o Finalist – Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards 2012 – Cultural Preservation

o EU Switch Asia Greening Hotels Awards 2012 – Energy Conservation Champion (Large & Boutique Hotel Category)

o EU Switch Asia Greening Hotels Awards 2012 – Best Green Hotel (Large & Boutique Hotel Category)

o ISO 50001 certified since March 2013

SOST Assessment

➜ Heritance Tea Factory

demonstrates compliance with all

indicators for baseline certification

under the Global Sustainable Tourism

Criteria (GSTC).

➜Its long list of awards is testimony to

its sustainability credentials.

➜ Heritance Tea Factory‟s

Sustainability Policy and Green

Practices reflect a strong commitment

to ensuring the environmental, social

and economic sustainability of the hotel

and the Hethersett village in which it

operates.

SOST Assessment is based on the business’s response (self-reporting) to a series

of questions on sustainability policies and practices in line with GSTC-complaint

criteria. It is undertaken by SOST’s Managing Editor – a certified auditor for

sustainable tourism. It does not purport to be a ‘verified’ third-party assessment.

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism 31

Green Growth & Travelism –A “Johnny Appleseed Journey”

Our contributing writer for the column Point of View isProfessor Geoffrey Lipman, director of greenearth.traveland Gatetrip, focusing on Green Growth InvestmentRoadmaps, Innovation and Development, and President ofInternational Coalition of Tourism Partners. He emphasizesthe need to ‘shift our thinking beyond the goldfish bowl ofthe (tourism) industry itself’, and simultaneously look atgrowth and green on the same page.

IntroductionI have entitled my article Green Growth and

Travelism – “A Johnny Appleseed Journey”

after the man who wandered around America

planting seeds, in the firm belief that one day

orchards would be everywhere.

I believe today‟s challenges and opportunities

now require a broader vision and a broader

stakeholder engagement, to increase the

richness of thought, to test the logic of paths

pursued and to shift our thinking beyond the

goldfish bowl of the industry itself. It has to

simultaneously look at growth and green on

the same page.

Above all the time has come to put “green” on

an equal footing with “growth” in policy

deliberations, actions and financing. To

consider the full “travelism” ecosystem not just

the economy. With creative out of the box

thinking, new technology and innovative

financing approaches, this does not mean that

growth is sacrificed but rather measured

against impacts and lifecycle costs from the

outset.

Against this background, the key issues that

merit discussion are:

• The intersecting paradigm shifts that I call

Green Growth and Travelism

• The associated challenges and

opportunities this presents for our industry

• The immense potential this offers

destination marketers

Green Growth – a First ParadigmGovernments, industry and civil society

around the world are urgently focussing on

Green Growth as the best strategy to cope

with the economic volatility, development

needs, environmental imperatives and climate

realities of today. This coalescence can be

found in strategic policy decisions of

leadership institutions like the G20, UN,

OECD,EU etc. and at the heart of most

regional and national development strategies.

They are looking for ways to create a fairer

more equitable, happier society. And to cope

tomorrow in a hyper-connected ecosystem,

where we will have 30% more people, most

living in big cities, putting greater strain on

water and food. And where we need low

carbon, resource efficient, inclusionary

strategies to prevent “climate conflicts” and to

keep the temperature at levels where our

grandchildren don‟t freeze or fry.

The framework of response, summarized from

Tom Friedman‟s seminal “Hot Flat and

Crowded” is to shift from carbon producing

“black” energy - oil and coal - to “white

energy”– solar, wind, tidal, clean nuclear and

the like. To link energy tech and info tech to

handle the incredibly complex trillions of

interfaces per second needed to handle the

shift. To incorporate social inclusion

meaningfully, so the base of the pyramid gets

an equitable share of the costs and benefits to

avoid also climate and resource wars. And to

build the vision on a base of biodiversity that

is essential to the wellbeing of our world.

This is a multi-decade journey, with each

country, locality and individual coming from a

different starting point, with differing capacities

and reasons to change - but ultimately we all

have to get to the same end point.

Travelism – a Second ParadigmPolicymakers are also fortunately recognizing

more and more after two

decades of concerted industry effort, that

Travelism – the entire customer, company

and community value chain - can play a much

more significant role in this

transformation; creating jobs, boosting trade,

driving infrastructure, encouraging

investment, supporting development and in

the process increasing human well-being and

happiness. If it is done properly.

