“Responsible Tourism” is in the danger of becoming a meaningless marketing tool with no real substance: Kelly May of Andaman Discoveries.

Andaman Discoveries, Thailand recently won the prestigious responsible tourism under the category “Best for conservation of cultural heritage” at the World Travel Market in London. Founder and Managing Director Kelly May in conversation with TBY team shares how she started Andaman discoveries and how they work with communities in Southern Thailand.

TBY: From publishing industry to Responsible Tourism, how did you end up working in Southern Thailand?

Read the entire article here

WTM RTD networking to be an annual event.

The Blue Yonder in association with Your Safe Planet (supported by Fisher’s SOS) organised a social networking evening to celebrate first ever Responsible Tourism Day at the World Travel Market in London. The event organised on the 13th Nov 2007 at the Long Acres was well attended by all sections of travel industry and media from countries as varied as India, UK, USA, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia.

Andrew Jones of Sanctuary Resorts , Hong Kong commented, “As one of the members of Advisory Panel to the World Travel Market on World Responsible Tourism Day, I felt it very important, and my pleasure to attend this first, of what I am sure will become an annual event. It was good to see such a large number of industry professionals come together for an evening of social networking and exchanging of views, knowledge and information on RT practices, and support services, systems and organizations. The diverse aspects of the industry were well represented by the attendees including travel companies and consultants, individual travelers and package tour providers, hotel and resort operators, Internet and on-line service providers, activity providers and even consumers of some of the attending companies.  

Geoff Manchester of Intrepid, Gopinath Parayil of TBY and Andrew Jones of Sanctuary Resorts at the WTM RTD on 14th

The positive energy of the gathering was plain to see as the global Responsible and Sustainable Tourism community from far flung areas and destinations of the World came together in a spirit of mutual interest to share experiences and gain insights which could be used to benefit their own communities and developments.

The timing and obvious success of such a gathering highlights the developing momentum of the movement towards Responsible and Sustainable Tourism. Research and industry leaders tell us that more and more consumers are demanding and making decisions based on Responsible and Sustainable business practices.  Therefore, we need to encourage and create additional opportunities and activities to enable to such social interactions within the industry to occur, and stimulate sharing, cooperation, synchronicity and synergies in what I believe is the future of successful tourism projects around the Globe.

Fiona Jeffrey of WTM, Justin Francis of Responsibletravel.com at the WTM RTD on 14th

We certainly encourage and support The Blue Yonder, Your Safe Planet and others who were involved in starting this initiative at the World Travel Market, and already look forward to attending again next year. “

At the backdrop of Second International Conference on Responsible tourism in destinations in Kerala, during March 2008, The Blue Yonder is planning a similar networking event. Details of the same will be announced through the newsletter and networking partner’s websites. We welcome ideas for such a gathering

Fragrant Nature Resort – A TBY Associate

Fragrant Nature Resort is a backwater resort on the beautiful and tranquil Mala Lake near Paravur, Kollam District, Kerala. It is a place of retreat where you can unwind and connect with nature, have fellowship with local people and unravel Kerala in all its beauty and charm. The resort is intentionally small for low impact on the environment and local culture having only five villas and five lakeside rooms set on 3.6 acres of land. The resort facilities include a restaurant serving local cuisine, a thatched performance area, wildlife gardens and an Ayurveda centre

Fragrant Nature is a boutique backwater resort nestled in an idyllic position amongst coconut palms in over three acres of lakeside land on the beautiful and tranquil Mala Lake near Paravur, Kollam District, Kerala. Its rural village setting lets you see and experience the authentic Keralean way of life. You can watch village cookery demonstrations, go fishing on the lake or take an elephant ride. There is also excellent immediate access for boat trips and bicycle rides to enjoy the scenery and see the local flora and fauna. The scenic and unspoilt coast at Kappil is only 8km away. The popular beach resort of Varkala is also within easy reach offering the opportunity for bathing, shopping and eating out. Fragrant Nature Resort is only 5km from the main highway and well located for trips out being only 20km south of Kollam and 60km north of Trivandrum.

The resort has five spacious Keralaite villas on a terrace overlooking the lake and a five-room stone and thatch accommodation on the lakeside. Read their responsible tourism policies here.