Labels: The Blue Yonder

We have been on far too many adventures in the past few years. We are currently working on building itineraries like no others have tried in South Africa. We have broken many conventions about tourism businesses in India. On our journey to transform tourism into a social enterprise business, we have explored opportunities of working in development sector, in community health care and in creating supplementary source of livelihood for various communities across the country.

We couldn’t think of anything better than putting together an itinerary in Kashmir for you this New Year in consultation with our long time friend and partner Anand Sankar, a seasoned journalist and photographer who have been on several adventurous trips with The Blue Yonder earlier. From Elephants ‘infested’ forests of Nilambur to monsoon rapids in Tootha River, we have enjoyed travelling together for meaningful experiences. This is one out of the five signature trips we are designing in partnership with Anand to different parts of India to get deep understanding about it’s people and places.

Rafiabad in Baramulla district of Kashmir had once taken its toll due to militancy in the region. After several decades of conflict and cross-border terrorism, local population is enjoying conflict free environment and is inviting us to travel to know them better and enjoy the winter in Kashmir. This trip has been put together as a result of over three years of consultation with locals.

Kashmir in winter has always been a breath-taking experience covered in a blanket of pristine snow as far as eye can see. The aim of this trip is to see the Kashmir, which has been hidden from view for more than half a century due to political turmoil.

Responsible tourism has world over shown how it can be a change maker when it comes to preserving culture, heritage and providing alternative and supplementary source of income for local population in destinations.

Here is your opportunity to see stunning ice-clad peaks, snow covered rolling highlands, endless forests of pine and gurgling mountain streams full of trout and meet up with the warm-hearted Kashmiris.

Trip date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 to Sun, 22 Jan 2012

Max guests in this trip :6

Last date to book the trip: 2, Jan 2012

Itinerary:

Saturday, January 14
Evening in Srinagar and Wazwan dinner .

Sunday, January 15

Breakfast and morning walk around Dal Lake. Last chance to buy essentials. Post-lunch depart for Gulmarg.
Spend afternoon exploring Gulmarg on foot.

Monday, January 16

Early breakfast. Till lunch, skiing. Post lunch depart for Rafiabad, Baramulla Dist. Reach Ladu Ladoora village and settle down into a traditional Kashmiri rural dwelling. Evening tea and gupshup with locals

Tuesday, January 17

Early morning departure with packed breakfast for Trek Route 1. Lunch at farmer's house enroute. Back at Ladu Ladoora by sunset

Wednesday, January 18

Early morning departure with packed breakfast for Trek Route 2. Lunch at farmer's house enroute. Back at Ladu Ladoora by sunset

Thursday, January 19

Post-breakfast drive to Srinagar. Freshen up at guest house, lunch and leave for Gagan Gir. Evening at Gagan Gir.

Friday, January 20

Very early departure with packed breakfast for pony ride on Amarnath Trail. Back for late lunch to Gagan Gir. Depart for Srinagar. Check in to houseboat on Nagin Lake.

Saturday, January 21

Free day to chill out in Srinagar. (Optional, day trip to Pahalgam).

For more details on itineraries and content, please contact us on info (at) theblueyonder (dot ) com

Photo credits Anand Sankar

Labels: IIPT, Kashmir, Peace, Responsible Tourism India

"There are companies which bulldoze their way into beautiful destinations and there are some, like The Blue Yonder, which not only tread gently, but also with dignity, respect and honesty. I can't imagine voyaging into South Africa without the hands of this sensitive, sustainable company to lead me along the right path, safe in the knowledge that my visit is truly welcomed by local people and communities. And that these are holidays designed on the hosts' terms, and with ethics at the heart of everything they do".

Catherine Mack, - travel writer specialising in responsible tourism,
Ethical Traveller
Follow Catherine Mack on twitter

Facebook: Ethical Traveller

IIPT (International Institute for Peace through Tourism) is most pleased to endorse the entry of The Blue Yonder holidays into South Africa – and hopefully soon to the other countries of Southern Africa – underpinned by its responsible tourism practices and its philosophy of doing well by doing good. Persons traveling with The Blue Yonder will truly have an opportunity to be “Ambassadors for Peace.”

IIPT Founder and President, Louis D’Amore

Labels: Catherine Mack, IIPT, Responsble Tourism, South Africa

On the eve of WTM World Responsible Tourism Day (9th nov 2011) we were honoured to hear from the dynamic leader of Cape Town Tourism - Mariëtte du Toit-Helmbold.

“Industry reports from World Travel Market confirms that the global recession continues to have a significant impact on long-haul travel. Within this context people are increasingly seeking original and local experiences."

