Responsible Tourism Guide to the Mekong » Mekong Tourism http://exploremekong.org/responsible An official Mekong Tourism site Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:23:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Mekong ‘Responsible’ Site Wins ‘Gold Award’ http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mekong-%e2%80%98responsible%e2%80%99-site-wins-%e2%80%98gold-award%e2%80%99.html http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mekong-%e2%80%98responsible%e2%80%99-site-wins-%e2%80%98gold-award%e2%80%99.html#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:06:30 +0000 David Gillbanks http://exploremekong.org/responsible/?p=3405 This site, the ‘Responsible Tourism Guide to the Mekong’ at ExploreMekong.org/responsible has won the 2009 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award in the website category.

Gold Awards Winner 2009This year’s PATA Gold Awards program attracted 236 entries from 120 organisations worldwide. Each PATA Gold Award is judged by a panel of industry experts.

“This Award sends a message of support, encouragement, and inspiration to responsible tourism operators in the Mekong,” said Mekong Tourism Executive Director Mason Florence. “They now have an opportunity to be featured[...]

]]> http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mekong-%e2%80%98responsible%e2%80%99-site-wins-%e2%80%98gold-award%e2%80%99.html/feed 0 … And is Eligible for the ‘Spotlight Award’. Vote Now! http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/%e2%80%a6-and-is-eligible-for-the-%e2%80%98spotlight-award%e2%80%99-vote-now.html http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/%e2%80%a6-and-is-eligible-for-the-%e2%80%98spotlight-award%e2%80%99-vote-now.html#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:05:06 +0000 David Gillbanks http://exploremekong.org/responsible/?p=3415 [Update: Ecotourism Laos garnered the highest popular vote and won the 2009 Ecotourism Spotlight Award. Congratulations Laos! The landlocked nation is part of the Greater Mekong Subregion and is a leader in global responsible tourism, particularly ecotourism.]

Voting is open for the 2009 Ecotourism Spotlight Award. Government websites that educate visitors about ecotourism and responsible travel options are eligible. Vote ‘Mekong’ now.

Nominees include the ‘Responsible Tourism Guide to the Mekong’ (Mekong Tourism’s PATA Gold Award-winning website), plus websites from Ireland, Laos, and[...]

]]> http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/%e2%80%a6-and-is-eligible-for-the-%e2%80%98spotlight-award%e2%80%99-vote-now.html/feed 0 Vote Mekong for Ecotourism Spotlight Award http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/vote-mekong-for-ecotourism-spotlight-award.html http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/vote-mekong-for-ecotourism-spotlight-award.html#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:17:38 +0000 David Gillbanks http://exploremekong.org/responsible/?p=3315 Voting has opened today, July 20, for the 2009 Ecotourism Spotlight Award.

Nominees for this year’s award include Quito Visitors’ Bureau, Responsible Tourism Guide to the Mekong (this site) Ecotourism Laos, Failte Ireland and Mexico’s National Commission of Natural Protected Areas. Vote now.

Contenders have made the most of the Web in 2009 to engage locals and visitors. Examples of best practices include Failte Ireland’s ecotourism handbook for all 16,000 Irish tourism businesses and Quito’s documentation of eco activities including weekend bike[...]

]]> http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/vote-mekong-for-ecotourism-spotlight-award.html/feed 0 Mason to Talk Development, Marketing at Ecotourism Event http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mason-to-talk-development-marketing-at-ecotourism-event.html http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mason-to-talk-development-marketing-at-ecotourism-event.html#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:32:06 +0000 David Gillbanks http://exploremekong.org/responsible/?p=3308 Mason Florence

Mason Florence

MTCO Executive Director Mason Florence will be a panelist during the special session entitled “Development & Marketing of the Greater Mekong Sub-region”, July 17, at the World Ecotourism Conference 2009 (WEC2009) in Vientiane. The GMS session is designed to “provide industry leaders with a strategic framework to plan for the sub-region and to enable them to understand and respond to strategic trends and developments”.

WEC2009 is an attempt to bring global ecotourism players together to network, collaborate and share their[...]

]]> http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mason-to-talk-development-marketing-at-ecotourism-event.html/feed 0 Sustainable Best Practices Handbook for SMEs http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/sustainable-best-practices-handbook-for-smes.html http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/sustainable-best-practices-handbook-for-smes.html#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:22:14 +0000 David Gillbanks http://exploremekong.org/responsible/?p=3306 The English PDF version of a full-colour illustrated handbook of good practices for tourism operators is available for download. ‘Sustainable Tourism Management in Thailand: A Good Practices Guide for SMEs’ was first published in 2007 to help hotels, restaurants, and nature and culture-based activity operators in Thailand take easy steps towards sustainable management.

The handbook comprises tips on how to lower electricity and water consumption, manage waste in an eco-friendly way, and interact positively with local communities. These tips are illustrated[...]

]]> http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/sustainable-best-practices-handbook-for-smes.html/feed 0 Mekong Website Eligible for ‘Ecotourism Spotlight Award’ http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mekong-website-eligible-for-ecotourism-spotlight-award.html http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mekong-website-eligible-for-ecotourism-spotlight-award.html#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:26:52 +0000 David Gillbanks awardecotourismplaneta http://exploremekong.org/responsible/?p=3177 Government websites that engage locals and visitors about ecotourism and responsible travel are eligible to win Planeta.com’s annual Ecotourism Spotlight Award.

The ‘Responsible Tourism Guide to the Mekong’ at www.ExploreMekong.org/responsible is a nominee.

Voting takes place via a popular count in July and August. Respondents will be asked to review all the sites and choose their favorite. Multiple votes will not be permitted. Honesty counts!

“Locals and visitors are seeking ecotourism experiences,” said Planeta.com founder Ron Mader. “The Ecotourism Spotlight Award helps government leaders[...]

]]> http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mekong-website-eligible-for-ecotourism-spotlight-award.html/feed 0 High Praise for ‘Responsible Tourism Guide to the Mekong’ http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mekong-tourism/high-praise-for-mekong-responsible-tourism-site.html http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mekong-tourism/high-praise-for-mekong-responsible-tourism-site.html#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:08:22 +0000 David Gillbanks http://exploremekong.org/responsible/?p=2823 Within days of its launch, the “Responsible Tourism Guide to the Mekong” started receiving plaudits from stakeholders in Mekong tourism and experts in the fields of sustainable tourism and responsible travel …

Dr Thomas Bauer

“The Responsible Tourism Guide to the Mekong website is an excellent complement to the existing ‘Guide to Responsible Tourism in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam’, a publication of the Mekong Tourism Development Project (MTDP). The website allows a broader distribution of its content to responsible travelers from around the world.[...]

]]> http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mekong-tourism/high-praise-for-mekong-responsible-tourism-site.html/feed 0 Responsible Tourism Site Focuses on the Mekong http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mekong-tourism/responsible-tourism-site-focuses-on-the-mekong.html http://exploremekong.org/responsible/news/mekong-tourism/responsible-tourism-site-focuses-on-the-mekong.html#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:53:53 +0000 David Gillbanks http://exploremekong.org/responsible/?p=2420 A new extension to MekongTourism.org and ExploreMekong.org, inspired by ‘The Guide to Responsible Tourism in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam’ has been launched.

The Guide

The Guide

In order to expand the potential readership of the book and the geographical coverage of its valuable content, the ‘Responsible Tourism Guide to the Mekong ’ website was developed and is being administered for the MTCO by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s ASEAN Competitiveness Enhancement Project (ACE).

MTCO Executive Director Mason Florence welcomed ACE Project’s initiative.[...]

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