responsible tourism

Unique Ubud – authentic homestays

Responsible Tourism Travel Story

Agata Zborowska, Wild Asia’s Responsible Tourism Intern shares her Balinese travel diary with us.

My experiences from Bali

Visiting wonderful Bali – where beautiful landscapes meet architectural treasures, rich history and mystical atmosphere, is many travellers’ dream.

First stop – Ubud, a small town surrounded by picturesque rice terraces peacefully located in the centre of the island.

Despite being firmly on the tourist path for years and gaining notoriety since being featured as the backdrop for the movie Eat Pray Love, Ubud still manages to keep its charm.

By luck of chance I found a cozy homestay called Yuliati House which gave me an opportunity to observe the daily life of a Balinese family. Initially, I was not completely convinced it was the right choice as details online were scarce with rather blurry pictures (plus, my late night arrival there in pitch black middle of the night did not help). However when I woke up the following morning, all my doubts were completely gone and here is why…

The homestay’s inhabitants were not only extremely welcoming and helpful with any requests we made, but also managed, in spite of the regular stream of tourists they receive, to keep the place running as a typical Balinese home. From the build of the house to the furniture made from the locally supplied bamboo, from the garden with its lush green vegetation to the rituals practiced by the family such as the tradition of making daily Hindu offerings from flowers and food, everything is, as far as we knew, traditionally maintained.

Balinese culture was all around me, the owner practiced daily on a traditional Balinese bamboo music instrument for relaxation and one of the daughters, a traditional Bali dancer, prepared her outfit and colorful makeup for the show every evening. She later became a teacher to my friend who as a professional dancer could not miss an opportunity for a one-to-one Balinese dancing class in those beautiful surroundings.

I had originally scheduled to stay there for 2-3 nights, but since it was such a marvelous experience, I ended up extending my stay to 10 days and I was not the only one!

Our presence there did not interrupt or interfere with their daily lifestyle. The homestay’s family visit was a true testimony that tourism and local community/lifestyle can co-exist and benefit both the visitor and the indigenous inhabitant. It did not feel commercialized in any way; responsible tourism seemed to be a realistic and natural practice here. It was implemented by using simple measures, such as asking us daily if we needed our towels and sheets changed in order to avoid unnecessary use of water and electricity for washing, all outside lights were turned off at night, organic waste was composted.

Homestay’s residents along with many other locals, whom I had a pleasure meeting while in Ubud, won my heart as the friendliest, most genuine and spiritual people I have met during all of my travels.

[message type=”simple”]

Staying true to your culture for authentic experiences…

Wild Asia is delighted to learn about this business that stays true to their culture which provides guests’ with memorable authentic experiences. Tourism can often result in a loss of cultural identity of destinations, so we are thrilled to hear about examples like this that uses tourism as a powerful tool to keep culture alive. Homestays like this one proves that even small efforts made by its owners can help to preserve local culture and the original lifestyle true to the natives for centuries. The tourists, who often travel in search for such deep cultural experiences, learn to respect the heritage of indigenous people and become educated about the value of local culture by simply being engaged in the daily lifestyle on such a personal level.

[/message]

(Photos: credit Agata Zborowska)

Do you have a story?

Have you witnessed something on your holiday that has disturbed you or amazed you? We’d love to hear your own experiences. If you’ve been exposed to travel experiences that have left you feeling something’s not quite right here, get in touch. Equally, we love hearing about inspirational tourism that’s doing wonders for local communities. Share your travel story by emailing it to, rt@wildasia.org

Tourism & Conservation in Malaysia

Seeing a turtle, a tiger or any other animal in its wild natural habitat is a breathtaking experience not only for a nature lover, but anyone easily enthralled by pure beauty. Unfortunately opportunities to do so worldwide are getting smaller and smaller as both turtles and tigers are under the threat of extinction in many locations, including Malaysia.

