The English translation of The Tai Daeng of Hua Phan Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic is now available at TAEC and our on-line shop. Translated from Thai into English by Linda S. McIntosh, this first book in the TAEC Ethnography Series gives historical background and documents the contemporary lives of the Tai Daeng in Laos. Sumitr Pitiphat, professor of Anthropology at Thammasat University of Bangkok, Thailand wrote the original book and has studied the Tai peoples of Laos, northern Vietnam, and southwest China. The book explores traditions and changes including this group's traditional belief system and their conversion to Buddhism and the external factors that have led to changes in their handwoven textiles. Translation of this book into English brings information about the Tai Daeng in Laos to a larger audience. We hope it will build greater understanding of the rapid change facing ethnic groups here," notes TAEC Co-Director Tara Gujadhur....

A one-year project began in June 2014 as a collaborative programme between COMPACT (Community Management of Protected Areas for Conservation) and the Toledo Tour Guide Association. The project is snappily titled "Building the Capacity of Local Tour Guides for Responsible Tourism in Punta Gorda, a Coastal Community of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site." It aims to strengthen the capacity of the Toledo Tour Guide Association to promote responsible tourism practices among its members who utilize the marine resources for their livelihoods. This project builds on the success of previous projects funded with the main objective of providing an environment for the development of sustainable, environmentally-aware tourism in Punta Gorda and building tourism products in which community members can be employed in tourism as an alternative to traditional fishing. The project is based on the thematic area of sustainable livelihoods. The project will empower local tour guides who...

This year there has been a steady stream of self-congratulatory announcements of successes from the bloody "war on poaching" undertaken by security services led by merciful mercenaries, drone fleets etc. But conservation should not be inhumane or trample on human rights. Nor should it be used as a geopolitical pretext to put troops on the ground where there are not enough drugs or religious fanatics. As long as there is demand for ivory and rhino horn and as long as possession of such is legal there is no chance of stopping this trade. Some therefore propose to focus on demand. Tackling demand can involve education and peer pressure but it is very likely that the affluent and powerful buyers of such "works of art" are not so sensitive. Perhaps a global campaign to pressure key and powerful governments to make holding ivory (all ivory, not just "illegal") and rhino horn pieces...

TrainingAid and Respondeco are hosting a free online training session "Keep It Real for Destinations: 7 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Telling Your Destination's Sustainability Stories" on December 8th, 2014 (4pm GMT), sharing practical examples of why effective sustainability communications can benefit your destination, and how to avoid common sustainability communication mistakes. The session will be led by Dr. Davina Stanford, Senior Lecturer at Leeds Beckett University and a responsible tourist behavior and destination management expert.   This session is for anyone who's involved in promoting, marketing or managing tourism destinations, and we invite everyone - whether you can watch the live session or not - to share your questions about destination marketing and sustainability communications. Please post your questions by commenting here, or by posting them on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus with the hashtag #TourismTL.   We'll be monitoring the questions before and during the event, and will try...

The newly carved state of Chhattisgarh lies in the heart of the India and is still charting its destiny. Many pleasant surprises await the visitor, in a land where mysteries unfold at every step, where history awaits to be discovered at every turn and where nature pours forth its bounty as the journey progresses. Its remoteness made Chhattisgarh one of the least known parts of the India that, incidentally, still remains relatively unexplored.   In this land you can do countless things but we have chosen the best five for you!   1. Tribal life The state prides itself on a tribal culture that dates back several millennia and the music, culture and craft of the tribal communities that can still be experienced across the state. There are as many as 42 tribes in Chhattisgarh and make up around a third of the population. The highest tribal concentration is in the...

An exciting opportunity exists to create an ecotourism product on Miriuwung Gajerrong (MG) Aboriginal traditional lands close to Kununurra in the far north of Western Australia.   Tourism Western Australia (Tourism WA) is seeking interest from suitably qualified and experienced tourism operators with the capacity to develop exciting new visitor experiences in an essentially untouched area of the Kimberley. All interested parties are invited to discuss proposals with Tourism WA by firstly filling out the ‘Investor Response’ at the back of the attached brochure.   Kununurra offers a range of accommodation types for its more than 84,300 annual visitors and is a great launching point for extraordinary Kimberley experiences. A short scenic flight can deliver visitors to the awesome Lake Argyle and on to the World Heritage listed Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles), and the eastern gateway to the Gibb River Road is only 70km to the northeast of the Town....

In July, we opened the new TAEC Boutique on the main street in Luang Prabang featuring the Heirloom Collection of one-of-kind textiles and other handicrafts. Each piece is made of the highest quality materials by the most respected artisans of their craft.   We hope the Boutique will allow more tourists to support fairly-traded handicrafts from ethnic minority artisans, and discover the cultural diversity of Laos.   The TAEC Boutique is open daily from 9am - 9 pm.   In addition to reaching more visitors in Luang Prabang, TAEC made new friends and important contacts for future sales by sending Khoun and Alai to the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico last month. With over 150 artists from 60 countries and 20,000 visitors, this three-day event is the largest folk art market in the world, and we were pleased to participate in it once again.   For more...

PAKISTAN: Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism (CAMAT) organized a 6-day cooking training for selected guesthouse owners from Broghil—the beautiful plateau in the extreme northern of district Chitral—in a local hotel of  Chitral where 8 selected youths participated.   The training was arranged through the financial support of Aga Khan Rural Support Program’s Market Development (MD) section under its Employability and Leadership for Youths (EELY) project with CAMAT as implementing partner.   The purpose of the training was to develop cooking skills of the selected trainees largely focusing on better hospitality management and food services with improved hygiene quality in their indigenous guesthouses. This will ultimately lead to creating self-employment opportunities for youths in the said destination.   The training focused on cleanliness, better hospitality management and high service quality. The expert chef in Pakistan Tourism Corporation (PTDC) Chitral transferred his cooking skills through ‘learning by doing’ or ‘learning by cooking’....