| Andaman Discoveries Press |
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Click on the titles below (opens a new browser window and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) to read a selection of press articles relating to Andaman Discoveries and its efforts in the area of developing, promoting, and supporting community-led tourism in tsunami-impacted villages in Southern Thailand.
For a press pack or to visit us at Andaman Discoveries, please contact us, we are always grateful for support and your help will directly assist the villagers.
| R:Travel - Cool Old Thai |
| November 2008 |
| Written by Roger Fulton |
| The 2008 edition of Virgin Holiday's Responsible Tourism Awards and the World Travel Mart. The article ackowledges Andaman Discoveries' being highly commended in the "Best for Cultural Conservation" category. The article demonstrates how Andaman Discoveries is continues to help Thai villagers make a living from tourism without sacrificing their culture and local way of life. |
| Andaman Discoveries: Relief to Self-Reliance |
| www.maketravelfair.co.uk, 4 November 2008 |
| Stephen Chapman |
We first met Kelly May from Andaman Discoveries at the World Travel Market, London in 2007 where they won 'Best for Conservation of Cultural Heritage' in the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards. That same year they were finalists in Wild Asia's Responsible Tourism Awards and this year they won the SEED Award for Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development.
MORE >> |
| Keeping it local: Community Tourism in Thailand |
| CNN.com, 1st July 2008 |
| Dean Irvine |
| For everyone from Tung Nang Dam, the tsunami will always be a vivid memory. However, the biggest challenge facing this beautiful and undeveloped area of Thailand is how to keep back the tide of mass tourism that has engulfed Phuket, a two-and-a-half hour drive down the coast. It is hoped that one way is the successful introduction of community-based tourism to the area and the reason Noi was leading me and my guide Tui, through the forest -- a jungle trek being just one activity during my two-night stay in the area. MORE >> |
| Redbrick |
| 29th February 2008 |
| Emily Gilbert |
| Redbrick is the Birmingham University's (UK) student newspaper. An ex Birmingham student herself, Emily discusses how Andaman Discoveries changed her perception of eco-tourism, bringing with it a historical account of how the organization began and what it offers today. This is a very positive article which focuses also on the short-term commitment needed to partake in an Andaman Discoveries programme, as well as how it really is for anyone of any age. |
| Phuket Magazine |
| Andaman Discoveries Brings Hope and International Recognition to The North Andaman Coast |
| February 2008 |
| Baz Daniel |
| This two double-page spread follows Co-Director Kelly May's journey from life as a Bangkok party animal to 'Angel of the Andaman' where she lives and works today. It also explains the development from the day of the tsunami when villages were destroyed and people lost everything, to today, when people with the support of Andaman Discoveries have turned their lives around. In part, this was due to finding new, sustainable livelihoods by offering eco-tours and volunteering in their villages. |
| Bangkok 101- Andaman Coast: Staying With Locals during Your Vacation |
| February 2008 |
| In this magazine that acts as a guide for travelers who want to keep off the tourist track, the article about Andaman Discoveries offers some background information to the organization and details the home-stays made available by Andaman Discoveries. It also presents a brief overview of the volunteering and activities guests can do in village. |
| Smart Traveller: Thailand Phuket - Learning about Local Life |
| January 2008 |
| Here is a guide book for the conscientious traveler. Appearing in the 'activities' section, the article writes of Andaman Discoveries flexibility in offering activities suitable for all ages, before describing in detail some of the activities available- mainly focusing on cooking and Thai cuisine! |
| Bangkok Post - Two Awards for Andaman Discoveries |
| January 2, 2008 |
| Achataya Chuenniran |
| A brief albeit comprehensive article detailing two international awards presented to Andaman Discoveries for assisting tsunami-impacted villages in their efforts to become locales of sustainable tourism. The Virgin Holiday's Responsible Tourism Award and Wild Asia's Responsible Tourism Awards recognize organizations that ethically protect deeply rooted traditions and values. |
| Phuket Magazine- The Visa Run Can Be Fun |
| Vol. 19, No. 2 |
| Russell Sandford |
| Andaman Discoveries is mentioned here in a section of an article that covers two double page spreads on how 'doing the visa run can be fun.' The journalist talks of Cucina, a restaurant in Kuraburi, as well as some of the activities, including home-stays, which Andaman Discoveries offers. |
| Thailand's 'Angel' Picks Up Presitgious Award |
