Two destinations in Thailand won top places at the Green Destinations Story Awards held at ITB Berlin 2023 in Germany.
The event ranks among the world's leading travel shows.
The Green Destinations Story Awards showcases the most inspirational initiatives for sustainable tourism development in six categories from submissions to the annual Green Destinations Top 100 Stories competition: Governance, Reset & Recovery; Nature & Scenery; Environment & Climate; Culture & Tradition; Thriving Communities; and Business & Marketing.
A source said Huay Pu Keng village in Mae Hong Son won first place in the Thriving Communities category, followed by Parque Nacional Tingo Maria in Peru and Eggental in Italy.
Ban Huay Pu Keng is a longneck Karen village recognised for good practices in community-based tourism where locals received capacity building training and joined hands in promoting environmentally friendly practices among residents and visitors.
Huay Pu Kaeng village in Mae Hong Son is home to a longneck Karen tribe. Community Archive photo A tourist walks on a curved coconut tree in Koh Mak, Trat. (Photo: jetjaras Na Ranong)
Another award went to Koh Mak, a tourist island located in the eastern province of Trat. It won second place in the category of Governance, Reset & Recovery behind Normandy in France. Third place was given to Oguni Town in Japan.
The award was received by Gp Capt Athikun Kongmee, director of Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration, and Non Suwatnanon, chairman of the Koh Mak Tambon Administrative Organisation, at the event in Berlin on Thursday.
Koh Mak was chosen by the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta) to be the country's first low-carbon destination with support and cooperation from the local community.
Digital technologies and advanced research in the field of carbon sequestration were deployed to help achieve the goal.
