As I mentioned in my previous piece, Community Based Tourism: What’s in a Name?, I first became aware of the concept in the early 1990s when I was introduced to the Ulu Ai Longhouse experience in Sarawak, East Malaysia. It was one of the first tours, in the depths of the Borneo Rainforest, which we promoted.

There were other longhouse tours around, the best known being on the Skrang River, but, to my knowledge, none were as sensitive to the cultural and natural environment as this one.

The initiative was the brain-child of the two owners of the Kuching-based operator Borneo Adventure, Philip Yong and Robert Basiuk. It has been described by Robert, as “one example of a new generation of tourism products promoting the intricate relationship between the rainforest and its dwellers.”

The project started back in 1986 and by 1999 twenty six families “received over RM 300,000 ($82,000) in tourism-related pay. In addition to the wages earned as guides, boat drivers and cooks, as well as rental for the guesthouse, the village people also earn money selling traditional handicrafts such as woven blankets ($10,000 in 1999). This income has also allowed the village to break out of the subsistence agriculture cycle and diversify their economy to include more efficient cash crops. The reduced demand for expansion onto new land means that less forest is cut, ultimately providing more habitat for wildlife.”

Philip Yong, the company’s managing director, told me recently that the project continues to perform well although they have put a cap on the annual number of visitors. I almost typed the word ‘naturally’ in that sentence but of course not all companies would be as sensitive: some would milk the project for as much as they possibly could. I hate being cynical but that is the reality.

In an interview published on Wild Asia (a Malaysia-based conservation group which promotes responsible tourism) Philip states that “If I want to make money I could sell this product to another company and cash out….. But this is good for the soul…”

In this same interview Philip explains frankly that community based tourism (CBT) is not without its challenges and he is keen to point out that, although an award-winning initiative, it should not be viewed as a model.

I wonder if there is or could be a model for community based tourism. “There’s no one solution-fit-all, but a set of criteria. You need to have a cohesive community with a strong leadership, and you need people who are committed and who get things done,” says Yong. Now that of course is true of any community project and, although my experience with ‘communities’ is limited, my guess is it is difficult to find these key attributes in one place. Thus I doubt that a model could ever exist.

I do believe that, while not a panacea, CBT does have scope for alleviating poverty in remote communities. If you have any experience of such projects or know of a ‘model’ I am keen to hear from you, please contact me.

All images courtesy of Borneo Adventure.

The key question for me is, over the longterm (well, we are all going to have to work until we’re 90 aren’t we?), how can I use my 25 years of travel industry experience as a specialist tour operator in a worthwhile way?

Until recently, in my spare time, I was a school governor and a trustee of a children’s charity but those tenures have ended and now I am looking for something else. I have always been interested in a responsible approach to travel, and a great believer in authentic travel experiences, so the idea of pursuing something in this line appeals. Especially if it meets one of the aims of this site, namely to bring positive change to the lives of under-privileged children in south-east Asia (not all of them, of course, just as many as possible).

Two of my favourite tours at Magic of the Orient were community-based, although I don’t think the phrase ‘Community based tourism” had been coined when we first started promoting them back in the mid 1990s. One tour was to a hilltribe village in Northern Thailand and the other to a longhouse in Sarawak, East Malaysia (aka Borneo). In both cases the community had built accommodation especially for tourists and in both cases the community were involved in planning and running the set-up. These projects brought income to the community via bed and lodgings, guiding services and souvenir purchases.

Here is a definition of CBT from the Thailand Community Based Tourism Institute (1997):

“CBT is tourism that takes environmental, social, and cultural sustainability into account. It is managed and owned by the community, for the community, with the purpose of enabling visitors to increase their awareness and learn about the community and local ways of life”.

Unfortunately, however, there does not appear to be just one definition. According to Harold Goodwin, a recognized authority on Responsible Tourism, “there is no agreement about the meaning of CBT and ….. whenever the words are used the meaning needs to be made clear”.

