The following is an excerpt taken from the Spring 2011 issue of WEALTH Magazine.

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Before solidifying your next vacation plans, consider the latest trend in eco-awareness — ecotourism.  We’ve spotlighted three green luxury travel destinations.

Every day, more people introduce another element of eco-awareness into their daily lives — recycling instead of discarding, opting for reusable grocery bags in lieu of paper or plastic ones, and choosing eco-friendly vehicles over gas guzzlers.  As you plan your next getaway, consider the latest trend for reducing your footprint on the planet — ecotourism.

According to The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), “Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” Put simply, it’s an opportunity to experience areas around the world in their natural form without putting an environmental strain on them.

Converting your vacation into an eco-friendly travel experience will likely inspire more sustainable efforts in your everyday life.  ”Not only do you have a feeling of satisfaction that you haven’t contributed to global warming, but you feel inspired and motivated to bring something back with you besides memories, pictures and videos,” says John Clifford, president of luxury travel consultancy InternationalTravelManagement.com based in San Diego.  ”That’s the magic of travel — it’s very rewarding to people.”

What’s more, with eco-friendly travel, parents can expose their children to far more than they could through typical ski trips, beach excursions or European tours.  It’s a great opportunity to discover and adopt new habits that promote a more eco-friendly lifestyle at home.

“These practices, many of which are fairly simple, can inspire visitors to take them home and apply them to their own lives,” Clifford says.  ”Whether it’s inspiring a family to grow their own vegetables in their yard, sponsor a nearby beach cleanup or park reforestation, or something similar — as long as the family comes back home with the impetus to ‘do something’ — the ecotourism and sustainable travel has made an impact on the family.”

While it’s possible to turn a trip to any destination into an eco-friendly vacation, several locations across the globe have made it a priority to promote ecotourism.  Consider any of these three spots that offer a one-of-a-kind luxurious experience, all while safeguarding the environment.

China’s Yunnan Province

Most travelers immediately consider the bustling cities of Beijing or Hong Kong for their China vacation destinations of choice. But for those seeking an eco-focused experience, the Yunnan Province in Southwestern China is a lesser-known alternative.

Ecotourism has taken off in this region of China. Travelers can experience the region’s many natural wonders, says Mei Zhang, founder of WildChina, a sustainable travel company based in Beijing. One such wonder is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site of the Three Parallel Rivers (Yangtze, Mekong and Salween rivers). In addition, over the last 10 years, Zhang says, there has been a surge in tourism facility construction projects – most pledging to have minimal impact on the environment.

ACCOMMODATIONS: For sustainable lodging, Zhang recommends the Linden Centre near Dali City. The estate – built by a local warlord in the years before the Communist Revolution – has been renovated with modern amenities yet maintains much of the original architecture of a traditional courtyard mansion. The hotel is meant to be a model of “architectural renovation, cultural conservation and a primary partner in the sustainable development of the local economy.”

While it provides certain contemporary services, such as Wi-Fi, the hotel purposefully doesn’t include televisions in the rooms. Instead, guests are encouraged to interact with one another, hotel staff and villagers in such activities as accompanying one of the hotel chefs on a vegetable market visit.

For those who wish to gain the full experience of a Tibetan monastery, Zhang recommends the Songstam Hotel in Shangri-La. A true treasure of the community, the hotel was built by local craftsmen from local wood and stone, Zhang says. It features Tibetan rugs and antiques, and an almost completely Tibetan staff. The hotel also offers energy-efficient, wood-burning stoves in every room.

ACTIVITIES: Pudacuo National Park in Shangri-La provides the perfect opportunity to hike through a biologically sensitive area with a rich plant kingdom and many endangered species of animals, offering firsthand learning opportunities for younger children.

Shangri-La also is home to Songzanlin Monastery, the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan. Monks live a frugal, rural lifestyle, eating meals together and choosing to walk or ride bikes rather than burn automobile gasoline. “You can visit the praying halls or join villagers for their local celebrations,” says Zhang, who says visitors’ behaviors naturally change when they’re in this eco-friendly area. “Visitors here walk into everyday life. When you get to these sacred places and everything’s so natural and beautiful, and you see the monks practicing, people are so inspired by their surroundings that they keep quiet and stay out of the way to respect the cultural heritage.”

