With Asia as our home, we’ve seen firsthand how locally-based organizations have worked brilliantly to address growing social and environmental concerns, often with little recognition for their efforts.
The goal of these Sustainability Awards is to change that by identifying, supporting and promoting exemplary projects that seek to innovate sustainability by providing scalable solutions to challenges we face in the region and around the globe.
Specifically, we would like to recognize the following types of organizations:
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non-profits, NGOs, associations, cooperatives, and social enterprises
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tourism private companies such as excursion suppliers, accommodation providers, and transport companies.
Interested in applying? Read to the bottom to learn about eligibility requirements, awards and to submit your application.
By recognizing, promoting and supporting their efforts, we hope to foster collaboration that will help drive sustainable practices across the tourism industry in two key areas:
Planet & People
For tourism to achieve its highest potential of being a legitimate force for good, it must address a complex myriad of concerns ranging from waste management and water protection to wildlife trafficking and cultural preservation.
Because all of these concerns are equally vital to protecting and uplifting destinations, we’ve identified three categories under ‘People’ and ‘Planet’ respectively for which organizations can submit their candidacy.
PLANET
- Carbon footprint reduction
- Mitigation and risk reduction
- Waste reduction
- Circular economy innovation
- Ecosystem restoration
- Biodiversity conservation
PEOPLE
- Local empowerment and sourcing
- Community Development
- Engagement
- Preservation of cultural heritage sites
- Promotion of living cultural heritage
- Responsible tourism practices
Why participate?
At EXO Foundation, we believe that any project, whether small or big can generate a significant impact on sustainable development.
We will leverage our wide network in Asia, to reach out to more than hundreds of organizations and over 5,000 private tourism sector actors.
We believe that any project, big or small, has the potential to have a lasting positive impact on destinations. The following incentives are designed to support these efforts.
- Recognition and validation
- Networking opportunities and a chance to showcase your work
- An opportunity to be judged by a panel of internationally-recognized sustainable tourism professionals.
We are reaching out to you, because we are convinced that your organization will help us to drive success and sustainable tourism initiatives in our region.
Additionally, we are pleased to announce that the following prizes:
$36,000 in Financial Support
Diamond winner for Planet – $7,000
Diamond winner for People – $7,000
Gold winner for Planet – $5,000
Gold winner for People – $5,000
Silver winner for Planet – $3,000
Silver winner for People – $3,000
Bronze winner for Planet – $2,000
Bronze winner for People – $2,000
Each Diamond, Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will also be offered a Good Tourism sponsored post worth USD 300 (total value: $2,400).
People’s Choice Awards: $1,000 each for the most popular Planet and People projects, awarded to the projects with the highest public votes, open to both companies and NGOs.
$18,000 in Advertising & More
- Half Page add in EXplorer: Expand your projects in the minds of tourism professionals across the world by advertising your business and your sustainability to blue-chip travel agencies and tour operators across the world via EXO communications, publications and social media.
- Travel without Plastic is sponsoring the Sustainability Awards by offering one hour consultations session for the Diamond and Gold.
- EXO Foundation is also offering GSTC training sessions with two training sessions for the Diamond and Gold, one training sessions for Silver, and one for the Bronze in both the Planet and People categories, with a total value of 6,000 USD.
And much more …!
How to participate?
To participate in the EXO Foundation Sustainability Awards, please take note of the following conditions:
- Geographic area: Only projects located in the following countries are eligible for the Sustainability Awards: Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea.
- The project/organization must have a clear overall commitment to positively impact local communities, economies, cultures, and environments.
- Interested applicants must submit their applications by the 15th of September.
- In addition to the questionnaire, participants will also be asked to submit necessary documentation and high quality pictures pitching their projects.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at this email address :
[email protected]
Agenda
- Closing of applications for award nominations is September 15th at 12:00 PM.
- In September, the judging panel will select the projects that will move forward as finalists.
- The public voting period will take place in October & November.
- The sustainability Awards Ceremony will be held on December 4th , where the winners will be announced and celebrated. Click here to join the event online.
Judging Panel
Nia Klatte is a responsible tourism expert and consultant with extensive experience in capacity building, ESG strategy development and sustainable tourism standards and certification. Nia holds a Masters in Tourism and Social Anthropology from the University of Brighton and combines her passion for sustainable development with the travel and hospitality industry. In her role as a sustainability consultant, she supports tourism businesses on their journey towards becoming more socially responsible and environmentally friendly.