They see a powerful dynamic sector that is

accounting for some 8-10% of the world

economy – directly and indirectly – up to

30% in tourism centric regions and one in

every 12 jobs

growing ahead of GDP over the long term,

with a sharp shift to the BRICS as engines

of expansion

a major force for domestic consumption -

where 70% of operations are focused and

for related infrastructure, investment and

employment across economies.

6% of all trade, 30% of services trade and

Point of View 32

a strong export for the poorest countries

and small islands.

80% driven by small businesses despite

the dominance of the big brands.

Responsible for an important and growing

5% of carbon as well as a heavy user of

water and food resources.

What is as yet not clear, is how to shift from

recognition and aspiration of the sector to

action and measurable delivery. And to do this

progressively, with a scale and scope that will

ultimately link our consumption, production

and investment firmly into the broader

changes in the world where we operate.

Sustainable Development – the Long

MarchIn the 20 years from the first Rio Earth Summit

when the modern approach to “sustainable

development” was set out in “Agenda 21”, we

have made some significant progress. At the

time of Rio, the focus was on preserving the

planet‟s resources and for our sector it was

very much ecotourism and the conservation,

adventure, nature niche, often translated as

“take pictures; leave footprints.

Our industry was not seen as a major polluter

so was under limited pressure to embrace the

new sustainability mind set. The big thing was

notices in hotel bathrooms saying you could

chose not to change the towels every day to

save the planet

Ten years later at the Johannesburg World

Summit on Sustainable Development the

mood had shifted from planet to people and

poverty. Against the background of the

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) we

moved on to a broader idea of responsible

tourism with an emphasis on ensuring that

local populations don‟t suffer from tourism‟s

influx and a growing focus on creating

economic benefits and jobs.

Now after last year‟s Rio+20 we have seen

another big “sustainability” shift to green

growth. Not so much a defined set of

initiatives, guidelines or even policies but a

multi-decade journey, with periodic targets

and checkpoints, to create sustainable

consumption, production and investment

patterns for every activity on the planet. The

MDGs have been transmuted to broader

Sustainable Development Goals.

What is even more significant is the direction

charted and commitment to keep on the path

as seemingly insurmountable obstacles

emerge – political, economic, social, natural

and in some cases just happenstance. It is a

multi-decade journey not an event.

At the same time, our industry has also begun

to come of age as a mainstream socio-

economic sector, with recognition of its job

creating importance, by the last years Mexico

G20: a landmark UN Assembly Resolution

positioning ecotourism firmly in the

development agenda and dozens of Heads of

States signing up to a joint UNWTO / WTTC

initiative to mainstream the sector in economic

policy.

Eventually, somewhere on the multi-decade

transformation journey, green growth

“travelism” will meld with the evolving

mainstream societal sustainability. The

challenge is to link the green with the growth

in meaningful measurement, policies and

actions.

First that needs a new mind set at

government, industry and consumer levels.

New ApproachesAn important starting point is the observation

that the world of education and training –

particularly around the intersect of business

thinking and environmental thinking has yet to

play its full part in this process. And that is

where much of this Johnny Appleseed

initiative is aimed.

First is the publication of Green Growth and

Travelism – Letters from Leaders launched at

Rio+20. In short we got time magazine style

essays from 50 leaders from inside and

outside the sector to consider the need for a

stronger link between green growth and

travelism and the way to achieve it. Long on

substance and short on rhetoric.

Point of View 33

Leaders who manufacture aircraft, campaign

for civil society, explore futures, head

governments, ministries & international

agencies, shape transport, trade,

development and capacity building policies,

run airlines, hotels, trains, cruise ships,

convention centres & national parks, provide

internet information as well as the software

that runs it, teach , train and the like.

And not all on the same side of the issues –

diversity is an increasingly important part of

the game - but all with a shared vision - that

the most sought after human economic

activity on the planet can seriously help in the

transformation to a cleaner, greener, fairer

future.

From the Prime Minister of Bhutan linking our

sector to Gross National Happiness; Tom

Enders CEO of EADS the parent of Airbus

calling for a paradigm rethink in our approach

to education particularly for graduates if we

want to stay in the talent hunt game;

Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Tourism Minister of

South Africa on breaking out of the subsector

silos to Sir Richard Branson sharing his views

on a carbon clean air transport sector in 10

years - all made important contributions.

The compendium of visionary insights on how

our sector can embrace this inevitable shift to

a low carbon, resource efficient lifestyle has a

wealth of ideas on what we need to do to

really play a leading edge role in the societal

transformation. They involve new transport

platforms and fuels, hotel design and

construction, meetings models, community

engagement, finance approaches, education /

training visions, institutional arrangements and

the like.

