Elevate Destinations Blog

To promote the advancement of national economy and eliminate poverty, the government of Cambodia plans to focus its efforts on the development of cultural and eco-tourism. One site under development is Prasat Preah Vihear, an eleventh century monument in Preah Vihear Province in northern Cambodia. The Temple, built between the years 900 and 1150, is revered as one of the greatest and most sacred Khmer and Hindu temples.

The government estimates that 3 million tourists will visit the site by the year 2010. Preah Vihear Temple is located slightly east of the mid section of the Dongrek Mountains near the Cambodia-Thailand border, and is perched on the edge of a giant cliff about 525 meters above sea level. Preah Vihear means “sacred monastery” in Khmer and the Cambodian government is lobbying UNESCO to name it a World Heritage site because of it historical, cultural and universal appeal.

A new crop of green travel books to set your sites on.

“Disappearing Destinations: 37 Places in Peril and What Can Be Done To Help Save Them” by Kimberly Kisagor and Heather Hansen (Vintage, $15.95). The authors take a look at some of the world’s most beautiful and endangered places including Machu Picchu and Venice. Each chapter is a destination unto itself with the story told from the perspective of local activists and entrepreneurs.

“Disappearing World: 101 of the Earth’s Most Extraordinary and Endangered Places” by Alonzo Addison (Harper Collins, $34.95). A coffee table book that relies on photographs and factoids about threatened World Heritage sites including Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, the Florida Everglades and the Central African Republic’s Manovo-Grounda St. Floris National Park.

Fodor’s enters the green scene with “Green Travel: The World’s Best Eco-Lodges & Earth-Friendly Hotels” ($21.95). The book’s three overriding considerations that define a responsible approach to travel are environment and conservation, social and cultural awareness, and economic benefits to the local community.

Other guide books not to overlook: Lonely Planet’s “Code Green: Experiences of a Lifetime” ($19.99), Rough Guide’s “Climate Change” by Robert Hanson ($16.99) and “Shopping with a Consience” by Duncan Clark and Richie Unterberger ($16.99).

Among the innovative ways that hotels are marking stays more eco-friendly…one hotel has created an environmental blog that updates customers on the hotel’s most recent green initiatives. Another features a photovoltaic facade that draws soloar power. The Lenox in Boston is one of the first to offer climate-neutral rooms and offset carbon emissions for electricity by 100 percent. In Bangkok, the Old Bangkok Inn steers guests away from gas-guzzling taxis toward alternative forms of transport and the interior of each room is made of salvaged teak.

Meanwhile, one of Europe’s largest hotel operators, Scandic, announced it has decided to stop selling bottled water in its restaurants and during conferences. Scandic calculates that this move will cut fossil carbon dioxide emissions by 160 tons per year. The hotel chain currently sells around 1.2 million liters of water, equating to 3.6 million 33cl bottles every year. Instead of bottled water, Scandic will now offer its guests chilled and filtered water, both still and carbonated, from taps. According to the Stockholm Consumer Cooperative Society, bottled water generates 1,000 times the carbon dioxide emissions created by the same quantity of tap water.

If you want to know how seriously a hotel is taking environmental issues to heart, here are six questions to ask.

1. Does it have any renewable energy sources, like small hydro, solar, wind or geothermal systems?

2. Does it avoid using harsh chemicals, such as scented laundry supplies, carpet cleaners and air freshners?

3. Does it donate things to charities, like food scraps, old sheets and towels?

4. Does it practice energy conservation: long-life light bulbs, good insulation, energy-efficient appliances?

5. Does it support local causes and community conservation efforts?

6. Does it try to educate its guests about being green, either on its web site or through material provided in the room? 

Meanwhile, the next time you travel, consider this site that lists more than 2,800 eco-friendly hotels, worldwide: www.environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com.

Elevate Destinations and Reputation Dynamics recently combined forces to market travel and corporate responsibility advisory services designed to enhance corporate stakeholders’ (employees, customers, board members, investors, and suppliers) understanding of and commitment to their organization’s Corporate Responsibility (CR) initiatives. The goal of the program is to provide organizations with easy, cost-effective ways to arrange stakeholder visits to pre-vetted NGO projects that are aligned with their company’s environmental, social and economic initiatives.

“Once they visit a destination and see firsthand what is being accomplished, they can spread the word about its effectiveness or make changes to their cause alignments,” said Dominique Callimanopulos, Elevate Destinations founder and president.

Elevate Destinations’ and Reputation Dynamics’ Corporate Donor Travel Program provides unique opportunities for an organization to create customized itineraries in regions where they have interests. Itineraries combine NGO project visits with extraordinary cultural, recreational and business opportunities in Africa, India, Latin America and Southeast Asia. For example, a company with business interests in Kenya can arrange a trip for key stakeholders to a region where the company has a CR project in place or is interested in developing.

“A typical itinerary might entail visiting the project site, meeting with representatives from the NGO and local community, and then taking an extended tour of the area or region,” said Callimanopulos. For an assessment consultation and more information about the new Corporate Donor Travel program, call 617-661-0203.