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To read about other green luxury travel destinations Costa Rica and Peru’s Cusco and Machu Picchu in the full article, please click here.

To learn more about WildChina’s journeys to Yunnan, check out South of the Clouds & The Ancient Tea & Horse Caravan Road: An Expedition with Jeff Fuchs. The latter journey is a immersive, small group journey which departs September 12, 2011. For inquiries, please e-mail us at info@wildchina.com.

WildChina founder Zhang Mei was recently invited to serve as a panelist at the International Luxury Travel Market Asia in Shanghai.  In a conversation moderated by Dorinda Elliot of Condé Nast Traveler, Mei will join Claire Howse of &Beyond and Jose Ramapuram of Orange County Resorts & Hotels to speak on the topic of How to Sell Authentic & Sustainable Travel.

Together, they will reflect on the following:

Luxury travellers are increasingly looking truly unique experiences that are deeply personal. Additionally, high-end travellers want to know that the people they travel with have a CSR policy that supports its local community. In this seminar we hear from some travel suppliers, who offer real experiences that get under the skin of a destination and local cultures.

When asked, “What is WildChina’s understanding of ecotourism?” Zhang Mei replied, “Ecotourism. Basically, TIES (The International Ecotourism Society, of which I am an advisory board member) defines ecotourism as Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. WildChina in general agrees with this definition. I personally prefer the term “sustainable tourism”, as it goes beyond the natural areas to include many historical sites as well. For example, our visits to the hutongs in Beijing is going to be hard to be defined as ecotourism, but what’s showcased in the Bunny video is sustainable tourism – through story-telling, interactive activities, we encourage a healthy exchange between local residents and travelers, and thus creating a positive impact on the local culture. That’s sustainable tourism.”

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To meet with Zhang Mei in Shanghai, please contact Nancy Tan of our marketing department at nancy.tan@wildchina.com to make arrangements.

The natural dye used by a traditional Bai artisan to color the batik seen drying here in Lijiang was made from isatis root, a medicinal herb.

At WildChina, we’re quite proud of our pioneering dedication to pursuing environmentally sustainable travel in China, and we’re not afraid to show it.

That said, it’s always nice when other people recognize us for our efforts to bring environmental consciousness and sustainable best practices to China’s travel industry.

That’s exactly what happened recently on the Asia-focused news site Asia Sentinel in this article about ecotourism in China by writer Wendy Fung. In her story, Fung singles out WildChina as the only real option for sustainable tourism in the Middle Kingdom.

As Fung explains:

“… WildChina’s team of local Chinese tour guides and expatriate employees offer customized, guided eco-sensitive tours. For each trip, the company keeps the environmental impact in mind by controlling client volume to each destination, encouraging travelers to engage in activities that do not require a lot of infrastructure (such as hiking and camping out), and thoroughly cleaning up after each trip to preserve the environment. WildChina is rare in its approach to environmental sustainability…

The company’s active involvement in China’s civil society lends it more credibility as a sustainable tour operator with many of its environmentally conscious clientele. “

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

Prior to arriving here in China, I didn’t know much about China’s natural wonders beyond pandas. For me, China was an ancient civilisation with numerous cultural treasures, but also one with over a billion people undergoing a rapid modernisation process.  Forming part of this has been an increase in the number of Chinese affording to travel and take holidays.

Given this, the question that I was interested in, and part of the reason for me coming to China, was how this history and recent development has impacted on China’s flora and fauna.  More importantly, though, is what this means for China’s natural areas going forward and whether there is room for conservation among so many people and their new-found modern lifestyles.

Changqing National Nature Reserve in Shaanxi Province is probably a good example on how conservation, development and tourism are becoming interconnected within 21^st century China.  Tourists have been visiting Changqing since its establishment in 1995, although they were generally few in number, consisting mainly of forestry or conservation industry professionals.  While a lack of knowledge of Changqing as a tourist destination was a likely reason for this, accessibility was a major deterrent given its location high up in the Qinling Mountains.  As a Chinese saying highlights, ‘the road to Sichuan is harder than the road to heaven’.