Fortunately for us and the wildlife there is a lot that can be done to preserve both of these beautiful animals on Malaysian land. A variety of organisations aware of the preservation issues have put a lot of effort to support the environment and made it possible for others, including tourists, to get in involved. Anyone, regardless of their skills, can get involved in a number of conservation projects across the country.

Joining a programme like these enables you to not only learn about the wildlife of Malaysia but you also get a chance to help preserve them, this is Ecotourism at its best. – Daniel Quilter, Ecoteer founder

Photo taken from http://ecoteerresponsibletravel.com

One of few organisations who realised the need for action is Ecoteer Responsible Travel having established a variety of conservation projects in partnership with credible NGOs such as MYCAT and local stakeholders in order to help preserve the best of Malaysian wildlife. Now tourists can be part of several conservation projects in Malaysia while on holiday.

Tiger conservation at Merapoh, on the borders of Taman Negara, is one of such important programmes run by Ecoteer. The aim of the project is to maintain the wildlife corridor between Taman Negara and main mountain range used by tigers to pass through. The corridor is there to allow migration of wildlife while avoiding isolation and preserving the continuity of number of species, including (apart from tigers) elephants, rhinos, sun bears and leopards. Protecting and improving the corridor is the daily duty of many volunteers who decided to participate to make a difference. Find out more about the Tiger Trail.

The Merapoh programme is something special, in a 2 day expedition the Ecoteer Team managed to find tracks of Sun Bear, Elephant and 2 leopards, plus we deactivated 2 snares and whilst collecting camera traps we captured photos of Sun Bear, Tapir, Golden Cat and a Tiger. The animals are out there and so too are the poachers, join this programme and do the best thing you can do for Tiger conservation and remove a snare!

Alongside rainforest, Malaysian marine wildlife is another focal point of conservation projects based on the coast. Country’s famous green sea turtles are being monitored in Perthentian Islands by volunteers who have a unique chance to experience underwater wildlife protection whilst learning about the process and educating others, including tourists in the location.

The Perhentian islands are paradise, however many issues still exist like waste disposal and poaching of turtles eggs. By Joining this programme you are helping to protect one out of 4 key nesting sites in the Perhentians.

Volunteering on conservation projects does not only benefit the wildlife, but also people involved. Programmes like the one in Taman Negara, are a great opportunity to discover the richness and learn about the complexity of rainforest ecosystem as well as difficulties involved in protection of such a vast natural area. Jungle trekking or diving with turtles are firsthand experiences not to be missed by nature lovers and all those concerned about environmental protection. After all it is the wildlife and people who make these places special. Travel & make a difference – support tiger and turtle conservation in Malaysia.

2013 Awards – Why should I apply?

Why should I apply?

The difference our Awards have made...

Marc Van Loo, founder of 2012 Winner of Most Inspiring Responsible Tourism Operator, LooLa Adventure in Indonesia shares with us just how they have benefited from receiving international recognition through our Awards.

Pictured: Marc Van Loo

1. What partnerships have you made through our Awards?

We’ve been exploring the idea of creating a Wiki portal for tourism operators to share best practice. Through the awards, we got in touch with Geoffrey Lipman (Secretary General of UNWTO and past President of the WTTC) and together have been in touch with Wikipedia. Their CEO got personally involved and we received assurances of dedicated support.

Most recently we are busy designing three new Eco villas that support local employment and are resource efficient. As well as a team of fantastic experts we’ve engaged with this work, past Award winners Sarinbuana (Bali) are also helping to support this project (Norm is designing villas as we speak!).

The award gave our international credibility an enormous boost and was instrumental in opening all these doors for us.

Significantly, the Wild Asia award led to an invitation from WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow awards (2013) to apply, and we’re now one of three finalists in the Community Benefits category, further enhancing our credibility.

2. How has the Award made a difference to your destination?

The local government has always liked what we do and is very proud of our achievements. They are very happy to see that what they liked about us, is also recognised independently and internationally.

Most of all, the Award has done miracles for empowering our staff.

