The pandemic has caused much disruption to our world, but some of the side-effects have been positive. One flag-waving example is the plan to ban everyday traffic from the Champs Elysee in Paris and turn it into a tree-filled cycle and pedestrian precinct.
The Lisbon Experiment: Making Cities Social Post-COVID-19
Many cities across the globe have banned AirBnB to avoid hollowed-out city centres and displaced local residents. Covid 19 has changed all that, with many cities seeing hundreds of short term rental properties lying unused. Fernando Medina, mayor of Lisbon in Portugal, has come up with an innovative suggestion for remedying both problems at once. He also plans to use the re-livening of the city centre to springboard greening initiatives including adding cycle lanes, creating green areas and public spaces to give people more places to socialise and exercise.
The Diverse Sasak Culture of Lombok
In the first of the Beyond the Cracks series on Lombok, we find that Sasak’s ancestral roots could be traced to Bali. And that Islamic culture in Lombok isn’t as straightforward as one would think. Mallika Naguran packs her bag to travel around the island of Lombok to discover its many built and natural attractions, culture and crafts.
Sustaining Culture: The Kumano Kodō
The Kumano Kodō mountain paths have been trodden for over 1000 years, and are one of only two pilgrimage routes worldwide that have been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. Today, the mountain trails are helping to sustain and renew communities that have been clinging on to survival for the last few decades.
Nikoi Island: Sustainable Haven
Nikoi Island offers tranquil equatorial coral reefs, white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, a rainforest and an astonishing variety of sea and land wildlife to its lucky visitors. Even more attractive it runs as sustainably as possible, with no vehicles, aircon, TV or imported building materials where possible. Best of all it’s a mere two-plus hours from the bustling centre of Singapore.
Club Med Grows Local Farmers' Livelihoods
Barry’s Place Atauro : In Harmony with Nature in Timor
Thung Dap – Rebuilding with Sustainable Tourism
Kerala Launches State-wide Responsible Tourism Initiative
Veligandu Island Resort Awarded for Community Support
Voluntourism in Timor-Leste: Travel with a Difference
Andaman Discoveries - Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards Finalist
Andaman Discoveries in Thailand was born out of tragedy, and formed shortly after the Boxing Day Tsunami when villagers decided that community-based tourism would allow them to generate additional income and support their traditions, culture, and lifestyle. Since then, Andaman Discoveries has been offering various tours (volunteer trips, family holidays, and educational visits for schools) to empower the local community. Their Moken Experience tour supports nomadic communities preserve their culture through responsible tourism.
Bali’s Bukit Badung Peninsula – Two Islands, Two Worlds
Giving dispirited communities a helping hand, ROLE Foundation advocates education and training to bridge the two worlds that seem to exist in Bukit Badung of Bali, Indonesia. Simon Pridmore tells us how this is being done.