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.