Wild Asia’s Responsible Tourism Awards is an annual award that aims to recognize tourism businesses – from small community based projects to large resorts – that are making significant contributions to sustainable tourism. By sharing best practices of sustainable tourism seen among operators in Asia, the annual awards demonstrate how responsible tourism can be an effective tourism strategy that’s good for communities, the environment and businesses.

One of the most important protected areas in the Mexican Caribbean, the Biosphere Reserve of Sian Ka’an (Mayan for “Gift from the Sky”) is a place with an incomparable natural beauty and immense richness in flora and fauna. For these unique characteristics in biodiversity and its cultural treasures Sian Ka’an was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and has gained significant importance as a destination for ecotourism and sustainable livelihood development projects for local communities.

Chumbe Island, a half-mile-long coral rag island just eight miles south of Zanzibar’s infamous Stone Town, has become a celebrated ecotourism success story in the Zanzibar archipelago. Its history is a narrative best told directly by Sibylle Riedmiller, a German conservationist who came to Chumbe looking for a coral reef to protect in the late 80s. After years of complex negotiations among several actors, Sibylle’s determination persevered and in 1994 Chumbe Island Coral Park became Tanzania’s first marine protected area

By Jenn Holderied, Owner, Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort – We are fortunate to live and play in the Adirondack Park, and believe that this beautiful protected area is something worth protecting, not only for ourselves and our children, but for the thousands of visitors who pass through this wilderness each day. As you are swimming in the clean clear waters of Mirror Lake or sipping coffee from the lake-view balcony of your guest room, we think you will agree that it is worth it too.

In 2008, Rios Tropicales, led by co-founder Rafael Gallo, moved into international sustainable community development collaboration by winning a South-South grant for a rural tourism project between Bhutan and Costa Rica. Rios Tropicales has historically kept a low profile about its sustainable tourism practices and philosophy within its company operations and across its local Costa Rican communities.

By Rafael Gallo, Co-Founder, Rios Tropicales – In 1985 Jimmy, Fernando and I started Rios Tropicales because we loved running rivers, we knew our small country of Costa Rica had some of the world’s best paddling in the world, and we wanted to share these rivers with others. It was natural to us to protect the rivers we were running, help the communities we were visiting and train fellow Costa Ricans to do what we were doing. From our years of international paddling experience we knew guide school best practices and started our own guide school right away.

By Mikael Castro, TIES Travel Ambassador – “Welcome to the Capital of Ecotourism” read the sign at the entrance of town Bonito, in Brazil’s state of Mato Grosso do Sul. A rather ambitions statement, I thought, confident I would find only a few great ecotourism establishments among a pool of green-washed want-to-be’s. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find an amazingly organized, conservation-driven, municipal-wide, policy-driven, multi-stakeholder system for ecotourism.

From Wild to Web, an ecotourism-based wildlife monitoring project in Guyana’s Yupukari village was announced this year as a winner of the ECOCLUB.com’s annual eco-project competition with the theme, “Their Crisis, Our Communities – Progressive Change through Social Ecotourism.” TIES member Judy Karwacki of Small Planet Consulting works with the From Wild to Web as project manager for the Rupununi Learners Incorporated (RLI), a Guyanese nonprofit corporation whose Board and membership are composed entirely of Yupukari village residents.

Boundless Journeys recently received Travel + Leisure Magazine’s annual “World’s Best” Award as the #7 best tour operator in the world. Offering a range of small group and expert local guide trips for adventure travel vacations worldwide, Boundless Journeys continues to braze new trails in innovative and enriching adventure experiences. Diversity of adventure, unique itineraries and local expertise are among the most important ingredients that have defined the success story of Boundless Journeys.

La Selva Jungle Lodge, located in the heart of the pristine Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador has created what they call The Indigenous Spa, offering rejuvenating treatment by two native Quichua Indigenous women. This unique 1 hour and 20 minute spa treatment features native plant-based “rainforest spa” products and is a spiritual and educational experience. The treatment, for instance, includes a magical dusting away of evil spirits with special leaves, a foot massage with special scented plants from the forest..