Asia’s award-winning ethical holidays are world-beaters
The 2016 World Responsible Tourism Awards winners have been announced and Asian tourism experiences have received top accolades, including joint overall winner. Here are six Asian getaways that allow you to give back
While ecotourism is a phrase that has been bandied about for the last decade, it has become the chosen form of holidaying for the younger generation who are seeking out authentic experiences over the beach and package holidays preferred by their predecessors.
“Cultural experiences reign over partying,” says James Dion, National Geographic’s sustainable tourism programme manager, referring to millennial traveller trends.
“They’re not so much leisure travellers as people were before,” he adds. “They’re more part of the experience economy. Authenticity sells and can bring benefits to people and a place.” Catering to this thirst for the authentic, Asia has become a hotbed of eco offerings.
However, as with all fads, the buzzword has been attached to projects that have negative impacts on the environment and communities they claim to serve, making it vital that travellers do their research.
Below we take a look at this year’s winning destinations in Asia, as well as a few new ethical holiday experiences for 2017.