OK that’s fair enough so we always need to qualify CBT whenever we talk about it but wait! According to a study by Goodwin, the model is not sustainable: “.. evidence suggests that average bed occupancy achieved by CBT initiatives is around 5% and that this unsustainable.”

What? So is there any point? Goodwin goes on: “The research has demonstrated that there are a number of initiatives which are not CBT which have demonstrated very considerable employment, local economic development and collective community benefits….”

OK, so this is more positive. There are initiatives that are not CBT that are successful. Hmm. So if there is an initiative that is deemed successful does it matter that it is not CBT?

This also begs the question. “how is success measured”? For me, back when we started promoting such tours, the motivation was twofold: 1) to give remote communities the opportunity to benefit from tourism and 2) to provide our clients with an authentic experience. For me it was essential that the hosts were proactive participants rather than passive recipients as in ‘goldfish bowl’ tourism: the tours to Paduang villages – the so-called longneck tribes – in Northern Thailand are examples of passive tourism and, in my opinion, are abhorrent . Simplistically, if these objectives were met, it was successful and certainly the two tours referred to above are still operating today (I shall write more about them later).

Also it must surely depend upon whether the initiative is intended to be the sole provider for a community or whether it is to be incremental income. Given the vagaries of the travel industry I would suggest that the initiative should always be for incremental income.

If we forget, then, the constraints of labels and think instead in terms of (lower case) community based tourism, surely this opens up a wide range of possibilities.

What do you think: is Community Based Tourism no more than academic theory; just more marketing hype with little real value over the long-term; or is it a concept worth pursuing?

The storm unleashed a heavy downpour at about 1am early Saturday and put out the fires that had been raging out of control for almost one month in the Kuala Baram district some 35kms north of Miri city.

Read Sudden storm souses Sarawak fires (The Star Online)

And if that were not bad enough, the number of open fires is increasing thereby contributing to a worsening ‘Haze’. Reportedly four areas in Sarawak – Bintulu, Miri, Samarahan, Sibu – recorded unhealthy API readings of between 110 and 153 while Port Klang on Peninsula Malaysia became the first area there with an unhealthy 113 reading.

My contact in Kuching, the State capital of Sarawak, tells me that at the moment the situation there is bearable.

With this situation potentially lasting through until September or October the region needs rain urgently.

As I mentioned in The Haze Threat Returns To South East Asia last month the problem is mostly caused by the slash-and-burn preparation of land in Sumatra and Kalimantan. At least it is good to read that Indonesia is cooperating with Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam to protect Kalimantan (Borneo) through their ‘Heart of Borneo (HOB)‘ programme.

Read Air quality deteriorates over Malaysia

At the moment they are confined to an area less than 1,000ha of forest surrounded by oil palm plantations: apparently these animals require a home range of about five square kilometres (500ha) per animal.

The aim is to move the rhinos to a wildlife reserve.

You can read Wildlife experts out to save stray rhinos in Borneo isle here.

Kuala Lumpur by Phalinn

The skies over Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and other places around the region, are once again in danger of being enveloped by “The Haze” said to be caused principally by slash-and-burn agriculture production on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

It was in October 1997 that I first became aware of The Haze. Although slash-and-burn agriculture has been practised for millennia, it was in that year the Haze caused extensive problems for the region. It significantly affected the tourism industry, the health of the population and the environment. The total economic loss was estimated to be US $9 billion.

Apparently, the cyclical weather phenomenon known as El Nino exacerbated normal atmospheric conditions such that the smoke from these slash-and-burn activities, and sporadic forest fires, spread in swathes across the region: it caused the air quality, measured by the Air Pollutant Index (API), in many places to reach dangerous levels.

In major cities like Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, just as with any city in the world, you expect to see levels of pollution caused by traffic, industry etc but during the Haze those levels shot up. I recall at one point in Kuching, East Malaysia the API was around 300.

