“In May 2007, BBC world was making a programme called Climate Watch where they were collecting information on the impact of global warming on local population and destinations in different parts of the world, including India. They got in touch with us and told us they wanted to document the impact of global warming on the river Nila (Bharatapuzha) in central Kerala. The river had by then started gaining international attention following our campaign to highlight this unique river valley civilization being destroyed through human greed.

Bharatapuzha, otherwise poetically called Nila, is the longest river in the Indian State of Kerala. Kerala has a unique network of 44 rivers in a land that is just 580km long where the average width comes to about 50kms. The river Nila is dammed in many locations; rivulets and streams flowing into the river have dried up because of various construction activities and lifestyle changes."

Read more excerpts and details of the book 'Disaster prevention in tourism'

Labels: Climate Change, Media, River Nila

Our newsletter for Oct 2009 is now available online. It features a travelogue written by Zainab Kakal who visited Sunderbans immediately after Cyclone Aila that hit Eastern India on 25th May. It carries an interview with Jeremy Smith, founder of ivili.org on the potential of the website to bring together innovative solutions to sustainable development. Two other articles show case The Blue Yonder attending ITB Asia and WTM London. A short summary of latest recognitions to TBY can also be read here.

For more details, check online here

Labels: Ivili, Media, Newsletter, Responsible Tourism India, Sunderbans, The Blue Yonder

Ravaged Beauty : Sunderbans copyright � 2009 Zainab Kakal

Cyclone Aila Support Group managed to raise 5,00,000 INR (appr 10,550 USD) through the facebook campaign. Compared to the devastation and the need in Sunderbans, this amount is quite small. However with guidance from Association for Conservation and Tourism, the money is spend on basic needs of the affected people. Charities Aid Foundation India is doing the due diligence, programme planning, funds disbursement, monitoring, auditing and reporting. Updates from us will be send to all donors. We thank all the organisations and people who raised awareness about the disaster. We salute the resilience of the people of Sunderbans and self-less work by our partners at Help Tourism who stood by the communities when they needed them the most."

Seeing a posting on facebook for a volunteer to document the Cyclone Aila that hit the Eastern India on the 25th May 2009, Zainab Kakal went to Sunderbans to share the need of the people and give her insights into the disaster that affected millions of people in West Bengal and neighbouring regions. The following text and photos are from Zainab's personal journal that she maintained during her travel to Sunderbans.

Sunderbans: the land of floating green islands:

Arrival: (June 2009) "I enter the Sunderbans exhausted. The endless journey jumping from boat to boat through the riverines has taken about 4 hours and I am drenched and extremely skeptical. The Sunderbans, even to a tired eye looks like a marvel. It is close to being called mythical for it could not be real - it is the land of floating green islands.

I am sitting in a boat huddled in cargo and open umbrellas. My umbrella is poked in too many places to offer any protection and my baggage is wet and drippy but I could not care less for I was in the Sunderbans. Yes, there is a wonder of it all - the endless skies, the elegant angler dropping his nets into the birthing seas, the exodus of people traveling back and forth; all in the palette of murky grays and soft blues." Read the full text here:

Labels: Cyclone Alia, Media, Sunderbans, The Blue Yonder

One of The Blue Yonder's Rajasthan itinerary (explore the kingdoms of India) has been reviewed amongst the "10 incredible eco travel destinations" by Green Living. The selection is a further shortlist of 500 eco destinations and experiences selected by the authors of Clean Breaks (August 2009), Richard Hammond and Jeremy Smith, from around the world.

"To see the true Rajasthan, the largest province in India, The Blue Yonder tour company facilitates a program that avoids the tourist traps and takes visitors to family-run hotels, artisan-based communities and lesser-explored regions".




The following text is from Amanda Rappak of Green Living:

"These days, so-called ecotourism or green holiday options are advertised everywhere, but what makes for a truly legitimate eco-vacation? The authors of Clean Breaks (August 2009), Richard Hammond and Jeremy Smith, have done the digging for you and selected 500 eco destinations and experiences from around the world. "We studied the green claims made by many hundreds of operations worldwide before selecting those that we felt both offered the best experiences combined with genuine environmental and social commitments," says author Hammond. "We show how you can see the world in a responsible way through minimizing your environmental impact on your journey and at the destination - by choosing carefully how you travel and the nature of places that you stay at. We also hope to show how you can have a positive impact in other ways - by contributing to the conservation of wildlife and local heritage and supporting local economies."