It has hit them: we are no longer a bunch of villagers in a remote place in Indonesia, we compete at the world stage, and we’re going to show that we can retain and enhance that position. Motivation has never been this high. The Wild Asia checklists have done wonders for pushing certain not-so-popular items like waste (water) management to the front.

3. Has the Award provided a platform to improve your responsible tourism communications?

The award enabled us to get an appointment with some of the highest officers in Singapore within STB (Singapore Tourism Board), which is very nice.

For internal purposes, it has been great. Now we can always refer back to the application forms, and all our staff now accepts that this stuff is very important.

4. Has the Award application improved your systems/identified areas to improve?

Absolutely. The process allowed us to identify the management of waste water and water supply were some of our areas that could be improved.

We’re currently working with an architect who has just completed an initial design for (waste and rain) water, and is working together with experts for waste water integration.

We also wanted to improve our energy efficiency. Electricity is now being completely overhauled. At first I thought that this was not possible – but now it turns out that we are able to have air-con in our new villas in a eco-sensitive way, not using ANY batteries and only using solar power! It’s all very exciting!

5. In what way has Wild Asia as an organisation supported your business?

Wild Asia has always been ready to answer any question if they were in a position to do so, by generously and sharing relevant contacts in their network without any clear benefits for themselves except creating goodwill.

Really, absolutely tops.

Time for tourism to 'step up to the mark'

While Malaysia clearly has an abundance to offer tourists seeking back-to-nature adventures or retreats, it’s time tourism stepped up to the mark, to satisfy eco-conscious travellers and play a bigger part in reducing its impact on the environment and communities.

Amy McLoughlin and Reza Azmi write for Business Circle about responsible tourism in Malaysia.

Download full article

Download to read full story by clicking on the image

[Download not found]

LooLa Adventure: Most Inspiring Responsible Tourism Operator

2012 Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Award Winner: Most Inspiring Responsible Tourism Operator of 2012

LooLa Adventure, located on Bintan Island in Indonesia near the Singapore coast, is a eco-haven for fun-loving adventure seekers. Since opening in 2000, LooLa has championed the benefits of a resort built from local materials and with local staff. In fact, LooLa’s inspirational commitment to employing local staff means that 100% of the team are from the immediate area, transforming lives through employment generation, training and related community action.

A majority of LooLa’s business derives from educational school packages, and children benefit from engaging in a host of community development projects that are really making a difference. As well as thrill-seeking activities like rock climbing or kayaking, students have contributed to such projects as cementing village trails, (fruit) tree planting, building sports pitches for orphanages and local villages, and building beds for elderly residents. These are projects that have been requested by local people, and joint monitoring by LooLa and the village community ensures that everyone in the local vicinity benefits.

In addition to exceptional efforts made to ensure tourism is a force for good for local people and livelihoods, LooLa is also very committed to reducing their environmental impact. They have boldly refused to install air-conditioning to reduce energy guzzling consumption; use a natural sea water pool and use locally available materials for construction to reduce on transportation and to invest in the local economy.

Why Wild Asia loved this Winner

Our favourite concept!

Community Engagement – Every family in the neighbouring area has been listed in LooLa’s community action plan. For every project delivered by LooLa’s staff or guests, this is recorded. This ensures that everyone benefits and equally. Their efforts to work with the community aren’t just for show, but projects that really make a difference and activities that are in demand by the local people themselves. Truly committed to supporting local people, LooLa is covering the cost of supplying mosquito nets to the neighboring village community, and has set up a public-private partnership so that villagers have easy and affordable access to hospital treatments.

HRM Management – A 100% local staff force benefit from a transparent bonus scheme, peer mentoring, capacity building training and a salary that is on average twice the local wage. Also, uniquely, the LooLa staff runs their own shop and drinks business on site for the direct benefit of the staff fund.
Fundraising – In 2011 alone, 90% of visitors took part in donating funds for important local projects and raised $70,000 to community development projects in which they subsequently participated themselves
Environment – Bold moves to educate guests about the need to conserve resources, the resort has no hot showers nor air conditioning to save energy. They also use chemical free mosquito control and use a ‘no plastic water bottle’ policy
Cultural Commitments – In order to ensure that life isn’t all work and no play, LooLa recognises the significance of cultural dates in the calendar and closes entirely for the benefit of local staff during events like Hari Raya
Future Plans – LooLa is expanding while ensuring it is done in the most sensitive of ways. New bungalows will all have their own solar energy and generate more locally sourced jobs. They will also levy ‘eco surcharges’ for those wanting to use more water or energy!

