Tourism awards for top Thailand operations and innovators in sustainability

Thailand is one of the world’s top tourist destinations. Before COVID-19 sent numbers tumbling, the country welcomed nearly 40 million visitors in 2019. Visitors have flocked back post-pandemic, attracted by the buzzy nightlife and shopping of Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket, endless beach resorts and island getaways, mountain hikes, the rich culture and world-famous food.

Yet Thailand isn’t content to merely reboot its proven tourist attractions, as was emphasized at celebrations for World Tourism Day on September 27. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) used the occasion to announce the winners of its biennial Thailand Tourism Awards. Winners ranged from world-renowned hotels to small community-based operations, all sharing the same commitment to innovation, customer safety and satisfaction, and increased emphasis on sustainability amidst increasing global concerns over climate change.

TAT hosted the 14th Thailand Tourism Awards at Bangkok’s Samyan Mitrtown Hall, where 254 enterprises were recognized for outstanding quality and excellence in tourism and hospitality, underlining Thailand’s focus on high-value and sustainability.

Launched in 1996, as part of Thailand’s commitment to boosting its vital tourism industry, this year saw more than 900 tourism operations enter the prestigious awards. Tourism is a key part of the Thai economy, generating up to 10 percent of GDP in recent years. TAT has ambitious plans to double that, as Thailand rapidly recovers from the effects of COVID and looks likely to reach pre-pandemic peaks by next year. Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya appeared at the ceremony, showing the country’s keen commitment to the tourist sector.

“TAT is committed to strengthening Thailand’s tourism competitiveness in the ever-changing situations that impact travel and tourism globally,” said TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool, who oversaw the presentation of the awards. She highlighted an increased emphasis on greener tourism with new awards honoring achievements in best practices of sustainability and eco-tourism. “Current trends suggest that tourists seek more sustainable tourism experiences, so we have added the category of Low-carbon and Sustainability to reiterate our commitment on low-carbon tourism and underline our direction towards high value and sustainable tourism.”

There were 18 winners of the inaugural Low-carbon and Sustainability category. They were among over 900 entries in five categories designed to not only honor outstanding current tourist operations, but drive the entire industry to greater heights in these target areas. The other categories at the 14th Thailand Tourism Awards were Accommodation, Health and Wellness Tourism, and Tour Programs. In all, TAT honored 254 winners judged as meeting the award criteria, including 76 Gold Award winners and 169 Silver Award winners.

Among the five gold medalists for Low-carbon and Sustainability was Siam Bayshore Resort Pattaya, south of Bangkok along the coast in Chon Buri. While the award is new, an emphasis on sustainability has long been a part of the Siam Bayshore’s ethos, said Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotel Association (THA), current chair of THA’s Environmental Committee, and executive vice president of Sukosol Group, owner of the resort and several more in Thailand including Bangkok’s Siam Hotel. The Siam was among four hotels in Bangkok named in the World’s 50 Best Hotels List in September - including three properties in the list’s Top 20.

A low-rise resort on 12 acres built 50 years ago, Siam Bayshore was an “original oasis of greenery,” said Sukosol Nunbhakdi. Energy efficiency efforts launched decades ago. “We worked to reduce waste, and carbon, by retrofitting the property.” Biogas is produced from food waste, menus planned to seasons, and bicycles offered to guests along with community tours. But she cautioned: “It’s a long journey. Sustainability is a journey that never ends.”

Action must be industry-wide, she added, with hotels collaborating to achieve incremental goals. “We must all work together,” Sukosol Nunbhakdi said.

In Krabi, in southern Thailand, Red Ginger Chic Resort was another of the five gold medalists in the Low-carbon and Sustainability category. “I think sustainability and green hotels have a big impact,” said the resort’s Kasmaporn Limpanapongthep. “We do a lot of things,” she said. One of the most important being applying “the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.”

According to Limpanapongthep, 65-75 percent of waste occurs in the kitchen. That is a primary emphasis, with waste separated at source to maximize recycling. Red Ginger Chic is always looking for new innovations, such as deploying a specific breed of fly to consume kitchen waste. The property also works with suppliers to make sure operations are as green as possible.

Both Limpanapongthep and Sukosol Nunbhakdi extolled using outside environmental consultants to help ensure the latest eco-techniques are used and to monitor green goals.

At the local level, community groups have a huge role to play. The Bang Kobua Community Based Tourism Club, another gold award winner, operates in a stretch of greenery just across the river from Bangkok, in Bang Kachao. This urban oasis is widely praised as the “Green Lung of Bangkok” because of its lack of development and greenery. But its preservation has required planning and vigilance. Key to doing this was to engage the community and build support for activities promoting green-tourism that delivered visible local benefit, said Sittipong Phuthaworn, director of Bang Kobua Community Based Tourism Club.

Bike trails were built, and rental operations spread. Soon, residents offered boat trips from Bangkok to this urban oasis. “When people earn the income, they help preserve and maintain this business using tourism as a tool,” said Phuthaworn. Now Bang Kachao is not only a local Bangkok attraction, but known as a global destination for green getaways with eco-hotels and cafes.

This is but one example of how the Thailand Tourism Awards can help foster the best aims of tourism in Thailand, and boost its global appeal. “The ultimate goal I envision for the Thailand Tourism Awards is for them to gain global recognition for setting standards of excellence for tourism businesses and services,” said TAT’s Kiatphaibool.

“I also hope to see tourism businesses in Thailand strive to elevate the quality and standards of their products and services to earn the awards. This, in the long term, will help raise the standards and quality of Thailand’s tourism as a whole.”