"Responsible and community tourism has gained momentum from a niche tourism sector to a philosophy that is one of the industry’s most exciting developments ever; uniting citizens from across the world into one interconnected, united movement, communicating a significant signal to businesses that the tourism industry mean to act, not just talk. "

"Cape Town is acknowledged internationally as has become one of the leading cities in the world when it comes to responsible tourism. Even though there has considerable progress been made in addressing the environmental impact of tourism in our destination, we cannot rest on our laurels. In order to achieve sustainability; the tourism industry must continue to place significant focus on harnessing tourism for local economic development, for the benefit of all communities and in managing the social impact of tourism."

"Cape Town Tourism is continuously looking for better ways to instil the responsible tourism philosophy and expand on existing sustainable tourism mechanisms in our region and is looking forward to working with The Blue Yonder – one of the world’s pioneers in Responsible Tourism.”

Labels: Cape Town, Resonsible Tourism, South Africa

The Blue Yonder South Africa will launch with an initial portfolio of ten itineraries, focusing on four areas: Cape Town and the Western Cape; Durban and KwaZulu Natal; Johannesburg and Soweto; and Kruger National Park.

Tours include among others a 14-day Fair Trade Whales and Wildlife Safari, and a six-day immersive experience in Cape Town, built around some of the city's most dynamic and transformative social development projects. Each tour partners with Fair Trade-accredited accommodation and operators wherever possible.

The Blue Yonder's founder Gopinath Parayil explains the decision to base the company's first international venture in the Rainbow Nation. "It was in South Africa that we first heard the words that became our mission statement: 'creating better places for people to live in and for people to visit'. That phrase came from the Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism, and it distils the essence of what we try to achieve through our holidays."

Fiona Jeffery, Chairman of WTM London, says "I am glad to see The Blue Yonder going international and offering holidays to South Africa during the WTM World Responsible Tourism day at the World Travel Market. We have known The Blue Yonder for past six years as a travel company that has evolved into a social enterprise in India. The leadership they have shown in the travel industry is truly inspiring. The WTM World Responsible Tourism Day is the celebration of such inspiring stories and we wish them all the best in creating better places for people to live in and for people to visit."

“The Blue Yonder's intoxicating mix of authentic cultural experiences and responsibility arrives in South Africa from Kerala with 6 years of know how and experience and is a must for South African visitors.” Justin Francis, Founder – responsibletravel.com

Mariette Du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of Cape Tourism said, “Cape Town Tourism is continuously looking for better ways to instil the responsible tourism philosophy and expand on existing sustainable tourism mechanisms in our region and is looking forward to working with The Blue Yonder – one of the world’s pioneers in Responsible Tourism.”

We are so pleased that The Blue Yonder has started to promote travel to South Africa. Not only is this a good example of like minded organizations who believe in the power of tourisms contribution to sustainable development collaborating globally, but also creates new opportunities for us in accessing travelers from India and elsewhere through their network. A fine example of South-South collaboration.” Paul Miedema, Founder Calbash Tours and Calabash trust.

Background:

The Blue Yonder was founded in 2005 as a social enterprise dedicated to preserving natural and cultural heritage along the River Nila in the South Indian state of Kerala. The company now operates tours in several regions of India, including Kerala, Rajasthan and the Himalayas, and has been at the forefront of promoting responsible tourism as the best path forward for the travel business worldwide.

The Blue Yonder's Indian journeys have featured as one of the "Top Ten Green Breaks" in British Airways' High Life magazine, and in Condé-Nast Traveler as one of "Eight Great Trips that Give Back". The Blue Yonder also features in Rough Guides' Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World, and its River Nila packages are rated among the six best responsible holidays in India by Footprint India Handbook.

For more information, visit South Africa website or contact Gopinath Parayil for press enquiries.

Labels: Responsble Tourism, South Africa, The Blue Yonder

Venue: Level 6, 601/F27
Date: 21 October, 2011
Time: 1100 – 1300 hrs

Organized in co-operation with The Blue Yonder and Wild Asia.

The Responsible Tourism event will feature experts and practitioners in responsible tourism who will share their insights and know how for implementing sustainable best practices within your organization.

