EXO Foundation’s Sustainability Awards were held in September 2023. In this blog we introduce the honorees for the Empowering Communities category.
Tourism has the potential to be a transformative force, not just for the travellers but also for the local population. Historically, mass tourism in Asia prioritised the visitor experiences over the needs and well-being of the local communities. This led to a form of tourism that, while lucrative, often overlooked the people it affected most directly.
Thankfully, the culture of tourism is shifting and awareness is growing around the positive and negative impacts of travel. There has been, in recent years, a growing number of initiatives in Asia designed to enhance the traveller’s experience while also directly benefit local populations. By equipping residents with the skills, knowledge and resources needed, tourism can be a tool for socio-economic development.
Such community-driven tourism ensures that the financial benefits trickle down to the grassroots level, providing locals with sustainable livelihoods. It also offers visitors a richer, more authentic experience, creating a win-win scenario.
EXO Foundation Sustainability Awards is proud to support and promote organisations working to improve people’s lives through tourism. We are honoured to announce the following awards given for the category of ‘Empowering Communities’.
Sustainability Awards for Community Empowerment: Honouring organisations working to improve people’s lives through tourism
Winner (Not for Profit): Know One, Teach One (KOTO)- Vietnam
KOTO empowers at-risk disadvantaged youth in Vietnam through a holistic hospitality training program. Their objective is to provide young people with a life of choice and dignity by providing them with a well-rounded education. In their 23 years of operations, KOTO has contributed to reducing youth unemployment and gradually breaking the cycle of poverty in Vietnam.
The funding received by the Sustainability Awards will be used for key program education and wellbeing expenses.
Winner (Tourism private): Treehouse Villas Koh Yao (Thailand)
Treehouse Villas is a sustainable resort in southern Thailand that is committed to protecting and establishing a healthy symbiosis with nature while leaving a positive impact on our local community and staff.
Treehouse Villas employ 95% of their staff from local the community, purchase local products and services and actively nurture a sense of environmental awareness in the local community.
Runner-up (Not for Profit): Friends International (Thailand)
Friends-International is saving lives and building futures of the most marginalized children, their families, and their communities. Their ChildSafe Movement engages a diverse range of partners in the Travel and Tourism Industry to increase awareness about child protection in the context of Thailand.
Runner-up (Tourism Private Sector): Sarin Buana Eco-Lodge (Indonesia)
Sarin Buana Eco-Lodge has been leading the way in ecotourism in Bali for more than 30 years. Their goal, since day one, is to improve the social and environmental conditions for their local community by training, educating, employing and supporting more than 50 people over the years.
About the EXO Foundation Sustainability Awards:
The 2023 ceremony was held on 28 September and hosted by Alexandra Michat, EXO’s Chief Purpose Officer.
The goal of the awards was to identify, support and promote exemplary projects that seek to innovate sustainability in Asia. More than 20 nominees, from the non-profit sector and private tourism companies, were on the ballot competing for prizes totaling over $40,000 USD in value.
A panel of internationally recognised sustainable tourism professionals was enlisted to evaluate each nominee and vote according to its merits. The judges then announced the winners across five categories and a six ‘People’s Choice Award’ was granted based on a month-long public vote. EXO Foundation was joined by two co-sponsors in arranging and supporting this event: LightBlue Consulting and Considerate Group.
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