| The Gazzette (Hemel, UK), December 2007 |
| Hempstead tsunami volunteer Kelly May, who earned the nickname 'angel' in Thailand, has won two international awards, including one sponsored by Virgin Holidays. |
| The Blue Yonder |
| Is Responsible Travel in Danger of Becoming a Meaningless Marketing Tool? |
| December 2007 |
| Written by Gopinath Parayil |
| Andaman Discoveries of Thailand recently won the prestigious responsible tourism under the category Best for conservation of cultural heritage at the World Travel Market in London. Co-Director Kelly May in conversation with TBY team shares how she started Andaman discoveries and how they work with communities in Southern Thailand. |
| Digital Travel Asia Pacific – Best Ecotourism Practices |
| December 2007 |
| The International Ecotourism Society |
| The article highlights Andaman Discoveries prestigious win in the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards and Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards and how their bottom-up approach is allowing villagers create a type of tourism that benefits their people and natural resources. |
| R:Travel – Why it's Cool to be Thai |
| November 2007 |
| Written by Roger Fulton |
| A special publication for the Virgin Holiday's Responsible Tourism Awards and the World Travel Mart, the article celebrates Andaman Discoveries win in the Best for Cultural Conservation category. The article demonstrates how Andaman Discoveries is helping Thai villagers make a living from tourism without sacrificing their culture and local way of life. Andaman Discoveries recognizes that the best custodians of Cultural Heritage are the people who make it. They have worked with communities, to empower them and create a sense of place, identifying what villagers see as important, and using this information to develop tourist activities and making productive relationships with the industry, commented Justin Francis, Director, Responsibletravel.com and Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards judge. |
| R:Travel – An Angel Spreads Her Wings |
| November 2007 |
| Written by Roger Fulton |
| A moving account of how Andaman Discoveries Director, Kelly May, changed her life after the tsunami and became known as the Angel of the Andaman. She admits to being a self-confessed Bangkok party animal, but the horrific images she witnessed while volunteering in the tsunami morgue, prompted her to change her ways and leave the party scene for a more meaningful, yet simple existence |
| Spotlight – The Day of Change |
| November 2007 |
| A special publication for the World Travel Mart, celebrating Responsible Tourism initiatives all over the world. This article looks into the work of Andaman Discoveries and Director Kelly May's journey into responsible tourism using all her negative experience to ensure that other people may learn from her mistakes and have a more enjoyable experience when in Thailand. |
| Press Release: |
| A New Kind of Tourism for Thailand: Community-Based Efforts Gain International Recognition after the Tsunami |
| December 2007 |
| Nartladda Klongwitti, or Chim as her friends call her, smiles as she welcomes the group of foreigners to her village on the Andaman Coast. Unlike the majority of visitors over the past few years, this group of visitors is not here to see the destruction wrought by the tsunami of 2004. Instead, they are here as tourists to enjoy the cultural and natural splendor of Tung Nang Dam, a village of 35 houses situated in between the coral reefs and dense rainforests of Southern Thailand. |
| Press Release: |
| Andaman Discoveries Short-Listed for Two Prestigious International Responsible Tourism Awards |
| October 2007 |
| The tsunami brought a great number of changes: entire villages were relocated, livelihoods were impacted, and loved ones lost. Inspiringly, many communities have created new opportunities in the wake of loss, especially in the area of eco-tourism. As a result of its efforts working with these communities since the tsunami, Andaman Discoveries has been short-listed for two International Responsible Tourism Awards, including the biggest and most prestigious in the world, the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards. |
| Discover the Real Thailand |
| Phuket Magazine (May 2007) |
| Bret Walberg (edited by Baz Daniels)
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| The article encourages people to discover a very different Thailand from the regular tourist destinations. The article praises the efforts of local communities to participate in a tourism that celebrates, not destroys their culture and natural environment. Despite being affected by the tsunami, communities are now using tourism to go hand in hand with community-led development to create opportunity from disaster. |
| Community-Based Tourism is the Way |
| Bangkok Post (March 2007) |
| Yvonne Bohawongprasert |
