By Amy McLoughlin

The quiet village of Thrikkaipetta is a beacon for community spirit and an inspiration for ethical tourism. Thrikkaipetta’s Bamboo Village was initiated by local people, passionate about improving life for the community. It is a community led bamboo nursery, using the materials to create traditional crafts, food products, for environmental protection and as a tourism attraction.

Relief Riders International is an adventure travel company that leads relief missions on horseback through the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India. Alexander Souri founded Relief Riders International (RRI) in 2004 and Relief Workers International (RWI) in 2008. He designs and supervises the relief missions, coordinates the work of the core team, and directs marketing and sales efforts for both RRI and RWI.

Everyone has heard of the Annapurna trail, Mount Everest and other Himalayan hotspots, which draw thousands of trekkers and mountaineers to Nepal every year. Now there is a new trail in development which is likely to go straight to the top of many adventurers’ To-Do list, and the people behind it hope it will, to spread the benefits of trekking tourism to little visited regions of the Himalayas.

The Great Himalaya Trail (GHT), a network of existing trails which connect popular trekking areas with areas that are less explored, is the highest and one of the longest walking trails in the world. Winding beneath the world’s highest peaks and visiting some of the most remote communities on earth, the Great Himalaya Trail, roughly 4,500 km in length, passes through lush green valleys, arid high plateaus and incredible landscapes, crossing through Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, India, and Pakistan.

The Blue Yonder (TIES Business Member) sponsored an eco-holiday trip “River Nila Holiday” last year that was featured on TIES ecoAuction. Spending days along the River Nila in the Malabar region of Kerala, and enjoying uniquely local experiences, the trip offers travelers an opportunity to get to know Kerala’s great local heritage sites and culinary highlights in an intimate way. Myriam and Titou, who participated in the River Nila Holiday journey with The Blue Yonder in 2009, share their Kerala experiences…

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.

Nepal is regarded as one of the adventure capitals of the world, and Social Tours are local trekking and adventure specialists who are leading by example. They are fast gaining a reputation as an expert group absolutely dedicated to their principles of respect, honesty, social inclusion and environmental protection. Social Tours also played an instrumental role in developing the green circuit responsible tourism initiative, coordinate volunteer programs in the area, and dedicate 10% of profits every year to charities

Help Tourism have been at the vanguard of sustainable tourism initiatives in North East India for well over a decade. They have developed a wide variety of adventure and activity programs, including trekking in the Himalayas, tiger, rhino and bird spotting in the National Parks and Reserves networks, elephant safaris, jungle lodges, heritage and cultural tours in this fascinating and diverse region of India. Uniquely, all these programs are designed with specific sustainable development and conservation goals in mind.

Spiti Ecosphere is an endeavour to promote community-based ecotourism in the Spiti valley, a stunning high altitude desert region tucked away in the Trans-Himalayan belt of Himachal Pradesh. A passion for conservation, mountain travel and adventure brought together a collaboration of local community members and professionals from diverse backgrounds to offer a range of trekking, mountaineering, biking, rafting, cultural and spiritual adventures in this beautiful and remote corner of the Himalayas.

The Jalore Wildlife Sanctuary, established in 2005 in a remote jungle area of granite hills, savanna and forest, is the first and only privately owned and operated wildlife sanctuary in India. The sanctuary’s mission is to balance the needs of locals and wildlife by combining conservation and ecotourism. The idea to create a new wildlife refuge in Jalore was first born out of discussions among a group of friends and family – Gajendra Singh Chouhan, a patron of the arts from Jodhpur, and his friends