“Winning these two gold awards is tremendous recognition of
the TAT’s focus on encouraging more environmentally-responsible tourism and the
development of community-based tourism that allows visitors to experience Thai
culture up close while providing direct benefits to communities in Thailand,”
said Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Suraphon Svetasreni.
Judged by a panel of tourism experts, the PATA Gold Awards
set industry standards for excellence and innovation. The winners will receive
their awards in a ceremony at the PATA Annual Meeting, which this year will
take place in Putrajaya, Malaysia from 20-23 April 2012.
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a non-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism within the Asia-Pacific region. This year, PATA is proud to celebrate 60 dynamic years of developing responsible tourism. In partnership with private and public sector members, PATA enhances the sustainable growth, value and quality of travel and tourism to, from and within the region. The Association provides leadership and counsel on an individual and collective basis to over 80 government, state and city tourism bodies; nearly 50 international airlines, airports and cruise lines and many hundreds of travel industry companies across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. PATA Gold Award 2012 on Environment Ecotourism: Sukhothai Airport
Various activities are available for visitors, from short
half-day visits to three days of intensive training. Tourists can enjoy
activities such as an overview presentation of the project, a ride on a farm
truck with a local guide, lessons in cooking easy Thai dishes using local farm
products, the early morning collection of duck eggs, riding buffalos the
traditional way, working in the farm and doing craft work.
The PATA Judging Committee’s comment: “It is an excellent
project. It achieves its purpose of raising awareness of environmental issues
while increasing the number of visitors. The local community also benefits from
better environmental practices as well as revenues from responsible tourism.”
PATA Gold Award 2012 on Heritage: Ban Na Ton Chang Community
The villagers of Ban Na Ton Chan formed the Career
Development Fund and Ban Na Ton Chan Homestay Tourism Community with
participation in management by all villagers. The Ban Na Ton Chan Homestay
Project has 20 member families and can accommodate up to 70 people.
The “Elephant Sanctuary” is a house providing safely and
rehabilitation for tortured and neglected elephants. It is located around 2 km
from the community. Villagers show tourists how to cook Thai food and provide
knowledge on how to prepare herbs and vegetables grown locally.
All members of the Ban Na Ton Chan Homestay Group share the responsibility
to take visitors to stay at their houses. The host family leads tours of the
village. The benefits from the sales of products such as woven cloth and other
items are divided equally among the members. All the members bring their
products to store at the exhibition building of the community. The marketing
department is in charge of selling them and dividing the profits among the
members. Ten per cent of the income is deducted to be the costs of maintaining
the environment and tourist attractions in the community. Some of the amount is
spent on training to educate the members and the youth in the village about
tourism, while the rest is kept as a common fund for communal affairs.
The PATA Judging Committee’s comment: “The Ban Na Ton Chan
Community programme is a very noteworthy one from the standpoint of heritage.”
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Sunday, 6 May 2012
Top Tourist Attractions in Sukhothai Province win PATA Gold Awards 2012
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