View the recording of the webinar: https://goo.gl/7ORDGD Amazing presentations from sustainability champions: - Peter Richards - 15 years of professional experience in the ASEAN region, working at the crossroads of responsible tourism and community development. Peter gives us great pointers on how to approach the subject with practical tips and examples. - Aebe Christian De Boer, General Manager of Shinta Mani resort which attained third place in the 2013 TripAdvisor ranking of the World’s best Hotel. Being sustainable is the main reason of his success and you can discover why! - Mark Dieler, owner of Red Monkey Lodge in Zanzibar. The hotel champions local culture and initiatives. Their stance is plain and simple: be the antithesis of mass tourism. And it works for everybody Tips, best practices to green your hotel, recording of the webinars: www.bookgreener.com/connect Our next webinar will be on waste management: https://goo.gl/dehcxR Feedback wanted: tell us how we can improve our webinars and get involved Contacts: Me – alex@bookgreener.com Christian - http://shintamani.com/ - gm.sr@shintamani.com Mark - redmonkeylodge.com - mark@redmonkeylodge.com Peter - peter.e.richards@gmail.com We are aiming at building a new type of travel website that promotes the good hotels and that means a blend of sustainability and ability to deliver a great experience to their guests. Help us make it happen by telling such hotels to register on http://www.bookgreener.com/propertyEdit.php Now it is your turn: share your stories on how you are aiming at becoming a force for good! Let’s have a positive impact. Alex

1. With the support of:
How to
make a
positive
impact on
the local
communities
Webinar 003
Wednesday, August 12,
2015

2. Meaningful Webinars
• Monthly
• For hotel owners, GMs, Green Teams
and Sustainability officers
• Best practices on how to green your operations
• Want to partner with us, get in touch:
info@bookgreener.com

3. BookGreener: for travellers that want to make sure they stay in
hotels that deliver a great experience.
We aim at promoting the best hotels. Why do we call them the
best hotels:
1. Hotels that care - they are following the principles of
sustainability, responsibility and have proven records for it:
care for the environment, for their staff, for the local
communities.
2. They care about their guests and deliver an amazing
experience in their properties and they have proven records
for it: raving reviews from guests that express how they
experience a stay worth talking about, worth sharing… and
sharing is….. YES!!! CARING.

6. .com
• Hotels ranked according to
sustainability
• Focus on guests’ experience
• Direct booking on hotel’s
website
• Self-assessment & register
today on:
http://www.bookgreener.com/propertyEdit.php

7. 1
2
3

9. www.BookGreener.com/Connect

10. Do you have a very concrete example of a hotel
creating benefits for local community that you would
like to share?
Question for the audience

11. Practical tips & Interviews:
• Sustainability experts
• Hotel Owners
Webinars
info@bookgreener.com

12. Overview
Peter Richards
Responsible and Community-based
Tourism Specialist
Mark Dieler
Happy Monkey
of Red Monkey Lodge, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Aebe Christian De Boer
General Manager
of the Shinta Mani Resort, Siem Reap,
Cambodia

13. Sharing Experience… Making a Positive Impact on Local Communities
Peter Richards, Responsible and Community Based Tourism Specialist
Crafting partnerships, inspiring experiences and shared benefits
peter.e.richards@gmail.com

14. Working at the crossroads of responsible
tourism and community development

15. How to have a positive impact
on local communities?
(and avoid having a negative
impact on local communities?)

16. Positive benefits may not outweigh negative impacts. Careful
monitoring and management of natural resources, land, waste etc.
should stay at the top of the ‘community benefits’ Need To Do list.

17. Responsible Tourism contributes towards
“better places for people to live, and
better places for people to visit” (ICRT)
Creating positive impacts / benefits for
local communities is absolutely essential
for this goal to be achieved…
There are many opportunities to increase
local benefits, from very simple steps to much
more challenging, sophisticated initiatives.
Benefits to your business, too, over time. The
‘ROI’ is more difficult to calculate, but real.

