For the Responsible Tourism Events at ITB Asia this year, we continue to bring you the best and most relevant speakers that can inspire and change the way you think about travel. Responsible Tourism is not just a label, it is essentially the way we do business and the way we experience the world. Our speakers have been handpicked because of their leadership, experience, knowledge and passion to make the world a better place via tourism. And we are proud to introduce you to them…

Speakers for the Responsible Tourism Clinics & Forum

Chananya Phataraprasit

Chananya has deep roots in Thailand’s travel and tourism industry. Her father, Peter Larsen, started one of Thailand’s leading inbound tour operator, East West Siam. Growing up with tourism in her blood it was clear from the very beginning that Chananya would find her groove in travel, and that she would derive joy from staying true to her Thai roots. In 1995, she built a small lodge in the remote hill tribe village of Lisu in northern Thailand. She wanted a place where visitors could learn about local culture directly from their hosts, the Lisu villagers.  Continuing with her journey, she set up Asian Oasis in 2006 with the aim of creating unique travel offerings for a growing segment of travellers looking beyond Thailand’s beaches, temples and cities for more meaningful and authentic experiences. Chananya is driven by a passion to sustain, protect and improve local culture and the environment through economic growth, education and employment opportunities.

Martin Stevenson

Originally from Cambridge, England, Martin Stevenson is a journalist, freelance travel writer, and founder and editor-in-chief of sustainable travel website More Than Footprints. Following a war of attrition between several gap-years spent travelling in Asia and his degree in South Asian Studies and Comparative Religion at the School of Oriental and African Studies, Martin worked in financial public relations in London and taught MBA courses at ESSEC business school in Paris. He has spent the last three years in Southeast Asia researching and writing ‘More than footprints? – How backpacking lost its way’. He is currently based in Kuala Lumpur.

Kumud Sengupta

Kumud is the co-founder & director of Market Vision, a research and consultancy services firm based in Dubai. She undertakes research and consulting projects on behalf of the UNWTO, European Travel Commission, and various national tourism boards. An economics graduate with an MBA degree, Kumud is a certified assessor and consultant for Sustainable Tourism, and is also the Managing Editor of Spotlight on Sustainable Tourism (SOST), an e-journal with a mission to promote sustainable business practices among tourism stakeholders.

Tushar Khandelwal

Tushar is an Indian-born tech/startup/travel geek and entrepreneur from Japan. He is currently the Head of Marketing & Community at Voyagin, a marketplace to help travelers discover & book unique experiences in Asia. After graduating from Columbia’s School of Engineering & Applied Science, Tushar started his career working for Social Bicycles & Producteev before moving back to Asia & joining Voyagin.

Amy McLoughlin

Amy has worked in a variety of responsible tourism positions in the UK, India, Malaysia and Cambodia. Her efforts have been recognized internationally by responsibletravel.com’s Responsible Tourism Awards and WTTC’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. Her specialty areas in the field include protected area management, sustainable transport, community development and voluntourism. She is currently the Communications Manager for PEPY in Cambodia, an international development organization providing education and youth empowerment programs to rural students. Amy is also the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards Coordinator, identifying leaders in sustainability across Southern Asia, which is celebrated each year at ITB Asia.

Adrianna Tan

Adrianna Tan has been writing on the Internet since 2003. Her blog, Popagandhi.com, features some experiments in travel and in travel writing, alongside other interests such as history and tech. She is one of the authors of WIRED’s Where Next travel section, and has contributed to the likes of Geographical, Asian Geographic, Elle, MINT, Straits Times and other magazines and newspapers.

Djinaldi Gosana

Djinaldi Gosana began his career in Hospitality industry at Caravelle Hotel Frankfurt, Germany in 1974 prior studying at Steigenberger Hotel School in Bad Reichenhall, Germany in 1975. Graduated his Hotel- and Tourism Management College in Dortmund, Germany in 1981 and he is the Founder & Chairman of Bali Community Based Tourism Association (Bali CoBTA). He is also the Executive Director of Bali Hotels Association. Prior to Bali CoBTA, he was the GM & Executive Committee member of 5-star hotels such as The Patra Bali Resort & Villas, Kamandalu Resort & Spa in Ubud-Bali, The Four Seasons Resort Bali, Bali Dynasty Shangri-La Resort, The Regent and The Mandarin Oriental – Jakarta. Mr. Djinaldi aalso serves as the Director of Partnership & Business Development services for the Indonesia Tourism Promotion Board. He has a great passion to help communities develop proper hospitality management skills. His dedication and efforts to minimize poverty, to improve the community welfare and preserve local culture are well appreciated and successfully supported by the stakeholders in Bali and Indonesia.

Jeremy Torr

Jeremy Torr is an elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and had visited some 47 countries at last count. He has lived and worked in the UK, Australia and Singapore and has written for the BBC, The Sydney Morning Herald, Singapore’s Today – as well as editing Discovery Channel Magazine, Ticket Magazine and SilverKris inflight. He owns a Swiss Army knife.

Hannah Won

Originally from the United States, Hannah is now based in Cambodia where she has been working with children since 1998.  She holds a Master of Science in Education with a specialization in early childhood and is particularly interested in highlighting the damaging effects of orphanages from a child development perspective.  She has been an advocate for bringing awareness of this issue into the tourism and volunteer industries, as well as to donors funding orphanages from abroad.  Most recently, Hannah presented a case study in implementing new government laws for the alternative care of children to the Royal Government of Cambodia’s Provincial Orphans and Vulnerable Children Task Force.  Hannah is currently working as a program advisor with an organization that focuses on keeping children out of orphanages and supporting families to care for their own children.

Robin Boustead

Robin Boustead is the originator of the Great Himalaya Trail (GHT): both as a contiguous pure mountain route and as a product. Over the last two decades he has taken the GHT from concept to the fully fledged brand and development vehicle we see today. Working both strategically, negotiating with governments and other major stakeholders to establish the Trail, and also operationally, creating maps, guide books, seeding a vibrant online community of GHT-ers, enabling adventure travel operators globally to successfully market GHT products. Robin brings strong commercial sense along with an in-depth experience of South Asia to the GHT. He is a serial entrepreneur with thriving businesses in South Asia and Europe. He is driven by a passion for the mountains, their communities and culture.

Patchareeboon Sakulpitakphon

Ms. Patchareeboon Sakulpitakphon, or Mam, is Project Manager of The Code working to engage tourism private sector and prioritizing awareness about child protection as part of responsible tourism and CSR. Prior to this current position, she worked with ECPAT International on the global ‘Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People’ campaign with The Body Shop International over a period of three years in over 40 countries, resulting several significant achievements: presented 7 million+ petitions to the United Nations, generated over US$3 million dollars and at least 16 countries adopted legislation changes. With a background in International Justice and Norms and Human Rights, she continues to expand her knowledge on strategies for integrating children’s rights within the private sector.