Sri Lankan Tree Tops Jungle Lodge wins Wild Asia Tourism Award 2008

(PRWEB) December 15, 2008

Buttala, Sri Lanka December 15, 2008 — Sri Lankan Tree Tops Jungle Lodge has been honored with the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Award 2008 at an award ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tree Tops is a basic mud- and tree-hut ecolodge entirely run and managed by staff recruited in a remote community where hunter-gathering is the traditional lifestyle combined with slash-burn farming. None of the staff team ever completed the school up to o-level. Situated in lowland Uva, 10 km from Buttala, the lodge is located in dryzone Weliara bush jungle in Southeastern Sri Lanka, a wilderness and slash and burn cultivation area connected to Yala National Park.

The award winners were selected after six months of short-listing the finalists and as a unique feature for awards, the final eight properties were inspected by Wild Asia representatives. This year Wild Asia introduced a new set of criteria which included: 1) Sense of place — whether tourists understand their destinations better through operators’ efforts. 2) Sustainability — whether these efforts are long-term. 3) Involvement of guests — do the operators involve their guests in their practices? 4) Internalization — how much is sustainability part of the day-to-day operations?

Dr. Reza Azmi, Director and Founder, Wild Asia, who checked out Tree Tops Jungle Lodge, commented: “What’s great about the Awards is we always find a gem – a property that challenges us in our evolving views of what makes a ‘sustainable’ business. I had a preconceived idea of Sri Lanka’s Tree Tops Jungle Lodge as yet another wildlife lodge but what we discovered was how local everything was. From the design of the mud huts to the entire wildlife experience. Despite being a small operation, the lodge serves as important business, educational and conservation catalysts for the area”.

“The Wild Asia Award is an incredible encouragement for me and my team as well as attracting well deserved international attention to Sri Lankan ecotourism” – Lars Sorensen said, Chief, Tree Tops Jungle Lodge.

Explaining what makes Tree Tops special, Lars Sorensen adds: “The jungle lodge vision developed from 2001 was quite a daring combination of adventure, experience and minimal facilities. However we went our own ways and have proven to be a world class Sri Lankan ecotourism product in terms of real and authentic experience. Our concept is tailor made for the particular area and aims to preserve local culture, nature and wildlife – call it ‘living in the wilderness with local people’. The concept puts weight on the human resource part and environmental conservation rather than the actual physical hotel. Organization and service make the magic more than conventional comfort”. This is all depending on the preservation of the surrounding nature because living amidst jungle, birds, spotting leopard paw marks and observing an occasional wild elephant is the core attraction for visitors”.

Initiated in 2006 by Malaysia based conservation group Wild Asia, the Awards showcase exemplary Asian ecotourism ventures that are committed to sustainable practices. This year’s Awards attracted a diverse group of tourism operators from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Laos, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India. Wild Asia organized various learning seminars attended by pioneers of Asian nature conservation and leaders in ecotourism from the finest Asian eco-chic resorts to basic community based accommodation places.

Information about the awards on the Wild Asia website http://www.wildasia.net

For contacting Lars Sorensen and information about Tree Tops Jungle Lodge: http://www.treetopsjunglelodge.com

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Sri Lankan Tree Tops Jungle Lodge wins Wild Asia Tourism Award 2008