18. “A particular area or place considered
together with its inhabitants.”
“A group of people living in the same place
or having a particular characteristic
in common.” Oxford Dictionaries
Communities are diverse and complex
… Empathy and Respect are Essential.
The language of sustainable development /
tourism can be patronising and an obstacle.
We are ‘community members’ too….
It’s about people working together.
@TEATA
Local community?
@BangkokVanguards

19. Why create positive impacts?
 Customers (B2B & B2C) expect it.
Happy, welcoming, local people
means a safer, better holiday;
 Motivate your clients with a
sense of achievement and your
staff with a sense of purpose;
 Your guests will be impressed by
Meaningful, Local, Experiences;
 Staff retention / save training costs;
 You are part of the community:
increase social licence to operate;
 Avoid / reduce opportunities for
conflict with local communities.
People, partnerships,
process and patience

20. What kinds of positive impacts?
 Taxes
 Jobs, careers & salaries
 Business opportunities /
supply linkages / partnerships
 Skills / knowledge / training
 Donations / support for local
organisations and charities
 Increasing access to services
 Strengthening local institutions
(associations, clubs, groups, etc.)
 Giving a voice to the voiceless
Your Business
Consider…

21. How to have a positive impact?
 A CSR Champion / Manager;
 Supported by management;
 Responsible for community
engagement and benefits;
 Consultation…really listen to local
people… Vision, Plan, Priorities;
 Action, Monitor, Communicate;
 Inside: teamwork with purchasing,
HR; communicate w/ staff & guests;
 Outside: Reach out and connect
with the local community - formal
and informal organisations.
Put the right
person on
the job…
Tip: Keep a simple,
community diary
Consider
joining a
green hotel
scheme

22. Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (B) “Maximize social and
economic benefits to the local community and minimize negative
impacts”
B1 The organization actively supports initiatives for local infrastructure and social
community development including, among others, education, training, health and
sanitation.
B2 Local residents are given equal opportunity for employment including in
management positions. All employees are equally offered regular training,
experience and opportunities for advancement.
B3 Local services and goods are purchased and offered by the organization,
following fair-trade principles.
B4 The organization offers the means for local small entrepreneurs to develop and
sell sustainable products that are based on the area’s nature, history and culture
(including food and beverages, crafts, performance arts, agricultural products, etc.).
B5 A documented code of conduct for activities in indigenous and local
communities has been developed and implemented with the collaboration and
consent of the affected community.

23. Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (B) “Maximize social and
economic benefits to the local community and minimize
negative impacts”
B6 The organization has implemented a policy against commercial, sexual or
any other form of exploitation and harassment, particularly of children,
adolescents, women and minorities. (3)
B7 The organization offers equal employment opportunities to women, local
minorities and others, including in management positions, while restraining
child labor.
B8 The international or national legal protection of employees is respected,
and employees are paid at least a living wage.
B9 The activities of the organization do not jeopardize the provision of basic
services, such as food, water, energy, healthcare or sanitation, to neighbouring
communities.
B10 Tourism activity does not adversely affect local access to livelihoods,
including land and aquatic resource use, rights-of-way, transport and housing.

24. Mmm… All seem a bit overwhelming?
The best advice is to employ a champion, and then join a
reputable green hotel scheme, which can help you to
approach all aspects of CSR systematically. In the meantime,
there are a few fairly simple actions which you can take:

25. @Check-In: encourage your staff to encourage your guests to explore the area.
Info board: “Explore the area - What can I do in 3 hours, 1 day, a weekend…?”
1) Information to encourage your guests to visit & support
local restaurants, shops, etc. Even better if the businesses
are also doing something positive for people and planet.

26. 2) Tell guests about opportunities to support a local
charity, or community event… with money or time!

27. 3) A ‘local corner’, where your guests can
buy crafts or other souvenirs made by
local artisans / producers.
@Asian Oasis
Stories / info help
to sell and foster
a sense of respect.

28. Local menu?
Seasonal menu?
“What food and
beverages do we
import / bring in from
far away, which we
could easily replace
with a local option?”
http://www.elywinebar.ie/media
4) Go and chat to the chef…
Purchasing / procurement

29. @Tour Merng Tai@Tour Merng Tai
5) Tour desk proactively promotes local, responsible tourism: community
based tourism activities managed and offered by local families, artisans, etc.

30. 6) Confer with community members to develop
cultural ‘do’s and don’ts’ for your guests.
“Proud and
comfortable to
share”
Not only an issue
in rural areas.