What did the Judges have to say?

“An all-round highly believable product”

“All-rounder that has excelled in all the subcategories under the most inspiring Responsible Tourism Operator”

“Loola’s story is convincing & homegrown”

Scuba Junkie: Protection of Natural Areas & Wildlife Conservation

2012 Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards Winner: Best in Protection of Natural Areas and Wildlife Conservation

Scuba Junkie has made the clear connection between business and nature and is doing lots to protect the environment of which their diving resort depends on. Their resort is based on Mabul, a beautiful island off Sabah in Malaysian Borneo, just a short boat ride away from any diver’s ‘big one’, Sipadan.

Scuba Junkie is often described as the ‘lifeline’ for its home island and is at the forefront of many local schemes to clean up Mabul, protect endangered marine species and educate others. Aside from the whole heap of great initiatives Scuba Junkie are engaged with, they’re an exemplar business when it comes to working with the local community too.

Why Wild Asia loved this Winner

Our favourite concept!

Waste Management – In 2011, Scuba Junkie donated $70,000 towards rubbish removal from Mabul. The resort coordinates an island rubbish collection service: free biodegradable bags are provided for local community, once full, these can be dropped off at the resort and a boat collects four times per week and takes to a recycling plant on the mainland managed by a Governmental Body. This is preventing locals to dump waste into the sea, as previously done. They have also sponsored and introduced the only street bins in Mabul (150) and provided the local council with skips (10). They also coordinate weekly beach and reef cleans.

Shark Conservation – Spearheading the Semporna Shark Sanctuary as Advisor to the Proposal, they have contributed 70,000RM this year towards the campaign. The goal is to gazette a protected area in Semporna seas for endangered sharks and lobby against shark finning. Within Semporna, they employ a member of staff to monitor the sales of shark products at the local wet market. They have also recently funded an expert to deliver a study on the Economic Value of Sharks in Sabah
Education – Scuba Junkie supports the island’s School of Hope, a centre providing educational opportunities for sea gypsy children who cannot attend state school. They are engaging them with English classes and environmental education. These children are also actively engaged in events such as Mabul Marine Week which bring the community together. Furthermore, the resort’s Shark and Environmental Officer delivers weekly presentations to guests on turtle and shark conservation in the local area
Environment – Buildings have been designed to prevent light and noise pollution and the resort has a Green Grade A sewage treatment plant which is soon to be upgraded to include irrigation into the ground
Sustainable Seafood – No seafood is served onsite as local methods are not sustainable. A bold statement for an island tourism business where fish is often demanded, but very responsible and admirable
Turtle Conservation – The resort runs and manages the islands only turtle hatchery which is managed by trained biologists and supervised by Sabah Wildlife Department and Sabah Parks. To reduce unethical turtle egg collecting, they have introduced an excellent incentive by paying locals 10RM per egg (10x market value). These eggs are collected and added to the Turtle Hatchery project to be safeguarded. In the past year, they have contributed 25,000RM to the hatchery project

What did the Judges have to say?

“Most impressive is that they limit themselves voluntarily in areas where they could make profit, such as limiting the number of boat trips, don’t sell seafood, restrict buildings etc”

“An impressive list of green credentials”

ITC Sonar: Resource Efficiency

2012 Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards Winner: Best in Resource Efficiency

ITC Sonar in Kolkata, India, has taken its commitment of ‘sustainable luxury’ to a whole other level and has enough green credentials under its belt to impress even the most difficult of customers.