Since my graduation from the International Tourism Management & Consultancy bachelor’s degree at BUAS (The Netherlands) 20 years ago, I have spent my time both lecturing in tourism and working for Fair Tourism. The aim of the foundation is to stop exploitation of indigenous people through tourism by assisting them with transitioning towards community-based tourism (CBT). Our current projects focus on the Kayan (long neck) in Thailand and the Maasai and Samburu in Kenya. Other activities we undertake to achieve this goal are creating awareness for CBT and sustainable tourism through workshops, speaking at congresses, writing academic articles, but also by collaborating with DMCs and their overseas agents as well as with stakeholders.
Jo has over 20 years of experience in tourism, with roles in tour-operating, health and safety auditing, quality assurance, and sustainability. Since 2007, she has worked with accommodations, excursion suppliers, and tour operators to implement practical sustainability strategies and in 2017 she founded Travel Without Plastic to combat single-use plastic consumption in the industry. Travel Without Plastic, now a trusted industry name, offers support products and services to hotels, hospitality businesses, and tourism authorities globally. Jo has delivered training to hundreds of professionals and managed plastic reduction projects in the Balearic and Canary Islands. She has created tools and guides for IHG, TUI Travel, and Turismo de Portugal, and developed content for WWF Bonaire and the Global Tourism Plastic Initiative. Jo holds a Master’s in Responsible Tourism Management and co-authored key publications on single-use plastics. She is a Travelife Auditor and a trustee of the Explore Foundation.
Yudhi Pradhana (Dana) has 17 years of professional experience in Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and Creating Shared Value (CSV) with family foundations, corporate foundations, and multinational companies. Since joining an international sustainability consulting firm in 2018, Dana has integrated his previous work in ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) and social compliance with international standards such as the Equator Principles, IFC Performance Standards, and ADB Safeguards Policies. He also has experience in sustainability reporting for the FMCG industry, agro-food companies, and Sustainability award submissions. As a native Indonesian with a strong Javanese family cultural background, Dana frequently travels to Yogyakarta, Central Java, to retrace his family roots. During his many visits, he has experienced firsthand both the positive and negative impacts of tourism, which has made him a firm believer in Sustainable Tourism. He is currently the Executive Director of B Market Builder Southeast Asia (BMB SEA), a Global Partner of B Lab Global, covering all ASEAN countries except Singapore. In this role, he supports companies in obtaining B Corp Certification, assists Certified B Corp companies with recertification, and builds the B Corp Movement
Ayako Ezaki is the Director of Training Strategies & Development at TrainingAid, an international tourism training company supporting industry professionals with skills development opportunities in sustainable tourism. Having worked for more than a decade in tourism professional training and education, Ayako specializes in educational program design, training facilitation and project planning. Through TrainingAid’s partnership with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Ayako also facilitates the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course.
Daniel Turner is an environmental biologist who has been working for the advancement of applied animal and nature protection for over 20 years. Considered as the pioneer of animal welfare and nature-positive policy, Daniel is vastly knowledgeable and experienced in the issues and in how to engage business to solve them. He instigated and co-drafted ABTA’s Animal Welfare Guidelines (2013), and following his establishment of ANIMONDIAL, a specialist consultancy, he has co-authored publications, “Preventing Illegal Wildlife Trade” (WTTC, 2021), “Nature Positive Travel & Tourism” (WTTC, 2022) and “Nature Positive Travel & Tourism in Action” (UN Tourism, WTTC, WSHA, 2024); and has been instrumental in establishing tourism’s UN’s Biodiversity Plan targets and defined actions.
Miss Parichat Suntararak is a vice president of the Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association (TEATA). TEATA is a recognized organization in Thailand, dedicated to promoting sustainable travel and tourism. Miss Parichat is TEATA’s active researcher under the Carbon Neutral Tourism project funded by Thailand funding agency. Miss Parichat also founded Kanzolve Company Limited, which owns Paree Travel, a tourism business registered under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Paree Travel specializes in responsible travel and operates Tour Indepth, a brand catering to international tourists visiting Thailand.