Second is the „Green Growth and Travelism

Institute‟ a virtual network of universities

around the globe that will eventually be one

component of a World Environment

University. We have anchor institutions in

place in Victoria University in Australia, Oxford

Brookes University in UK, Hasselt University

in Belgium and the Emirates Academy in the

UAE with another 8 in the wings. Each will

take one discipline and focus attention on its

role in the coming transformation.

Third is ICTP the International Coalition of

Tourism Partners– a grass roots organization.

It is destination focused and its goals are to

inform, educate and encourage green growth

and quality. It‟s free to join and it‟s growing in

leaps and bounds with almost a hundred

destinations and a thousand members to date.

Our web framework

www.greengrowth2050.com is designed to

provide information on the components of

green growth in the sector and related areas.

Fourth we have started to explore destination

visioning from Victoria University and are

developing a replicable systems approach to

transformation – A Green Growth 2050

Roadmap. In a series of destination focused

evaluations in Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the

Caribbean, over the past 5 years we have

been involved in the development of a

comprehensive framework for bringing the

global concept of Green Growth and

Travelism to the local level.

These culminated in 2012 in a major Green

Growth and Travelism based study of Bali

Indonesia, conducted with local partners, for

the Minister of Tourism in Indonesia and the

Bali Provincial Governor. The resultant “Green

Growth 2050 Roadmap” is a model for this

type of approach.

We were conscious that the development of

the green growth roadmap for tourism should

enhance the long-term competitiveness of

destinations and the supporting industries. It

must be compatible with national travel,

transport, tourism and trade strategies, as well

as carbon commitments. It must ensure that

socio-economic growth is inclusive and

provides decent jobs.

Ultimately, it must bring about new demand

and empower communities in the context of a

broader balance sheet of societal well-being,

including quality of life and environmental

sustainability. In this context carrying capacity

and lifecycle analysis were pivotal. Overall it

must deliver sustainable mobility, lifestyles

and communities.

To ConcludeAll of these initiatives are based on the simple

concept that there is no silver bullet. We are

dealing with paradigm shifts and from a base

where our sector has never been seriously in

play before as a transformation agent. There

is massive untapped potential to change

mind-sets, to move on a different path and for

future generations of leaders to operate from

a different base.

With continued rapid expansion, strains will

increase on systems, structures and on

people - as visitors become a growing part of

a destination's local sustainability reality, and

as national and International green economy

strategies and commitments begin to bite.

Travel and tourism development will

increasingly become a focal point for these

issues – in planning, executing and marketing.

And this will require having to stay ahead of

the thinking, of the innovation and above all

the delivery.

As I said at the outset this is a good place to

start, deepen and broaden the thinking. It‟s

the right time.

We were conscious that the development of the green growth roadmap for tourism should enhance the long-term competitiveness of destinations and the supporting industries.

It must ensure that socio-economic growth is inclusive and provides decent jobs.

Professor Geoffrey Lipman is director of

greenearth.travel and Gatetrip, focusing on

Green Growth Investment Roadmaps,

Innovation and Development.. He is President,

International Coalition of Tourism Partners;

Visiting Professor, at Victoria University

Australia and lead editor of Green Growth and

Travelism: Letters from Leaders, released at

the Rio+20 Earth Summit.

He is former President , WTTC; President,

WTTC; Executive Director, IATA; Assistant

Secretary-General, UNWTO & Member, EU

High Level Groups on Aviation Liberalization

and on Tourism and Employment.

www.greenearth.travel

Point of View 34

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.

The Middle East is one of the smallest, yet fast growing, tourist

generating regions in the world. By 2030, the region will generate 81

million tourist arrivals worldwide, double the current number of 40

million.

Middle East travellers are young, educated, affluent, high spenders –

a lucrative market for destinations and other travel marketers.

Middle East travellers are always in search of new and unique

„memorable‟ travel experiences

Eco-consciousness among the Middle Eastern population is growing;

eco-travellers make up well over one-tenth of the Middle East leisure

travelling population.

What is the profile of the Middle East traveller? What trends will drive

future travel? Who are the best prospect target customers for

ecotourism from this region? What are their motivations? What type of

holidays and what type of activities will the eco-traveller indulge in?

How best do you communicate with these „best prospect‟ customers?