The tireless efforts to make ITC Sonar energy, waste and water efficient is exceptional. It was the first hotel in the world to earn carbon credits under the carbon trading scheme. This beautiful 5* hotel is a leading light in renewable energy and resource efficiency.

Why Wild Asia loved this Winner

Our favourite concept!

Management Systems – ITC Sonar has an effective environmental management system in place (EMS) following the ISO14001 standard. They also adhere to LEED and USGBC standards. If this is all jargon to you – these are internationally recognised management systems that ensure a business has exceptional environmental best practices in place. Most importantly, they are working. In five years, the hotel saved almost 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions through environmental measures. They also engage all staff when setting environmental related targets to ensure they are realistic and achievable.

Sustainable Purchasing – When submitting tender documents to new suppliers, they have now included an environmental section to ensure their supply chain is doing its bit for the environment too. They have delivered training workshops on green supply chain to their vendors/partners, too. 60% of total purchasing is done sustainably; this means it is from renewable materials, sourced within 500km distance or FSC paper/woods and reused items. They also use Green Seal certified detergents and soaps (environmentally labeled with ISO14020 and ISO14024) and soap nuts to green their cleaning
Saving Water – Technologies such as using LEED accredited aerators are installed throughout to reduce water consumption. They recycle 100% of their water for e.g. toilet flushing. They’ve recently revamped and modified their reverse osmosis plant, which has resulted in more yield and less reject water
Waste Management – No waste goes to landfill, organic waste is composted and they have implemented a strict monitoring of food consumption vs demand to reduce waste
Reducing Energy Consumption – Measures to save energy have included: all lighting in public areas and guest rooms has now been replaced with LED lighting; low tonnage energy chillers used and variable frequency drivers installed to optimize energy consumption.
Educating Guests – Guests are educated about how they can contribute to resource efficiency during their stay by using information in the lobby, posters distributed (e.g. saving water) and ‘green hearts’ with messages of hotels measures are displayed in relevant guest areas. When checking in, guests are given information on energy saving measures, accompanied by electrical key card and in room digital thermostat
Sewage – They have been certified by government as a zero water discharge property. Their state of the art 400kl capacity SAFF (Submerged Aerated Fixed Film) plant is monitored monthly by a contractor. Water output is used for flushing, cooling tower, irrigation etc and semi-solid residue forms cakes used for manure in horticulture!
Sphere of Influence – Schools can arrange visits to hotel to learn about resource efficiency and the hotel also offers an outreach program (in past 3 years they have worked with 8 local schools, equating to around 250 children, from underprivileged areas). To date they have distributed 3,800 saplings to their associates which have been planted in the area

What did the Judges have to say?

“This hotel is a fantastic model for other, regular city/provincial hotels to relate to and follow”

“Engagement with standards, involving their staff, guests and deep into their supply chain is a real inspiration”

“Their commendable effort can translate to many more establishment becoming resource efficient”

Agri Tourism: Cultural Preservation

2012 Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards Winner: Best in Cultural Preservation

Agri Tourism based in rural Maharashtrian countryside in central India, is an innovative scheme to invite city-slickers to get back to their rural farming roots. In an area where youngsters are eager to flee a declining farming industry for quick cash in neighbouring urban areas, Agri Tourism is successfully reversing this trend and giving new hope to rural populations.

This dynamic business is attracting tourist from far and wide wanting to experience agriculture heritage. Generating interest, income and demand for this important part of India’s culture, Agri Tourism is witnessing local farmers diversifying to reap the benefits of both agriculture and tourism.

Why Wild Asia loved this Winner

Our favourite concept!

Sustainable Livelihoods – Prior to the introduction of Agri Tourism holidays, rain water thirsty Maharashtra was having some serious challenges seeing a future in farming. Yet, by diversifying farms for tourism activities, farmers have experienced a 25% growth in business. This money is helping to change up farming habits to a more sustainable way and it’s attracting more people back to their cultural heritage, especially younger generations. To date, Agri Tourism has trained over 1000 farmers in tourism capacity building and 350 farms have diversified, reaping the benefits of a newly found sustainable income.

