Monday December 7, 2015 : Sukau Rainforest Lodge touches yet another milestone in its journey from excellence to greatness. We have been awarded the Best Independent Accommodation of the PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Tourism InSPIRE (Industry’s Sustainability Practitioners Inspiring Responsibility and Excellency) Awards 2015.

The awards ceremony which took place on Friday, 27th November 2015 was hosted by the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines as part of the PATA New Tourism Frontiers Forum 2015 in Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines saw many prestigious business entities celebrate their wins for the night.

Mr. Baton Bijamin, General Manager of Sukau Rainforest Lodge accepted the award from Mr. Mario Hardy, CEO of PATA and Ms Loraine Gatlabayan, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Mr. Mario Hardy (left), CEO of PATA and Ms Loraine Gatlabayan (right), Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) presenting the Best Independent Accommodation award to Baton Bijamin (middle), General Manager of Sukau Rainforest Lodge. (Photo credit: PATA)

From left: Baton Bijamin, General Manager of Sukau Rainforest Lodge; Zane Smith, Development Manager and Ecotourism New Zealand Lead Innovation Consultant of Tai Poutini Polytechnic; and Mr. Henry Llames, Operation Manager of Borneo Rainforest Lodge. (Photo credit: PATA)

“We are proud to celebrate the accomplishments of all the winners that demonstrated leadership in sustainable tourism at the Tourism InSPIRE Awards Presentation Ceremony in Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines. I hope all the delegates who attended the event were inspired to make a sustainable and lasting impact in their own community,” said Mario Hardy, CEO of PATA.

The Tourism InSPIRE Awards acknowledge organisations and businesses that demonstrate excellence in social, environmental, and economic sustainability in tourism. The Tourism InSPIRE Awards is supported by the UNEP and the SWITCH-Asia Regional Policy Support Component (RPSC), managed by UNEP, funded by the European Union, and implemented by PATA. The awards aim to raise awareness on sustainable tourism issues and to inspire the uptake and sharing of good practices, ultimately embedding responsible and exemplary sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices in the daily operations of organisations throughout the tourism industry.

Sukau Rainforest Lodge received a Certificate of Award and Plaque

The Tourism InSPIRE Awards has six categories, which are (1) Best Branded Accommodation; (2) Best Independent Accommodation; (3) Best Marine and Wildlife Tourism Provider; (4) Best Culture and Heritage Tourism Provider; (5) Best Responsible Tourism Destination; and (6) Best Community Based Tourism Initiative.

The awards were judged based on eight criteria: (1) resource efficiency; (2) value chain approach; (3) eco-innovation; (4) sustainable consumption; (5) sustainability reporting; (6) community action; (7) cultural heritage; and (8) collective impact. These criteria were developed based on SCP principles and existing internationally recognised sustainable tourism standards such as those developed by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Sukau Rainforest Lodge is honoured to have received the Best Independent Accommodation of the PATA Tourism InSPIRE Awards 2015. Going forward, our aim is to take the excellence achieved towards greatness by adopting the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Read more about SRL’s other awards and recognitions here.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

We are pleased to announce the winner of our Name Me Contest. Since April 2014, we have identified the same adult female orangutan and her baby returning to our Hornbill Boardwalk. We decided to find a suitable name for both mother and baby orangutans. Therefore, participants were given the privilege to name our residents and provide reasons for selecting those names.

After much deliberation, we’re happy to congratulate Kate Williams from the United Kingdom (UK) for winning our Name Me Contest. Kate has chosen the name ‘Bertuah' (meaning Lucky) for the Mother orangutan and ‘Hari’ (meaning Day) for the Baby orangutan.

The bond between a parent and a child is one of the strongest connections in nature. We chose the name ‘Bertuah’ for the Mother orangutan and ‘Hari’ for her baby because combining both names to become ‘Lucky Day’ represents their special mother-baby bond. Baby orangutans depend on their mothers for a longer time than any other animal. They will stay with their mothers for an average of eight years, giving them plenty of training for surviving in the rainforest. This training has everything an ape needs to know, from how to climb a tree, how to build a nest, all the way to knowing which fruits in the forest to eat. For the first few years of life, baby orangutans cling to their mothers, not venturing into the trees. As the baby orangutan grows, it moves hand-in-hand with its mother, thus signifying how lucky we are to witness this special bond right in our backyard.

Most of us would use the word ‘Lucky’ whenever something good and unexpected happens to us – it’s not every day our guests get to see a mother orangutan and her baby up close. We believe that both of these names reflect how exotic Borneo wildlife is and how we treasure them because it is truly a Lucky Day for our guests to see them at our lodge and rainforest. Lastly, we believe that both names are simple and memorable, thus leaving a lasting impression – you may remember the mother and baby orangutans when you use the words ‘Lucky Day’.

Kate will receive an orangutan t-shirt, factsheet and regular updates of the mother and baby orangutans together with a certificate of participation.

Sukau Rainforest Lodge would like to thank those who have participated in the contest by submitting beautiful and meaningful names for our Mother and Baby orangutans.