The Linden Centre

Floating above the pristine rice and canola fields north of
the old town of Dali is a beautiful courtyard compound
built in 1947 by a wealthy entrepreneur from the Bai ethnic
group named Yang Pinxiang. Over seven decades, the
building, which is located in the historic Xizhou Village,
went through many changes, from being privately owned
to becoming public property after the Cultural Revolution
and land reforms, and from serving as an army barracks
and military hospital to housing a kindergarten. In 2001, it
was designated as a national heritage site. The courtyard
finely captures the exquisite architectural style of the Bai
ethnic group that predominantly lives in the area. This
compound is now a boutique hotel managed and run by
an American couple, Brian and Jeanee Linden, who have
injected new life and respect into this important heritage
site.

Continue reading

One Planet Vision for a Responsible Recovery of the Tourism Sector

The One Planet Vision for a Responsible Recovery of the Tourism Sector builds on the UNWTO Global Guidelines to Restart Tourism released by the Global Tourism Crisis Committee on 28 May 2020 with the objective to support tourism to emerge stronger and more sustainable from the COVID-19 crisis. The vision is shared by the members of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme
and partner organizations.

Continue reading

Destination Management in Developing and Emerging Countries

Tourism can be a source of foreign currency, a job engine and a catalyst for sustainable regional development, but it can also have a negative impact. In order to access its inherent potential, tourism needs to be managed with foresight.

Managing destinations plays a key role here. Because of their market relevance and size, destinations have the potential to be developed and marketed from a sustainable perspective.

That requires effective destination management organizations (DMOs), which can manage the destination and coordinate various tourism-related stakeholders.

Continue reading

FROM SYSTEM SHOCK TO SYSTEM CHANGE – TIME TO TRANSFORM

In this report, we explore some of the key dynamics that lie at the heart of these transitions. And we ask how we can make active choices now that will transform our future prospects by embedding, at the heart of our strategies and plans, the realisation that a fundamentally different model is needed. A model that puts people’s wellbeing and planetary health first, as the overriding imperatives. Planetary health is not separate to human wellbeing. The two are intricately intertwined. In order to achieve the just, resilient and truly sustainable world we want we advocate a regenerative approach – enhancing the underlying capacity of all individuals, communities and ecosystems, to be healthy, to keep evolving, and fulfilling their potential.

Continue reading

Yindii introduces eco-friendly food app

Yindii, a Thai anti-food waste startup, has launched a mobile application designed to match Bangkok residents with environmentally conscious restaurants, grocery stores and cafes to combat food waste.

The app is designed to be a direct-to-consumer platform for restaurants and cafes that can create exclusive and immediate “Happy Hour Deals” offers regularly, with discounts of up to 50-70% on food that would otherwise go to waste.

Once a Yindii box offer is published, users can purchase it before heading to the restaurant to collect, or get the box delivered. They will not know the contents of the box until after the purchase.

“A full 33% of all food produced globally is wasted or lost every year. That is close to a billion-and-a-half tonnes that is never consumed, accounting for 8% of the greenhouse gas emissions around the globe, four times more pollution than the airline industry. All this is an ecological disaster,” said Yindii founder Louis-Alban Batard-Dupre. “The growing problem of food waste is challenging to solve for endless reasons including logistics, the complexities of short-lived items and the lack of a set market, which is what we are working to help solve. We hope our simple system connects users and restaurants.”

Tools and Resources for Nature-Based Tourism

Luxury is DEAD. There is no point in designing lavish hotels just to put heads on beds – every hospitality project should have a purpose and a candle to light. We in hospitality – designers, owners or operators – have the superpower of reaching thousands of people. We should shoulder more responsibility concerning issues like education, clean accessible water, alternative energy, energy consumption, food waste, wildlife protection, and conservation. The big hotel companies are part of nature and society too, not just economy. Here are some ideas of how to do something real…

Continue reading

Sensible Sustainable Solutions

Luxury is DEAD. There is no point in designing lavish hotels just to put heads on beds – every hospitality project should have a purpose and a candle to light. We in hospitality – designers, owners or operators – have the superpower of reaching thousands of people. We should shoulder more responsibility concerning issues like education, clean accessible water, alternative energy, energy consumption, food waste, wildlife protection, and conservation. The big hotel companies are part of nature and society too, not just economy. Here are some ideas of how to do something real…

Continue reading