Local Employment – 100% local staff from the immediate village is preventing urban migration and an aging rural population. They also have initiatives for youths, women empowerment and all staff are paid the legal minimum wage or above
Cultural Exchange – In an area that historically had no tourism whatsoever, locals are now benefiting from learning from other cultures as well as showcasing their own to new found friends (such as their annual Kite Festival which sees over 500 attendees, traditional bullock cart rides or evenings in traditional dress). Not only is the centre a cross cultural learning experience for foreigners, but Indian guests are satisfied by learning about their own ancestral heritage and culture
Community Development – 15% annual profits go to the primary school next door, this money is spent on improving the level of education and for clean drinking water
Water – Neighbouring wealthy areas have benefited from the introduction of canal systems, this area would not have been eligible given its sparse population, but the government has expressed interest now there is tourism money coming in and are exploring bringing new canal systems to the village in next 5 years. This will be hugely beneficial to villagers who are losing their crops due to change in climate (very dry)

What did the Judges have to say?

“This is a fantastic project – really impressed”

“A very useful model for community-based
tourism elsewhere in India and throughout Asia Pacific”

“A complete all-rounder”

Soria Moria: Community Engagement & Development

2012 Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards Winner: Best in Community Engagement and Development

The Soria Moria Boutique Hotel is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia and makes the perfect stepping stone for exploring the World famous and awe-inspiring, Angkor Temple Park.

This is truly a hotel with a heart. Ensuring tourism benefits local people is what this hotel is all about. From inspiring local employment policies, to bicycle hire that funds local children’s projects, guests can be blown away by the level of community development projects Soria Moria is dedicated to supporting.

Why Wild Asia loved this Winner

Our favourite concept!

Local Ownership – The initial idea behind Soria Moria was to combine a business opportunity with a strong focus on helping the community, especially by contribution to long-term economic development. Through their own, Soria Moria Educational Development Program, the local employees have become majority owners of the business; an initiative to empower through ownership. By being share owners, the employees are able to take part in the decision making process and share any profits made. It also enables the employees to take part in supporting the surrounding community. The long term goal is to transfer the remaining shares to the staff.

HRM Management – Soria Moria has created its own ‘Employee Elevator Scheme’ to encourage continual professional development of locally sourced staff (e.g. five members of management started as housekeeping staff)
Capacity Building – They offer hospitality training in the hotel for local young adults and staff, their innovative $1 night provides a weekly busy platform for local youngsters to practice their hospitality skills at the hotel
Supporting Local Staff – Staff have the opportunity to take part in an international exchange programme to gain overseas hotelier experience, and for staff wishing to stay closer to home some staff have also been assisted with funding to attend University in situations were previously would not have been possible before
Child Safety – In a destination that experiences many challenges with child labour and exploitation, the hotel has signed the ChildSafe International ‘Code’ and is truly dedicated to protecting children’s rights and protecting their well being. Guests are reminded throughout the hotel to be aware of signs of children related problems to look out for and how to report them
Fundraising – The hotel has a whole host of fundraising schemes through bicycle rental, sales of gifts and collecting donations. Money goes to various projects, such as: rural schools for water provision, local teacher salaries and children’s art classes, traffic safety scheme, education centre, street kid project and children’s hospital
Visitor Awareness – As well as their own informative responsible tourism literature, the hotel promotes the Ministry of Tourism ‘do’s and don’ts’ guide to ensure that visitors’ stays are culturally sensitive and enjoyable

What did the Judges have to say?

“Many great initiatives being put in place by this hotel”

“Highly principled operation”

“An excellent model …I admire their unique approach to promoting ownership by staff”

Surprising Discovery at Can Tho, Vietnam

Being an avid traveler, I look for the best deals possible before putting together an itinerary. Best deals may be a subjective term, but to me, best deals are those that bring you closest to the local way of life, authentic, meaningful, personal and of course affordable. My short holiday to Saigon was no different. Months before the holiday, I spent many hours diving into Lonely Planet’s ThornTree Forum, reading reviews on TripAdvisor and flipping through guidebooks at a local bookstore.

