Community Engagement

Looking Up: Thailand’s Massive City Farm

Restrictions on movement, constrictions on space, destruction from flooding and the pollution caused by transport are increasingly affecting city life. In Bangkok, an innovative solution is addressing all these issues in an ambitious sustainable farm at Thammasat University Rooftop Farm.

Working with National Parks Sustainably

Most nations have national parks - environmental zones protected from the usual effects of developmental change. Dedicated to animals, walkers and scientists they are usually strict non-commercial enclaves. But increasingly, parks departments are allowing ecotourism operators to help promote their values and valuables.

Pine Needle Recycling

In Nepal, Uttarakhand and Sikkim, the unique Himalayan Chir pine is a recognisable feature of the forests. It is incredibly hardy, produces fast-growing and usable timber, and supplies valuable sap and pine cones. But all this comes at a cost – the most dangerous of which is forest fires. But locals are addressing this problem by raising the temperature.

The Psychology of Disaster Recovery

It seems like 2020 has outdone itself in terms of disasters. Fire, flood, locust and plague have all hit hard across many parts of the world. Tourism, and especially ecotourism, have seen massive negative impacts as a result. Many operators are seemingly at their wits’ end trying to cope. A strategy is essential.

Tourism Recovery with Ecotourism Australia & WWF-Australia

The partnership between Ecotourism Australia and WWF-Australia provides a “multi-layered, long-term approach" to restore bushfire-affected tourism, help communities reduce their vulnerability to future disasters and revitalise local economies through nature-based tourism.

Climate Action Needed in Ecotourism Seasonality

Seven focus areas are recommended in the AEN Xiling Snow Mountain Declaration of Climate Change Adaptation and Redefining Ecotourism Seasonality. This is to steer the ecotourism industry towards creative thinking and timely solutions for sustainability sake.

Australian Bushfires: A Lesson from the Sahara

For almost 20 years Tony Rinaudo worked on a small reforestation project on the borders of the arid Sahara Desert. He helped turn a potential ecological collapse into a thriving agricultural success, bringing a ten-fold increase in forestation and a multi-million dollar agriculture industry. This, he says, holds a significant lesson for post-bushfire Australia

Waiving Waste: Bali Hotels Feed the Hungry

Millions of tourists visit Bali every year – and they waste hundreds of tonnes of food while they are there. Leftovers from spicy banquets, over-provisioned picnics and un-sampled buffet breakfasts all add to the waste. But one smart tech entrepreneur has swapped his skills in cash handling to food handling – and helped feed hungry villagers in the process.

FairBnB: the Sustainable Alternative

Billing itself as Community Powered Tourism, a startup called FairBnB is aiming to bring a change to the way short term, internet-based rentals are offered in cities and tourist destinations worldwide. Into a way that benefits the community as well as the landlords.

Championing Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Ecotourism

Championing Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Ecotourism

The joint declaration by the Asian Ecotourism Network and Taiwan Ecotourism Association serves to outline the judicious management of indigenous peoples while reaping benefits for the ecotourism industry and communities alike

Circular Surfing : Polluting Plastic to New Boards

A US-based plastics company has teamed up with a Bangkok surfboard company to produce surf and paddle boards made from discarded fishing nets – and are giving oceanfront villagers a new source of income along the way.

Overtourism: UNWTO Strategies for Managing Urban Destinations

The ‘Overtourism’ report by UNWTO aims to help stakeholders manage growing urban tourism flows and their impacts for the benefit of visitors and the cities’ hosts – the residents. Mallika Naguran reports.

World Tourism Day Marks Innovation & Startup Contest

World Tourism Day Marks Innovation & Startup Contest

This year’s World Tourism Day on 27 September places importance on harnessing innovation and digital advances to improve tourism effects, plus a startup contest seeks to celebrate clever ideas that will lead the transformation of the tourism sector.