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| Protesters occupy Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. Photo by Permsuk Amporncharat. |
November was a historic month in Thailand, with the world's attention focused on the takeover of Bangkok's two major airports by anti-government protesters and an escalating political crisis. While Andaman Discoveries and the communities we work with may feel a world away from the unrest in Bangkok, we are of course directly connected to the impact of these events on the future of Thailand and its people. Our staff and friends in the villages followed the situation closely, though never allowing distressing news to slow us down. Happily, the storm seems to have cleared, and we're all relieved to see things moving forward again. We sincerely hope that the few would-be guests who couldn't join us for their scheduled cultural experience with Andaman Discoveries will be able to come see us in the future.
October and November were historic times for Andaman Discoveries as well. Our office was a hive of activity as our small staff feverishly organized meetings and materials for World Travel Market, the world's largest travel industry event. We balanced this with hosting 23 guests, including a 20-month old child and several travel writers. We sent our first volunteers to the Phuket Special School for disabled children, and cleared more wall space for new awards. Thank you to everyone for your continued support of our work.
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World Travel Market
Networking for Success
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 Four members of the Andaman Discoveries team traveled to London in November to attend this year's World Travel Market. The WTM is a four-day travel industry event that provides a unique opportunity for the whole global travel industry to meet, network, and discuss developments in the travel industry. Additionally, the event allowed us to honor our longstanding ties to UK. "Many of our visitors are British, so I feel honored to be in London," said Andaman Discoveries Director Tui Chomphusri, "and I hope that the travel industry can learn from our example - that responsible tourism should make a real difference in people's lives."
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| DEFRA Meeting in London
Meeting with The Right Honorable Hilary Benn
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 Demonstrating that our message of sustainable development is resonating up to the highest levels, the Andaman Discoveries team enjoyed a private meeting with The Right Honorable Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The forum at Westminster allowed us to briefly describe our success at creating an effective model of ground-level change.
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| Winner: Global Vision Award 2008
Efforts Earn Travel + Leisure Magazine Award
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 Andaman Discoveries won the 2008 Travel + Leisure Global Vision Award for Community Outreach. The award confers global recognition to organizations within the tourism industry who are dedicated to breaking molds and pushing boundaries while working with the environment around them. "Recipients of this award are considered to be the most progressive, forward- thinking visionaries who are setting new travel and tourism standards in areas such as cultural preservation and ecological conservation," according to the judges.
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| A Guest Donates Pink's Salary
Giving Back to the Community
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 Julia felt a genuine connection with Ban Talae Nok during her September visit, in particular community centre manager and youth group co-coordinator "Pink." Julia felt compelled to help, so she took the extraordinary step of funding Pink's salary for the next year. Pink was positively overwhelmed. "Thank you Julia and Andaman Discoveries for helping me come to this point today. The youth group and I promise to work hard for the things we feel will benefit the community most. Although some might not yet see the benefit of the youth group, at least Julia has given us the strength to keep working."
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| Phuket Special School
Spreading Compassion with New Volunteer Program
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 Since 1993, the Phuket Special School has provided a safe and educational haven for disabled, autistic, and deaf children from the ages of six to 21. The school aims to provide the children with a caring and stimulating environment to help them reach their potential, with the ultimate goal of helping them integrate back into society. Earlier this year Andaman Discoveries partnered with the school and in November we welcomed our first two volunteers from our partner TWIN UK. |
Family-Friendly Cultural Experiences
Cultural Exchanges for All Ages
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 There is no minimum age to have a transformative cultural exchange. As proof, consider the Jubert and Mills families, both of whom came independently to Andaman Discoveries in November with young ones ranging in age from three years to 20-months old. The Jubert family spent seven days in Ban Talae Nok and in the end said "it has been a great experience with the family and all the children in the village. Both children of the family we stayed with have been older brother and sister for my children, it was fantastic!"
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| Koh Ra Ecolodge
New Destination in the North Andaman
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 Our visitors can now mix some "sand and sea" into their village stay while still respecting the ethos of sustainable tourism. The new Koh Rah Ecolodge is a short boat ride away from Kuraburi, and was a huge success from the moment it opened its doors on Halloween night! Started by a locally-based NGO that has worked in marine conservation in the area for several years, their mission is to offer a sustainable alternative to Thailand's mass-tourism beach resorts. Koh Rah Ecolodge provides a venue for sustainability and conservation projects and workshops, and works to benefit the local environment and communities in the area.