31. 7) Product development - Invite local craftspeople / cooks,
etc. to offer cooking / crafts / arts demonstrations to guests
CBT-I
CBT-I
Promloke CBT

32. 8) Meet with local community members to learn about their
current challenges / priority needs – how can you help?
“Keep it simple…
or work with a
professional”
Before engaging and setting goals, consider inside your own team:
“What’s our vision of our role in the community?” (Lucy McCombes)

33. 9) Deliver a training to community members: hospitality,
hygiene, cooking, waste management, etc.
“Part of the community”

34. Thank-you.
Peter.e.richards@gmail.com

35. Mark Dieler

42. Aebe Christian De Boer
General Manager
of the Shinta Mani Resort, Siem Reap,
Cambodia

43. A couple of facts
• Current Tripadvisor #1
• Current Tripadvisor #2
• Current Tripadvisor #3 Worldwide
• Travel&Leisure #2 Global Vision Awards 2014
• Conde Nast Hot List 2014
• Facebook 524.000 likes
• Youtube videos watched 325.000 times
• Bill Bensley Design
(later in 2015 on CNN, The Amazing Race, Bloomberg, The
NYTimes & many others)

44. Shinta Mani
Siem Reap
• 2 Hotels - Club & Resort
• 102 rooms over 2 hotels
275 full time Khmer staff
• 6 full time Foundation staff
2 Westerners & all others Khmer
2 pools
3 Restaurants
Central Siem Reap location
Outperforming all other hotels
• Higher annual GOP then most other 5* hotels
• No travel budget for the sales team of 4 Khmer
• Year round occupancy 71%
• Very low staff turnover (3 people in 2014)

45. Shinta Mani
Siem Reap 2
• No brochures
• Active on social media
• 524.000 likes on facebook
• Active Youtube videos
• On twitter and Instagram
• Creating word-of-mouth
Sole goal of ‘wow’ing guests !
• Very high staff motivation to impress

46. Community achievements 1
• Shinta Mani Foundation’s Achievements by the Numbers (as of March 2014):
• 1,350 Water wells
• 97 Houses
• 216 Graduates of The Development Center (100% fully employed)
• 2 School buildings designed pro bono by Harvard trained architect Bill Bensley
• 4 School canteens
• 1100+ school kits
• 600+ Bicycles for students to go to school
• 14 Water filters to rural schools
• 7 Fist Aid boxes to rural schools
• 7000 Children treated by the SMF Mobile Dental Clinic
• 804 Children treated by the SMF Mobile Medical Clinic
• 29 Small business loans
• 5 Student loans for university education

47. Community achievements 2
• Sponsor of GlobalTeer games
• Sponsor of Giant Puppet Parade
• Sponsor of Buddha’s Birthday celebrations at
Angkor Wat Temple complex
• Made in Cambodia Market happening 3x
weekly

48. Made in Cambodia Market
Lets create Khmer jobs

49. Staff welfare activities
• Helmet laws (usd50 fine)
• Savings account trainings
• Marital communication skills training
• ALL (!) Staff is full time
• 10% service charge
• 38 English classes a week for all staff
• Best Healthcare in Cambodia - we are self insured
• Overseas BKK trip for HOD and nr2 level staff

50. Environmental initiatives
• Bamboo Straws
• All fresh food deliveries in linen bags
• 50% of hotel garbage is composted
• Strong supporter of “Clean-up temple Town”
• Strong supporter of “Tree-up Temple Town”
• Planted close to 300 trees around the property
and in town
• Initiative taker in a “environmental aware” Siem
Reap thru a workshop where all were invited

51. Linen bags / Bamboo straws

52. Electricy and its (high) costs
• Energy saving Aircon units (30% reduction)
• Energy saving lights
• Energy saving policies
• Reduced elec. to 6.50 Usd per occupied room

53. New for 2015
• We will abolish plastic water bottles
- working with lonely planet etc
- working with other hotels
- working with tour companies
The general consensus is that ‘in Asia one has to have a
sealed bottle’ (and thus use plastic)
In about 2 months this will announce the implementation
of recyclable bottles as a take-away and glass bottles for
our rooms whilst using our very own Shinta Mani Water
saving around 220.000 bottles annually

54. In short
• Very pro-Cambodia
• “lets be different”
• Very pro-Khmer staff
• pro-environment
• Hire from-within
• Enormous investment into education
• Good salaries
• Year-round employment
• Strong belief in “take care of your staff and they
will do the rest”

55. Q & A