Donor Trips have become an increasingly popular way for non-profits working internationally to highlight their achievements; educate donors and board members about their philanthropic investment; deepen the relationship between donors, staff and the organization’s mission; and provide a meaninful outlet for a vacation.

Elevate Destinations has been at the forefront of providing this service. Over the past year, Elevate Destinations has organized a 10-day donor safari for KickStart International, a 10-day tour of Ethiopia for WaterPartners International, a 7-day journey to Kenya and Uganda for Direct Relief International, and a donor trip to Honduras for EcoLogic. Also in the pipeline is a donor trip for Aid To Artisans to South Africa and Mozambique.

Founded in 1991, KickStart International is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization that develops new technologies to help very poor entrepreneurs start businesses in Africa. WaterPartners works in partnership with donors and local communities to provide clean drinking water in developing countries around the world. Based in Santa Barbara, California, Direct Relief International focuses on bringing crticially needed medicines and supplies to local healthcare providers, worldwide.

In October, Aid to Artisan donors will enjoy a spectacular two-week journey to South Africa and Mozambique where they will visit local artisans, while enjoying wildlife viewing in Kruger National Park and staying on the beautiful Bazarutto Island off the coast of Mozambique. Aid to Artisans offers practical assistance to artisan groups, worldwide. 

For more information about Elevate Destinations’ Donor Trip Program, please call 617-661-0203.

Elevate Destinations offers two itineraries to India: a 10-day retreat at Shahpura Bagh and a 12-day journey to the Indian Himalayas and holy Ganga River. We also offer the flexibility to stay longer and visit some of India’s other treasured destinations. One location that should not be overlooked is Maharashtra, India’s third largest state, and home to the cosmopolitan capital of Mumbai.

The state offers visitors a unique array of experiences, ranging from beautiful landscapes of tropical forests to relaxing beaches on the Arabian Sea. It’s also home to hundreds of archaeological sites, including four World Heritage sites: the rock cut-temples of Ajanta and Ellora, the Elephanta Caves, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai (Bombay).

Dating from 100 B.C., the Ajanta caves were carved out of solid rock with only a hammer and chisel. Many of the caves are elaborated with detailed carvings on walls, pillars and entrances, and feature intricate paintings exemplifying the finest and oldest examples of Buddhist frescoes in the world.

The Cave Temples and Monasteries atEllora form an enormous complex carved out of the vertical face of an escapement north of the city of Aurangabad. Extending in a linear fashion, the 34 caves fall into three distinct categories: Buddhist, Hindu and Jain.

The Elephanta Caves are the heart of the Elephanta Island, located in Mumbai harbor. The “City of Caves” is a temple complex said to be the abode of Shiva and is created from one large piece of rock. These caves contain beautiful, larger-than-life reliefs and sculptures depicting the lives of Hindu deities, as well as a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai is an example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture and serves as the westernmost point for the Central Railways of India. Renowned for its ornamentation, the Victoria Terminus personifies colonial Raj architecture with an intricate facade and meticulously executed panels and frescoes adorning the walls, arches and windows. Learn more at www.maharashtratourism.gov.in

Global warming’s threat to the existence of the exotic resorts and beaches tourists crave has not dented holidaymakers’ appetites for pollution-producing, long-haul trips, experts said at the recently held Berlin Travel Fair, the world’s largest industry-related exhibition. At the Fair, a spokesperson for the online travel agency Expedia said it has seen no decline in the number of people taking long-haul flights and that climate worries are a peripheral concern for travelers.

Two of Germany’s largest tourism groups, Thomas Cook and TUI, said they plan to do more to promote carbon offsetting schemes for customers booking flights. However, they said that interest in such voluntary schemes where others are paid to cut emissions on the airlines’ behalf has so far been small. Another area that has failed to take-off is eco-tourism in which people opt for train over air travel and make shorter journeys, said the editor of National Geographic Deutschland magazine.

Scientists in sunny Italy believe that up to 10 percent of the world’s coral reefs are threatened by bleaching caused by chemicals in widely used creams that are sold to protect users from the sun’s damaging UV rays. Between 4,000 and 6,000 tons of sunscreen wash off swimmers annually in oceans. Scientists have found that many brands of sunscreen contain ingredients that can stimulate viruses in the algae, known as zooxanthellae, which live within corals. Zooxanthellae play an essential role in providing the vibrant color associated with corals by supplying food engery through photosynthesis.

“Authentic” may be the travel buzzword of 2008, but for travelers, it can mean many things.

To some, authenticity is simply an unattainable goal because our very arrival alters the nature of a place. For others, all specialty travel is a “craving for the authentic experience,” with travelers seeking a connection between truth, intimacy and sharing the life behind the scenes. Still others believe that authenticity is synonymous with travel to pristine natural areas and back-water villages where native peoples retain traditional values–associating authenticity with a “nostalgia for something lost.”

And then there is the group that connects authenticity to the delights of sampling local delicacies such as a fried water beetle or a reindeer hot dog, or connecting with the people they meet. Regardless, the common ground for any type of authentic travel is the extra connection that is somehow made when two people don’t share a language in common because they have to listen with complete concentration to both words and body language–the way we probably should always listen to someone.