Male, Maldives (PRWEB) December 16, 2012 The World Travel Awards completed their 2012 tour with a lavish event at recently opened The Oberoi Gurgaon, New Delhi, in India, on Wednesday, December 12, 2012. The final Awards Gala was held to announce and honor these pick few who have been singled out as the Worlds Very best in consistently excelling beyond expectations. Atoll Paradise was ecstatic to continue their winning streak from the Asia, Australasia &amp Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony where they received two awards for Indian Oceans Top Travel Agency and Maldives Leading Luxury Tour Operator, with their announcement of having been selected as the Worlds Top Luxury Boutique Tour Operator. The occasion was attended by the leading names in Travel, amongst which representatives from Mandarin Oriental, 1&ampOnly, and Starwood Hotels &amp Resorts. A lot of of the exclusive luxury resorts Atoll Paradise operates with directly had been amongst the smiling winners of this evening, and the Maldives itself won for World’s Leading Island Destination’, the award was accepted by the High Commissioner of the Maldives to India, Mr Mohamed Naseer. Atoll Paradise is incredibly proud to have accomplished the substantial feat of winning 3 of the Travel Industrys most coveted awards, all in 1 year especially considering that the young company, founded in 2006, only just established its new destinations beyond Maldives, with the launch of Seychelles, Mauritius, Thailand, and Indonesia. This triple honor bestowed upon us by the overwhelming quantity of loyal clients who trust in us and voted for us at the Globe Travel Awards is our most cherished accomplishment so far. It reinforces our emphasis on initial-class personalized service that our expert Travel Consultants extend to each and every and every buyer. Becoming appreciated for our dedication to our buyers is the greatest Thank You we could have received for our continuous efforts to make our buyers holiday dreams come correct! says Chloe Esme Bagir, Director of Business Development at Atoll Paradise. Atoll Paradise wishes to thank its organization partners, as properly as its specialist and enthusiastic team working each day to exceed consumers expectations, and final but not least, its loyal client base of discerning travelers who value one particular-on-1 service and in-depth tips when it comes to planning their dream holidays. Atoll Paradise will not rest on its laurels, but is already preparing to launch new exotic destinations, in unison with its move to the companys new head quarters including state-of-the-art technologies and recreational facilities for its team. About ATOLL PARADISE ATOLL PARADISE is a major Luxury Travel Management Organization based in the Indian Ocean, featuring an exclusive collection of the finest resorts in the Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, Indonesia, and Thailand. Its partner resorts are among some of the most prestigious properties and brands in the globe, such as Anantara, Starwood, Constance, Hilton, 4 Seasons, Banyan Tree, Angsana, LUX*, Shangri-La and Six Senses. ATOLL PARADISE is recognized as one of the leading producers worldwide for several of its partner resorts. http://www.atollparadise.com About Globe Travel Awards The World Travel Awards were launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognize excellence in the global travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 19th anniversary, it is regarded as the extremely highest achievement that a travel item could hope to obtain and their aim is to highlight and reward those travel brands that have produced the greatest contribution to the business more than the previous year. Votes are cast by 213,000 travel pros like travel agencies, tour and transport businesses and tourism organizations in a lot more than 160 nations across the globe. http://www.worldtravelawards.com/profile-29893-atoll-paradise Atoll Paradise Wins Yet another Globe Travel Award - World"s Major Luxury Boutique Tour Operator

Male, Maldives (PRWEB) December 16, 2012

The World Travel Awards completed their 2012 tour with a lavish event at recently opened The Oberoi Gurgaon, New Delhi, in India, on Wednesday, December 12, 2012. The final Awards Gala was held to announce and honor these pick few who have been singled out as the Worlds Very best in consistently excelling beyond expectations. Atoll Paradise was ecstatic to continue their winning streak from the Asia, Australasia &amp Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony where they received two awards for Indian Oceans Top Travel Agency and Maldives Leading Luxury Tour Operator, with their announcement of having been selected as the Worlds Top Luxury Boutique Tour Operator.

The occasion was attended by the leading names in Travel, amongst which representatives from Mandarin Oriental, 1&ampOnly, and Starwood Hotels &amp Resorts. A lot of of the exclusive luxury resorts Atoll Paradise operates with directly had been amongst the smiling winners of this evening, and the Maldives itself won for World’s Leading Island Destination’, the award was accepted by the High Commissioner of the Maldives to India, Mr Mohamed Naseer. Atoll Paradise is incredibly proud to have accomplished the substantial feat of winning 3 of the Travel Industrys most coveted awards, all in 1 year especially considering that the young company, founded in 2006, only just established its new destinations beyond Maldives, with the launch of Seychelles, Mauritius, Thailand, and Indonesia.

This triple honor bestowed upon us by the overwhelming quantity of loyal clients who trust in us and voted for us at the Globe Travel Awards is our most cherished accomplishment so far. It reinforces our emphasis on initial-class personalized service that our expert Travel Consultants extend to each and every and every buyer. Becoming appreciated for our dedication to our buyers is the greatest Thank You we could have received for our continuous efforts to make our buyers holiday dreams come correct! says Chloe Esme Bagir, Director of Business Development at Atoll Paradise.

Atoll Paradise wishes to thank its organization partners, as properly as its specialist and enthusiastic team working each day to exceed consumers expectations, and final but not least, its loyal client base of discerning travelers who value one particular-on-1 service and in-depth tips when it comes to planning their dream holidays.

Atoll Paradise will not rest on its laurels, but is already preparing to launch new exotic destinations, in unison with its move to the companys new head quarters including state-of-the-art technologies and recreational facilities for its team.

