We are well chuffed to announce that All Points East was voted the winner in the TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand)/Responsible Travel, ‘Green Awards‘ for 2010 in the ‘Best UK Tour Operator for Local Communities in Thailand’ category!!! Particularly pleased with ourselves since it follows on from our 2008 award in the same competition for best UK specialist tour operator for Thailand.
We obviously faced some stiff opposition but what appears to have influenced judges was our continued emphasis on off-the-beaten-track destinations in our itineraries which helps spread the tourist dollar to some of the less fortunate regions instead of concentrating all tourist activities at a limited number of, sometimes overcrowded, sites. There are plenty of great places in Thailand, and indeed the rest of Southeast Asia, that hardly any visitors get to see and whilst it’s often the famous spots that actually get ‘bums on seats’ and help to sell tours, we’ve always persisted with our commitment to combining ‘well-known sites with the region’s ‘hidden secrets’ even at the expense of tourist numbers.
You can find more on our responsible tourism practices here and we’ll hopefully be able to post some pix tomorrow plus more info!
Cheers!