As a result of the Haze in 1997 (which continued into 1998), Indonesia outlawed the clearing of land by fire but the government’s efforts in eradicating it so far appear to have had little effect. Indeed there have been further episodes of especially bad Haze (albeit not to the ’97/98 levels) in 2002, 2005, 2006 and there are signs that it is returning in 2009.

Haze Over Kuala Lumpur in 2005 (Wikipedia)

Only today I read that:

<< Malaysia has offered to help Indonesia curb forest fires as air quality fell in the country.

“We have special aeroplanes which can be used to carry out water bombing,” the Sunday Star quoted Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak as saying.

“It is up to the Indonesian government to accept it,” the premier told the newspaper, as he urged Malaysians to avoid open burning.

Malaysian environment authorities said air quality and visibility in parts of the country over the past week fell from “good” to “moderate.”>>

The report goes on:

<<Environment ministers from Singapore, Malaysia and other regional nations have urged Indonesia promptly to ratify a regional treaty aimed at preventing cross-border haze pollution.

Malaysia said last year that it will help Indonesian farmers practise safer farming methods, to help curb the forest fires, by sending experts to the fire-prone Riau region on Indonesia’s Sumatra island.>>

With all the other issues affecting the region from the Global Financial Crisis to Swine Flu, as far as tourism is concerned this is the last thing the region needs right now. Perhaps more important though is the threat to the health of the local residents and to the environment. I just hope that the Indonesian government, together with its neighbours, finds a speedy solution to the problem for everyone’s sake.

Sumatran Tropical Rainforest by Wild Tiger

As I understand it, the slash-and-burn preparation of the land starts around June and lasts through until November with a peak in September and October. However there is no suggestion that the conditions this year will be anything like as severe as they were in ‘97/98, and personally I would not be dissuaded from visiting at that time.

Being a weather-related phenomenon the Haze is very unpredictable and all the visitor can do, especially if you have a respiratory condition, is to monitor the situation. Fortunately, the two countries which seem to suffer most from the Haze now publish daily API (PSI in Singapore) figures; and these can be viewed at Singapore’s National Environment Agency site and on Malaysia’s Department of Environment site.

It is of course bad enough for the tourist visiting these places when there is a Haze episode but what must it be like for the local residents? Have you been affected by The Haze in South East Asia?

Tanjung Rhu

Tanjung Rhu on the Malaysian Island of Langkawi is, in my opinion, one of the best beach locations throughout South East Asia.

The long, white-sand beach looks onto limestone karsts rising from the sea and the adjacent river is bordered by mangrove forest. The area is a blissful oasis of solitude and a delicious slice of nature.

Situated within these 1100 acres of lush tropical greenery is the Tanjung Rhu Resort. My family and I had a great 3-day stay there (disclosure: the room was hosted by the resort) a few years back and really enjoyed the beauty of the place. Not to mention the huge room that would be a suite in most other hotels. The smallest rooms are around 50 sq metres compared to the 30/32 sq m that you would normally find as the standard.

I am a big fan and so, although not surprised, I felt more than a twinge of consternation when I read, in The New Straits Times, that a memorandum of understanding was recently signed between Coco International Ltd and AUF Properties Sdn Bhd to develop a 20 acre residential-cum-commercial centre along this beautiful stretch of Langkawi’s northern coastline.

I am not against development per se. I think it would be hypocritical if I were: I enjoy staying in comfortable hotels in stunning locations and as a travel professional, I made a living from sending other people to such places.

What for me is important is how that development is handled. Today, there is every reason why a development should be both responsible and sustainable. Fortunately, according to the Master Plan for Tanjung Rhu (N.B. the file is 3MB and might be slow to download) that is the approach the consortium responsible for this development is taking. They claim to be committed to retaining the four main ecological systems which are the key features that make the area so special: the forest, mangrove, the freshwater and the marine system.

Tanjung Rhu Resort

Given the increasing awareness of today’s ‘green’ traveller any developer that ignores these issues would risk creating a White Elephant. I doubt this consortium will make that mistake. There are too many examples in the region where over-development has diminished the intrinsic value of the destination.