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| A special Women's Day feature on Kelly May, Andaman Discoveries director, sharing her views and experience of helping villagers to develop and promote sustainable tourism in Southern Thailand after volunteering in the Andaman region straight after the tsunami. |
| Come Stay with Us |
| Unforgettable Thailand (2007) |
| Tourism Authority of Thailand |
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| Andaman Discoveries community-based trips and services are featured alongside Thailand's most exclusive resorts, as a more meaningful and respectful way to experience Thailand. Andaman Discoveries' short term Volunteer placement program is also featured as a special two-page article, praising our ethical approach to tourism. |
| Voluntourism in Southern Thailand – Community-based Tourism in Action |
| Eco-tourism.org Digital Traveler – Asia Pacific (October 2006) |
| Kelly May |
| (pages 3 and 4) |
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| Director of Andaman Discoveries, Kelly May, was invited to discuss her ideas on the growth of the more socially and environmentally conscious traveler and their potential role in community development and empowerment as volunteers. Andaman Discoveries highlight the importance of authentic cultural interaction and inclusion for meaningful volunteer placement for both the villagers and the volunteer. |
| Village Embraces Respectful Tourism |
| Phuket Post (January 2007) |
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| This article shows how community-based tourism is allowing Southern Thailand villagers to share their traditional way of life with tourists and visitors. The North Andaman Tsunami Relief's training and community development has been instrumental in assisting mutual cultural between villagers and tourists to create a more meaningful travel experience. |
| Meaningful Travel |
| Harpers Bazaar (February 2007) |
| Judy Chapman |
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| Acknowledges growing movement towards more "meaning" travel experiences in the travel industry. Andaman Discoveries award-winning volunteer program is recommended as an ethical way to help out with tsunami recovery. |
| Eco-preneurs Making a World of Difference |
| Asia Spa (2006) |
| Judy Chapman |
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| Everyone has the ability to make a positive contribution to the world, and it's up to them whether or not to do so. Andaman Discoveries director Kelly May's decision to leave the high flying world of media and her position as publisher of OK! to serve tsunami-impacted villages is used as an inspirational example of how we can all develop a social conscience to make global transformation, one small step at a time. |
| My Bangkok |
| Bangkok Post - The Magazine (January 2006) |
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| Interview with Andaman Discoveries Director, Kelly May, about 'Her Bangkok' of where to go and what to do in town. The article also includes details of her decision to resign as publisher of OK! celebrity magazine and dedicate her life to serving the people affected by the tsunami after volunteering in the morgue straight after the tsunami in 2004. |
| Road to Recovery |
| South China Morning Post (2006) |
| Jamie Johnston |
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| As part of their economic recovery, some villages in the North Andaman are using community-based tourism to help them get back on their feet as financial support from tsunami-related aid organizations dries up. Training and support from the North Andaman Tsunami Relief is allowing villagers and tourists to engage in mutual cultural exchange, under the banner of Andaman Discoveries, an ethical, non profit tour service. |
| The Voluntourists |
| Lifestyle + Travel Magazine (June 2006) |
| Jamie M. Johnston |
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| A volunteer with the North Andaman Tsunami Relief's Andaman Discoveries discusses his experiences helping out on a community-led project that focuses on sustainability and community empowerment through small-scale tourism. |
Dirty Feet and Inky Fingers:
Community-Based Tourism on the North Andaman Coast |
| Bangkok Post Guru Magazine (October 2006) |
| Jarad Young, Spring 2006 |
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| Article features North Andaman Tsunami Relief grass root tourism training and development in tsunami-impacted villages to assist with sustainable recovery. Community-based tourism is letting villagers develop tourism on their own terms so that they benefit directly and the money goes straight into the local economy. |
| Tsunami Relief in the form of Community Based Tourism |
| Antonio Graceffo (February 2007) |
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| Article explores the reality of community-based tourism and acknowledges the need to properly train villagers to market, promote and manage their own tourism if it is to have real economic benefits. |
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