We (my husband and I) started in Saigon, exploring the city by foot, meandering through alley ways, dodging many motorcycles and slurping bowls of pho. The city is a web of concrete block building with streets filled with endless traffic. There was a settled city chaos to it. We decided to escape from the creeping frenzy for something more tranquil, we chose Can Tho.

Being the largest city sharing the Mekong Delta, life at Can Tho pretty much depended on the waterways. Long tail boats, sampans and large wooden vessels carrying bricks and sand traversed the river daily. Squatter houses built with wooden planks and aluminum sheets lined the sides of small canals. Little doors in their shacks opened to the Mekong river and women went about their daily chores; washing dishes, clothes and bathing their children. Little ones played and swam in the same river.

I began to wonder about sanitary and hygiene issues and about waste water disposal in the city. My questions didn’t linger on without an answer. To my surprise, I met a familiar face, Ms. Xuan Thu Vo who happened to be the general manager of the hotel we were staying at – Victoria Can Tho. We had met at ITB Asia’s Responsible Tourism event in 2011 where she gave a talk at one of the clinics.

Inspiring and unexpected finds

I soon learned that Victoria Can Tho is perhaps the only hotel within the Can Tho vicinity to have a proper waste water treatment facility. Sadly, most of the hotels peppered along the Mekong river discharges their waste water straight into the river. For Victoria Can Tho, they realized earlier on that it was essential for them to do their part in minimizing pollution to the already threatened waterway.

Yearly in September, the hotel organizes a fun-day out with activities focused on environment education and awareness. “Green Day” as they call it brings together students from the local tourism school, staff and guests for a river clean up. Hundreds of participants head out from the hotel in a convoy of 50 boats to clean 200km radius of the Mekong delta. During the clean up, the participants also engage with the local community and educate them about proper waste disposal methods. In 2011, between two to three tonnes of garbage were collected. Clearly there is much to be done.

Reaching and impacting communities

As we chatted on, it soon became clear that the hotel also had a heart for surrounding communities. Entrenched in the hard-to-forget history of the Vietnam War, the country, till today still suffers from it. For farmers, their fields remain barren from bomb ridden soil and for some the signs are extremely telling, in the form of disfigured limbs, deformed facial features and handicapped in many ways from the effects of Agent Orange, a highly hazardous compound of dioxin that infiltrated forests, farms and rivers during the war.

A special school in Can Tho called Future School was set up by the government to provide victims of Agent Orange a fair chance of education. The hotel funded the school in kind for five years amounting to USD1,200 per year. This included teaching materials, equipment and furniture. After 2009, the hotel continues to support the school via donations collected from guests.

The hotel also does a lot in preserving the culture and heritage of Can Tho. Daily tours are offered to guests to visit the Cai Rang floating market. Here locals buy their vegetable and fruits, haggling for better prices while their boats bobble on the water, pho sellers dish out steaming bowls of noodles and coffee makers whip up refreshing ice coffee for hungry shoppers and the occasional tourist. Cai Rang is also where the hotel buys most of its fresh produce from.

I also learned that there is little food waste from the hotel’s restaurant as they do a good job in keeping the buffet spread to a minimal selection with only the best offered to guests. This result in ‘clean sweeps’ in the buffet line and compliments from guests for the great food quality. Other times when there is excess, the hotel sends it to pig farms.

My chat with Ms. Xuan Thu Vo proved to be more than a good catch up. I headed back to my suite after that and found a little surprise awaiting me. On the table was a brown woven bag filled with hill rice, a colourful woven pouch with fragrant jasmine tea and a bottle of homemade mango jam. These were gifts from all over Can Tho, the woven bags are handmade by women from the Cham minority, the mango jam was a house specialty and the rice and tea were handpicked from local plantations.

What an incredible experience it was…

(Written by: Deborah Chan. Photos by: Terence Ooi)