About ATOLL PARADISE

ATOLL PARADISE is a major Luxury Travel Management Organization based in the Indian Ocean, featuring an exclusive collection of the finest resorts in the Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, Indonesia, and Thailand. Its partner resorts are among some of the most prestigious properties and brands in the globe, such as Anantara, Starwood, Constance, Hilton, 4 Seasons, Banyan Tree, Angsana, LUX*, Shangri-La and Six Senses. ATOLL PARADISE is recognized as one of the leading producers worldwide for several of its partner resorts.

http://www.atollparadise.com

About Globe Travel Awards

The World Travel Awards were launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognize excellence in the global travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 19th anniversary, it is regarded as the extremely highest achievement that a travel item could hope to obtain and their aim is to highlight and reward those travel brands that have produced the greatest contribution to the business more than the previous year. Votes are cast by 213,000 travel pros like travel agencies, tour and transport businesses and tourism organizations in a lot more than 160 nations across the globe.

http://www.worldtravelawards.com/profile-29893-atoll-paradise

Atoll Paradise Wins Yet another Globe Travel Award - World"s Major Luxury Boutique Tour Operator

(PRWEB) October 20, 2012 CapitaLands wholly-owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), has been conferred the Guide Award for Excellent Performance for its Somerset brand of serviced residences in Vietnam. The Guide Award is given to providers of the best products and services for travellers, diners and shoppers in Vietnam. This is the ninth consecutive year that Ascott has won this award. The Guide Award is presented by The Guide magazine, a leading Vietnamese travel and hospitality magazine. Winners of the annual Guide Award are first nominated by readers of The Guide Magazine and subsequently selected by the executive board of the magazine in consultation with representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as well as experts from the travel, hospitality, food and beverage and retail sectors. Mr Graham Black, Ascotts Country General Manager for Vietnam, said: It is an honour to be recognised by readers of The Guide magazine and industry experts to be the best serviced accommodation provider in Vietnam. At Ascott, we take pride in creating memorable stay experiences for our residents through our unique LIFE approach providing a Local touch; respecting our guests Individuality; offering the Feeling of home; and Exceeding expectations. This award attests to our service excellence and affirms the strong brand reputation we have built up in Vietnam over the last 18 years. Ascott is currently the largest international serviced residence owner-operator in Vietnam with about 1,600 apartment units across ten properties. These include two Somerset serviced residences in Ho Chi Minh City Somerset Chancellor Court and Somerset Ho Chi Minh City, and three in Hanoi Somerset Grand Hanoi, Somerset Hoa Binh and Somerset West Lake. Ascott will also be opening its first serviced residences in Hai Phong City and Danang Somerset Central TD Hai Phong City and Somerset Danang Bay in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Ideal for business executives who are relocating or travelling with their families, Somerset serviced residences offer well-appointed apartments ranging from studio to four-bedroom units and penthouses. The apartments feature spacious living room, fully-equipped kitchen and modern amenities such as washing machine, dryer, cable television, DVD player and complimentary Internet access, allowing residents to simply move in without having to worry about the hassles of moving into a new home. There are also recreational facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts and playgrounds, 24-hour security and comprehensive services provided. Besides Somerset serviced residences, Ascott manages two other brands of serviced residences globally. Its flagship Ascott The Residence () offers top business executives discreet services in an exclusive environment. Its Citadines Aparthotel caters to independent travellers who want quality accommodation and the flexibility to pay for the services they require. For more information, please visit http://www.the-ascott.com. About The Ascott Limited The Ascott Limited is the worlds largest international serviced residence owner-operator with about 22,000 operating serviced residence units in key cities of Asia Pacific, Europe and the Gulf region, as well as over 8,000 units which are under development, making a total of more than 30,000 units. The company operates three brands Ascott, Citadines and Somerset. Its portfolio spans over 70 cities across more than 20 countries, 15 of which are new cities in Ascotts portfolio where its serviced residences are being developed. Ascott, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Limited, is headquartered in Singapore. It pioneered Asia Pacifics first international-class serviced residence in 1984. In 2006, it established the worlds first Pan-Asian serviced residence real estate investment trust, Ascott Residence Trust. Today, the company boasts a 28-year industry track record and award-winning serviced residence brands that enjoy recognition worldwide. Recent awards include DestinAsian Readers Choice Awards 2012 for Best Serviced Apartment, TTG China Travel Awards 2012 for Best Serviced Residence Operator in China, TTG Travel Awards 2011 for Best Serviced Residence Operator, Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards 2011 for Best Serviced Residence Brand and Best Serviced Residence in Asia-Pacific, and Business Traveller UK Awards 2011 for Best Serviced Apartment Company. About CapitaLand Group CapitaLand is one of Asias largest real estate companies. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, the multi-local companys core businesses in real estate, hospitality and real estate financial services are focused in growth cities in Asia Pacific and Europe. The companys real estate and hospitality portfolio, which includes homes, offices, shopping malls, serviced residences and mixed developments, spans more than 110 cities in over 20 countries. CapitaLand also leverages on its significant asset base, real estate domain knowledge, financial skills and extensive market network to develop real estate financial products and services in Singapore and the region. The listed entities of the CapitaLand Group include Australand, CapitaMalls Asia, CapitaMall Trust, CapitaCommercial Trust, Ascott Residence Trust, CapitaRetail China Trust, CapitaMalls Malaysia Trust and Quill Capita Trust. Find More Malaysia Cultural Tourism Press Releases Ascotts Somerset Serviced Residences in Vietnam Win Guide Award for Excellent Performance for The Ninth Consecutive Year

(PRWEB) October 20, 2012

CapitaLands wholly-owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), has been conferred the Guide Award for Excellent Performance for its Somerset brand of serviced residences in Vietnam. The Guide Award is given to providers of the best products and services for travellers, diners and shoppers in Vietnam. This is the ninth consecutive year that Ascott has won this award.