We suppressed our wanderlust to pick just 10 of their incredible sustainable vacation ideas to share with our readers. Here's a snapshot of what's awaiting you, so start packing and get out there.

Labels: Green Travel India, Jeremy Smith, Media, Rajasthan holidays, Responsible Tourism India, Responsible Travel India, Richard Hammond, Rough Guide, The Blue Yonder

Labels: Awards, Media, Responsible Tourism India, Sustainable Development

page 330 : Rough "Guide's Clean Breaks - 500 New Ways to see the world"
The largest state in India, Rajasthan is also one of the most beautiful and exciting - home to colourful markets, welcoming cities, vibrant music and delicious cuisine. The royal palaces that pepper the state feature heavily o tourist itineraries: rich, decorative and intricate, they epitomize the luxury and decadence of the Raj. but for those who want to go behind the scenes, India-based travel company The Blue Yonder runs custom-made trips that allow you to explore what really makes Rajasthan tick.

A trip could kick off in the rose-pink city of Jaipur, famous for its magnificent sandstone Amber Fort. After staying for a night or two in an attentive, family-run hotel, you might decide to travel on to the semi-arid areas of Shekhawati or the desert city of Bikaner, where you'll meet artisans busy weaving Rajasthan's famous patterned carpets and making pretty tie-dye garments. You can even make your won bangles, like those you see dripping from most Indian's writs.

Elsewhere, you'll join the Makrana people, who practice puppetry not just to entertain tourists but, in conjunction with The Blue Yonder, to educate and inspire illiterate local children. You could finish your trip with a shopping expedition in a market-filled Udaipur. And in the evenings you'll sit among the community and listen to folk songs and stories, watching the whirling choreography of the richly bejewelled dancers.

As well as looking behind Rajasthan's cultural scene, you could choose to go on a jeep tiger-siger in Rathambore Park, visit the Karni Mata Temple, where thousands of rats are worshipped, or hop aboard a camel for a bumby ride among the sand dunes of the Thar Desert. Allowing visitors a large variety of ways in which to meet the local people and to see little-trodden areas of the state, Blue Yonder's trips give a vibrant taster of the real India.

Labels: eco tourism india, Media, Rajasthan holidays, Responsible Tourism India, Responsible Travel India

Labels: Help Tourism, Media, Sunderbans, The Blue Yonder, Travel to Care

Cover page: edited by Jeremy Smith and Richard Hammond

Discusses 500 experiences and different ways to travel. This book lets you discover various adventures from sleeping in houseboats in Kerala and witnessing the zebra migration in Botswana to taking the train-hotel from Paris to Madrid. It offers information on the best hotels, resorts, and tours run by people who are passionate about what they do.

Labels: Foot Print Guide books, Jeremy Smith, Kerala, Media, Rajasthan, Responsible Tourism, Responsible Travel, Richard Hammond, River Nila, The Blue Yonder

TBY Featured in German by Clemens Berger in Der Standard Austria.

Labels: Austrian Radio, Kerala, Media, Press, Responsible Tourism, Responsible Travel, River Nila, Wayanad

The Blue Yonder holiday experiences in Kerala was featured as a travel program on Sunday the 22nd March 2009 in Austrian Radio. The program was live on ORF site. Please check archives for audio. Some write up from Matthias Haydn is available here as well.

Labels: Austrian Radio, Kerala, Matthias Haydn, Media, Promotion, Responsible Tourism

Since I can't read German, I can only presume that they have written good things about our Musical trail in Concerto. Feature is not available online. Click on the image to read in German. This is the 4 th article on TBY in the media in less than two weeks. The Week's 'Healthy things to do in 2009', a mention on TBY and Foundation in the Sunday Indian Express, a detailed reference to TBY in Travel Trends Today (T3). None of this available online. So shall try to upload one by one.

Labels: Media, Resonsible Tourism, The Blue Yonder

Labels: Media, Press, Responsible Tourism, The Blue Yonder

Labels: Kerala, Media, Musical Trail, Press, Responsible Tourism, River Nila, The Blue Yonder

The Blue Yonder Holidays mentioned in the supplementary feature of The Week 21, Dec, 2008 issue . Click on the above image to read the complete text.
Bangalore & copy GP 2008

Labels: Media, Press, Responsible Tourism, The Blue Yonder, Volountourism