How is WHOA! involved?
WHOA! teams up with one of Asia’s leading internet based resources on nature and conservation, Wildasia.net, to expand and drive Responsible Travel/Tourism(RT) initiatives for all our travel partners to join. We are striving to create a common RT platform for our partners to join. This will take time, and we hope to have all our partners onboard and thinking along RT paths in the near future. This is our model:
How can I get involved?
As a consumer, support RT friendly packages that we highlight. We single out their good RT practices. After your tour, fill up our feedback form including the RT section here. We periodically compile this information and send it back to the operator for improvement. We hope to create a continuous win-win cycle for everybody.
If you are an operator / accommodation provider, we would love to hear from you! Contact us at whoa_me@whoa-adventures.com to find out more on how to get involved.
How does Responsible Tourism benefit you?
Whether you are traveling for fun or business, wouldn't you prefer your hard
earned money be a well spent contribution for a
good cause as well? By selecting RT operators, you encourage the activity provider to carry out proper responsible travel practises which will preserve their attractions for generations to enjoy and provide a long term socio-eco benefit to the local community.
What is Responsible Tourism?
Responsible tourism is defined as:
"Providing quality travel experiences that promote conservation of natural environments and offer opportunities and benefits for local communities " (Wildasia.net, 2005)
There are 3 major considerations:
Economic - ensuring that local communities are actively involved and are able to sustain their livelihoods directly from tourism through the promotion of equitable pricing and equal distribution of economic gains
Social - involving local communities in both planning and decision-making processes. Respecting social and cultural diversity
Environmental - minimising impact on environment, using natural and sustainable resources and maintaining nature’s ecology and biodiversity.
We are launching a very important RT campaign for 2006 / 2007. Read about all about it here and how it can benefit your business.