The Guide Award is presented by The Guide magazine, a leading Vietnamese travel and hospitality magazine. Winners of the annual Guide Award are first nominated by readers of The Guide Magazine and subsequently selected by the executive board of the magazine in consultation with representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as well as experts from the travel, hospitality, food and beverage and retail sectors.

Mr Graham Black, Ascotts Country General Manager for Vietnam, said: It is an honour to be recognised by readers of The Guide magazine and industry experts to be the best serviced accommodation provider in Vietnam. At Ascott, we take pride in creating memorable stay experiences for our residents through our unique LIFE approach providing a Local touch; respecting our guests Individuality; offering the Feeling of home; and Exceeding expectations. This award attests to our service excellence and affirms the strong brand reputation we have built up in Vietnam over the last 18 years.

Ascott is currently the largest international serviced residence owner-operator in Vietnam with about 1,600 apartment units across ten properties. These include two Somerset serviced residences in Ho Chi Minh City Somerset Chancellor Court and Somerset Ho Chi Minh City, and three in Hanoi Somerset Grand Hanoi, Somerset Hoa Binh and Somerset West Lake. Ascott will also be opening its first serviced residences in Hai Phong City and Danang Somerset Central TD Hai Phong City and Somerset Danang Bay in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

Ideal for business executives who are relocating or travelling with their families, Somerset serviced residences offer well-appointed apartments ranging from studio to four-bedroom units and penthouses. The apartments feature spacious living room, fully-equipped kitchen and modern amenities such as washing machine, dryer, cable television, DVD player and complimentary Internet access, allowing residents to simply move in without having to worry about the hassles of moving into a new home. There are also recreational facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts and playgrounds, 24-hour security and comprehensive services provided.

Besides Somerset serviced residences, Ascott manages two other brands of serviced residences globally. Its flagship Ascott The Residence () offers top business executives discreet services in an exclusive environment. Its Citadines Aparthotel caters to independent travellers who want quality accommodation and the flexibility to pay for the services they require. For more information, please visit http://www.the-ascott.com.

About The Ascott Limited

The Ascott Limited is the worlds largest international serviced residence owner-operator with about 22,000 operating serviced residence units in key cities of Asia Pacific, Europe and the Gulf region, as well as over 8,000 units which are under development, making a total of more than 30,000 units.

The company operates three brands Ascott, Citadines and Somerset. Its portfolio spans over 70 cities across more than 20 countries, 15 of which are new cities in Ascotts portfolio where its serviced residences are being developed.

Ascott, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Limited, is headquartered in Singapore. It pioneered Asia Pacifics first international-class serviced residence in 1984. In 2006, it established the worlds first Pan-Asian serviced residence real estate investment trust, Ascott Residence Trust. Today, the company boasts a 28-year industry track record and award-winning serviced residence brands that enjoy recognition worldwide.

Recent awards include DestinAsian Readers Choice Awards 2012 for Best Serviced Apartment, TTG China Travel Awards 2012 for Best Serviced Residence Operator in China, TTG Travel Awards 2011 for Best Serviced Residence Operator, Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards 2011 for Best Serviced Residence Brand and Best Serviced Residence in Asia-Pacific, and Business Traveller UK Awards 2011 for Best Serviced Apartment Company.

About CapitaLand Group

CapitaLand is one of Asias largest real estate companies. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, the multi-local companys core businesses in real estate, hospitality and real estate financial services are focused in growth cities in Asia Pacific and Europe.

The companys real estate and hospitality portfolio, which includes homes, offices, shopping malls, serviced residences and mixed developments, spans more than 110 cities in over 20 countries. CapitaLand also leverages on its significant asset base, real estate domain knowledge, financial skills and extensive market network to develop real estate financial products and services in Singapore and the region.

The listed entities of the CapitaLand Group include Australand, CapitaMalls Asia, CapitaMall Trust, CapitaCommercial Trust, Ascott Residence Trust, CapitaRetail China Trust, CapitaMalls Malaysia Trust and Quill Capita Trust.

Find More Malaysia Cultural Tourism Press Releases

Ascotts Somerset Serviced Residences in Vietnam Win Guide Award for Excellent Performance for The Ninth Consecutive Year