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More Honors from Virgin Holidays and Wild Asia
Recognition from Prestigious Responsible Travel Organizations
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Andaman Discoveries was highly commended twice in November by the awards committees of two of the world's most prestigious responsible travel organizations: Virgin Holidays and Wild Asia. The judges for observed that "this award recognizes how Andaman Discoveries is using tourism to benefit and empower the community -- providing education, training, and economic opportunities -- and helping it to share its culture through workshops for tourists to learn how to make handicrafts, cook and harvest cashews and rubber."
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Fair Trade Handicrafts Holidays "Crafts and Culture" Journeys Benefit Visitors and Community
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 Phu Phiang fair trade tours provide their guests with a glimpse into the real Thailand through "Crafts and Culture" journeys that benefit both visitors and hosts. In November they hosted a group of eight from Thai Craft UK, and made Andaman Discoveries a stop on their Thailand tour. The group a day each in Tung Nang Dam and Ban Tale Nok. It was a refreshing break for the group, as they were visiting as many Craft shows as they could manage during their short time in Thailand. "I liked the range of activities and the 'hands on' nature. The whole thing was an amazing experience," commented Phu.
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"Off the Well-Trodden Rut" Travel Writer Jim Algie's Impressions
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 Andaman Discoveries was happy to host Farang Untamed Travel magazine writer Jim Algie, who spent a few days with us in Kuraburi and in Ban Talae Nok this month. Jim writes, "What I've come to relish most about community-based tours is that they open a gateway into rarely visited parts of the country, and traditional cultures, where locals are still welcoming and touts are non-existent. Sea-straddling towns like Baan Talae Nok rarely show up on tourist maps, and the sights like jellyfish farms, mosques in houses, and goats chewing up the greenery are not often seen in mainstream guidebooks or daily newspapers."
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| Rough Guide Visit North Andaman Region Considered a "Must-See" Destination
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 Jeremy Smith, author and editor of the widely-read environmental magazine Ecologist, is compiling a guide book of the top 300 eco-tourist destinations for the Rough Guide. He was nearing the end of his year-long multi-continent adventure in October when he and his partner Gail joined us for a three-night homestay in Ban Talae Nok. With his extensive knowledge in the areas of eco-tourism, self sustainability, and ethical consumerism, it was a great opportunity for Andaman Discoveries to gain new insights.
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CBT Consultant Joe Staiano
18-Year Travel Veteran Visits Andaman Discoveries
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 Can one's arm ever tire from returning enthusiastic waves from happy children? Can one's smile ever subside in a land where friendliness and hospitality rules? Can one's heart ever be so touched as to see communities that suffered through the tragedy of a tsunami exhibit such a sense of hope, of joy ... of living? Community-based tourism consultant Joe Staiano pondered these questions after his visits to Ban Talae Nok and Tung Nang Dam with Andaman Discoveries in early November.
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Copyright
2008 Andaman Discoveries
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North Andaman Getaway
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Make this holiday one you'll always cherish! It's not too late to join us this holiday season for a December special community tour. We still have several fixed tour programs available.
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AD YouTube Channel
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Andaman Discoveries recently launched a YouTube page and we need you to contribute! If you've ever visited us and made a short video of your village homestay, volunteer time, or have any other video footage related to our work, please contact us!
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"The villagers made the visitors part of their village by the smiles and invitations to join in the activities. You are all doing a wonderful job, keep on keeping on."
Julie, USA
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"The whole experience was wonderful, the villagers so helpful and friendly. If only I had more time."
Pat, UK
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"A fascinating insight into Thai rural culture, thank you."
Mike, UK
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"What an experience, every day was just amazing. I thank the villagers for their warm welcome and kindness. I will recommend this trip to all my friends."
Heather, UK
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"Fantastic stay, Maria and her family were very welcoming and her home was very comfortable."
Anna, UK
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"I had a wonderful time here, the people were great and the Guides fantastic. Thank you."
Brian, USA
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