I do not yet know when the development is scheduled to start but when it does there will be a big challenge for the Tanjung Rhu Resort to manage the disturbance to guests during the building phase. I shall endeavour to keep an eye on the project and provide reports as and when I have more information.

In the meantime if you know the Tanjung Rhu Resort Langkawi and would like to submit a review of it I would be pleased to hear from you: tony at hookedonasia dot org.

The Singapore Flyer by Cheeweng

From 01 July 2009 another no-frills airline will be flying between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Firefly, Malaysia Airline’s budget carrier, will be joining rivals AirAsia, Jetstar and Tiger Airways on this traditionally lucrative route. It will start with 3 flights daily and move up to 4 on 12 July.

The recent liberation of air services between Malaysia and Singapore means that competition is really hotting up: good news for the consumer. Firefly has an introductory price of RM88 one way, which is around £15. (Currency Converter)

The airline arguably has the edge on its rivals because it flies from the ‘old’ airport at Subang, which is around half the distance from the city as Sepang.

Later on in July the airline will also be flying between Singapore and the Malaysian cities of Ipoh, to the north of KL, and to both Kuala Terengganu and Kuantan on the east coast. This will open up the opportunities for more Singapore beach combos. The weather will still be good on the eastern seaboard until around September when the rainy season kicks in.

Photo source: Cheeweng

Centara: 2 new hotels

in southern Thailand

I hear that the Thailand-based Centara Hotels & Resorts has taken on the management of two more hotels in Thailand: the Bhundhari Spa Resort & Villas Samui, A Centara Resort, on Ko Samui, and Centara Pariya Resort & Villas on Koh Pha Ngan – famous (or is that infamous) for the backpackers’ full moon parties. This must mean Ko Pha Ngan has entered the mainstream. It has always interested me how backpackers pioneer destinations and lay the foundation for mainstream tourism. That’s a whole debate right there but if I am to get this post published I have to move on.

The Bhundari Spa Resort has an introductory offer on at the moment for bookings made by 10 May 2009 with prices from THB 2,950 (Currency Converter) – that’s around £56: worth looking at if you can get this rate for the July/August peak.

New Flights Kuala Lumpur to Phuket

Firefly, a wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, will launch a daily flight between Kuala Lumpur (Subang) and Phuket from 01 May 2009.

The airline operates out of Penang and flies to Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu and Langkawi in Malaysia, and Koh Samui and Phuket in Thailand.

I remember being cheesed off when Thai Airways withdrew their flight that used to operate between Phuket and Penang: it made a great combination for clients. It is good that Firefly has been on that route since April 2007 and now with this new one it is possible to have some interesting local combos: e.g. Singapore/Penang/Phuket/Kuala Lumpur.

New from Tiger Airways

- Singapore/Langkawi and Singapore/Penang

Following on from news that AirAsia will be flying between Singapore and Langkawi (at time of writing I am still awaiting the schedule), Tiger Airways announced this week that the Governments of Singapore and Malaysia have given approval for the low-cost carrier to commence daily services to Langkawi and up to 3 services a day to Penang from Singapore.

Rosalynn Tay, Managing Director of Tiger Airways Singapore, said “Tiger Airways continues to buck the global aviation trend. Over the last four months we have added 7 routes to our group network including daily flights to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, a new daily service between Singapore and Jakarta, more services on the ever popular Singapore – Kuala Lumpur route, as well as 4 extra flights a week to Guangzhou bringing the total number of weekly services to 11.” The airline has yet to announce the flight schedule to Langkawi and Penang.

Good news for the islands of Penang and Langkawi, and for the independent-minded traveller, but I do wonder where all the passengers are going to come from.

Independent Travellers Buck The Trend?

I drop into forums when I can and help out where I can and I have noticed that, whatever might be happening in the travel industry as a whole, the independent-minded traveller is still planning and still taking the annual (if not more often) vacation. Is it just my imagination or are those that are clued-up making the most of the cheap Asia travel?