The study provides destinations and tourism businesses with actionable

insights to help tailor products & services, and marketing &

communication strategies towards „best prospect‟ customers.

For more information, write to ecosurvey@market-vision.com

Market Intelligence

Middle East Ecotourism Survey

35

814

23

37

57

81

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1990 2000 2005 2010 2020 2030

Middle East Arrivals Generated Worldwide (Million)

Source: UNWTO

Floating Leaf Eco Retreat, Bali

Floating Leaf Eco Retreat is a new, innovative Eco Yoga Retreat set to open in

January 2014. It is located amongst verdant rice fields in a small local village

called Ketewel in South Bali.

Michael and Marvam Putu Dolivek

Owned by Michael and Maryam Putu

Doliveck, Floating Leaf Eco Retreat

(http://balifloatingleaf.com/) will focus on giving

back to the community, environmental

stewardship and to providing a safe and

relaxing oasis for guests to come and explore

Bali‟s profound culture as well as personal

wellness.

Michael Doliveck, an Art and Photography

Professor for over 18 years, has been coming

to Bali for more than two decades. He is an

award-winning educator and photographer

and loves to share his passion for Indonesia

and it‟s many hidden wonders. He has written

numerous articles on Bali‟s culture, art,

mysticism, healers and more.

Maryam Putu is from The Balinese Royal

Family of Karangasm and was raised learning

the traditional dances, healing arts and the

culture of Bali. Her deep connection to the

island and its people provides meaningful

touchstones into the culture and locations on

the island.

Floating Leaf Eco Retreat features in our

Green Showcase, as it embodies the values

and core principles of sustainability.

Sustainability FeaturesThe entire property is built upon permaculture

principles in order to be an exemplary model

for sustainable living without compromising

luxury, design or technology.

Floating Leaf‟s commitment to sustainability

includes a water purification plant, wastewater

treatment facilities, rain harvesting, solar and

wind power projects, green walls, recycling

and conservation, supporting sustainable

agriculture, water efficient landscaping and

gardens and many other green initiatives.

From Floating Leaf‟s nascent stages, the

design team has been devoted to strict

guidelines and ethics involving the creation of

a true eco-friendly retreat center. They wanted

to craft a facility that was functional as well

as educational and inspirational. Hence, they

based the approach on the ancient wisdom of

Green Showcase36

the Balinese people and their fundamental

philosophy Tri Hita Karana.

To this end, Floating Leaf adheres to three

basic principles of sustainability:

1. Environmental Stewardship

The design, materials and efforts revolve

around environmentally sensitive solutions.

2. Minimum Impact Strategies and

Techniques (MIST)

Construction is limited to less than 40% of the

total land and the remaining majority is

dedicated to an organic permaculture garden

where fruits, vegetables and herbs are grown

for the guests. They also strive to produce as

little waste as possible. All of the water is

treated and reused including the pool water

and septic tank. Leftover food is fed to

animals and the rest is composted.

Conservation and recycling is practiced in

many forms throughout the property.

3. Community Outreach

At its heart, this Bali eco retreat is an

educational facility. Floating Leaf exists to

help, teach and inspire others. Floating Leaf

offers classes in yoga, English, sustainable

agriculture, permaculture and more to the

friendly people of their village and all Balinese

free of charge. They are active in several local

charities and subsidize local farmers so they

can grow organic, nutrient rich food free of

chemicals and pesticides.

Floating Leaf endeavors to provide learning

opportunities both through educational

programs and by demonstrating examples of

sustainable living within their local community,

Bali as a whole, and all those that come to this

innovative eco-retreat.

Other Green Initiatives

Locally sourced, reclaimed, reused,

renewable materials like bamboo

Composting

Reducing the carbon footprint

Energy-efficient air conditioning

Use of sustainable/recycled materials

Energy efficient lighting, appliances and

electronics

Villas, Spa and cafe offer only the

healthiest organic food

The entire property is built

upon permaculture

principles in order to be

an exemplary model for

sustainable living without

compromising luxury, design or

technology.

Local youth employed at the Retreat yoga

Green Showcase 37

Environmentally friendly construction, materials and practices Yoga centre built to sustainable design principles

Farming at the Eco Retreat Participating in local ceremony

Organic fruit grown at the on-site permaculture garden Energy efficient round structure of rooms that uses 15 to 30% less

floor, wall and roof materials to enclose the same square or

rectangular space

Green Showcase38

Locally sourced, reclaimed, reused, renewable

materials like bamboo

Market Vision 39

A Market Vision publication

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