· How to engage and motivate staff to support your sustainability strategy

o Arnfinn Oines – Responsible Conscience, Six Senses Resorts and Spas

· Making the shift towards responsible tourism

o Zhang Mei, Founder Wild China

· Voluntourism: Are we helping or harming local communities?

o Gopinath Parayil – Concern Without Borders

The event will also feature three Inspiring Responsible Tourism stories in the region and networking sessions. Last date for applying is 5th OCT 2011. More details here

Organized in co-operation with The Blue Yonder and Wild Asia

Venue: Level 6, 602/T15

The Responsible Tourism Centre at ITB Asia is introducing a new engagement activity for trade show participants to speak with experts in sustainable tourism. The clinics combine RT experts from various fields including sustainable architecture, digital marketing and tourism management. Make an appointment for a discussion with them at the Responsible Tourism Centre booth.

E-mail contact: rt@wildasia.org or itbasia@messe-berlin.com

Labels: ITB Asia, Responsible Tourism, Responsible Tourism Networking, Singapore, The Blue Yonder, Wild asia

It was a balmy Saturday morning in Bangalore, the earth fresh and brown from the rains of last night. Jaaga (meaning space), with its shape shifting grid structures that could be put together in a myriad of interesting patterns and ways seemed like an appropriate venue to talk about ‘untravelling.’ ‘Come discover travel that is out-of-the-box, exciting and responsible’, our invite had boldly claimed. Would the traveler bite?

Untravel was a day long experimental, perhaps a first of its kind public event where we hoped to bring together travelers, travel entrepreneurs, students and responsible travel companies, to talk about making a difference while having a great trip.

The Blue Yonder opened the day by leading a hall filled with curious people through stories of how travellers could contribute to positive change in the places they visit. TBY spoke about recreating the sound of music along the banks of the Nila, engendering sustainable livelihoods through local homestays, building a local school for traditional music, and nurturing the world’s largest palliative care unit in Kerala run mostly by volunteering. The audience was enthralled right through - glued to their seats and eyes widening regularly through the talk with all the possibilities being laid out in front of them.

An open discussion came up next on all that makes up responsible travel. Jose Ramapuram of Orange County talked about a policy on responsible travel being an essential guide to their functioning. They believe strongly in stewardship and the idea that business should be for the ultimate good of all, but going the responsible way actually drove their costs down and made perfect business sense, he said. Pradeep from the ANT, an NGO working with weavers and craftsmen in the North East, spoke about craft creating an interest in their customers to explore places and people beyond the regular tourist circuit and sustain livelihoods for the locals in turn.

Mainstream travellers respond to stories that they can connect with, visceral experiences that go beyond the regular, said Prateek of mygola, a travel planning company. People are increasingly looking for the offbeat stuff, ways to immerse themselves in the places they visit, and therein lies the case for attracting them towards travel that is kind, he said. Sridhar Pabisetty of Tour of Nilgiris spoke about reaching out to the community in the places they visit - riders in their annual endurance cycling event help forest dwellers in Nilgiris, firm that they are the only ones who could preserve the bio-diversity of the region. Kalyan Akkipedi who was hitchhiking across the country to understand the poor in India said a traveler must first go outside his comfort zone. Resilience, he said, brought in the greatest change.

Post all the chicken soup for the travelling soul, the audience thronged the stalls to interact with travel providers, swap stories, and learn more. Workshops on committing a travel memory to drawing, being a healthy traveler, photographing on the move, and bicycling to work, were a source of much fun and excitement.

So, where can I go tomorrow? We wound up with a baithak inviting budding offbeat travel entrepreneurs to discuss their stories. People spoke passionately about a whole load of things – from going on trips to rescue wildlife to organic farming and backyard history tours.

Would we be able to attract a happy-to-travel yet spoilt-for-choice crowd to come see the world through a new lens? A world hidden away from swanky resorts and to-the-minute tours, and thriving on first principles – lending a hand to your host community, respecting the place you visit, leaving no footprints or simply racing the wind on pedal. For all of us at The Alternative, the day revealed to us that a lot of people out there were indeed interested and happy to be involved, it is just that we were probably trying to discover each other through some means.

Most people came by and talked about how it was refreshing not just to listen to a new perspective, but meet so many like-minded folks working on responsible travel. Some were thrilled about having so much choice in planning their next trip and contributing to social good, while others were enthused about coming back for more such sessions to connect.

The responsible travel story seems to be finding greater resonance with mainstream travellers. People are waking up to the fact that they need to help and now and in some sense they owe it to the people and places they leave behind. To everyone we meet these days, we say “Hop on board the Untravel bus. May we find inspiration.”

Join the Untravel Facebook group to be a part of all the conversations, events and happenings around responsible tourism. Help us increase this tribe of untravellers!

Stories, tips, photos and more from travelers here:

Labels: Bangalore, Jaaga, Responsible Tourism, The Alternative, The Blue Yonder, Untravel