However, China’s recent growth has resulted in a massive infrastructure building program which is removing such obstacles.  This is improving mobility for both tourists and villagers alike, opening up some of China’s wild places for tourism and development.  In relation to Changqing, a new expressway linking the nearby city of Yangxian to Xi’an opened in 2007, reducing the travel time from over 7 hours to only 3 hours.  In addition, the road from Yangxian to Huayang (the nearest village to Changqing) was also upgraded in 2008, enabling the trip to be undertaken in a little over 2 hours.

While fewer than 1,000 people visited Changqing annually up to 2007, these recent developments have assisted in seeing visitor numbers increase to over 3500, and it is predicted to grow substantially over the next 5-10 years.  The growth in the tourism market is seeing development take-off in the formerly isolated village of Huayang.  The ancient town has undergone a recent facelift with the old streets being repaved and many of the buildings given new wooden fronts.

In addition, many businesses are now deriving part of their income through tourism enterprises such as farm-stay meals and accommodation as well as selling of local produce and goods.  As a result, villagers are seeing first-hand the potential economic benefits that can come with tourism through the conservation of the surrounding natural area.  Indeed, one recent western visitor to Changqing remarked at how well-dressed the villagers of Huayang were.

However, while tourism brings with it such opportunities, it also creates challenges that need to be recognised.  With Changqing established for the protection of the Giant Panda and conservation of its habitat (along with many other endangered animals and plants), it is important that all activities in the area, including tourism, are managed with this objective in mind.  As a result, my predecessor, Heather Graham, worked with Changqing and WWF to develop an Ecotourism Action Plan for the reserve.  The implementation of this plan is guiding management decisions over the next 5 years in line with ecotourism principles to ensure the maintenance and protection of its precious and unique biodiversity.

With reserves such as Changqing being proactive in preparing for the growth in visitor numbers, I am optimistic about the ability for China to protect its natural areas for future generations to enjoy.  However, I would suggest to anyone thinking about coming here to do it soon.  Reserves such as Changqing are still relatively unknown and visitors, particularly outside of the summer peak season, are likely to have the whole reserve to themselves, which can only be a good thing for animal spotting.  However, China’s rising middle class, combined with its increasing appeal among westerners following events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Shanghai World Expo, suggests that this is unlikely to be for long.

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Wayne is currently working for Shaanxi Changqing National Nature Reserve in Huayang Village, about 5 hours south-west of Xi’an.

Eco-friendly travel gadgets are becoming more and more popular among avid travelers. Knowing that traveling affects the environment, many people are looking to minimize their impact. One way to do this without sacrificing any preferences or luxuries is eco-friendly travel gear.

Alternative energy use items are particularly useful in China as there are not cafés around every corner for you to charge your electronics in and when there are outlets they are not compatible with Western plugs. In addition, because water quality is very low, people are forced to buy a large amount of bottled water.

When I first arrived in Beijing, my hotel did not have a plug adapter and neither did I so if my computer or cell phone ran out of electricity, I had to find a Western café and pay for drinks I didn’t actually want in order to charge my electronics. Plus, lugging around my chargers with me all day weighed down my already heavy backpack. An all-purpose charger, especially one that I didn’t need to go to a store to use, would have been much more convenient.

Wary of the water in rural Guizhou? A travel-sized Steripen will come in handy when your last water bottle has run out. (Photo: Steripen.com)

Today there is a growing number of eco-friendly travel products ranging from practical to outrageous in both function and price. There are cell phones made from recycled water bottles, biodegradable external hard drives, solar-powered media players, speakers make from recycled cardboard, shake flashlights, wind-up radios, luggage made from recycled materials, and much more. However, many of these items carry a hefty price tag, and although a biodegradable laptop sounds great, paying $2000 for it does not.

Through a bit of research, I have found some of the most useful items for eco-friendly traveling in China:

1. USB or solar-powered electronic charger: $60. This can charge almost any electronic item so you don’t have to bring a whole slew of other chargers or buy a plug adapter which is otherwise necessary when traveling to China.
2. Water-powered digital alarm clock: $16. This would be great if you are camping or traveling to a remote village such as Yubeng, Yunnan.
3. USB rechargeable battery: $16.65 for two AA batteries. These would help you avoid a situation of having your non-rechargeable AA batteries die in a remote place where you cannot buy replacements.
4. Water-purifying pen: $60. This pen allows you to drink tap water safely so you can avoid purchasing bottled water everywhere you go.

Travel gear and gadget companies are continually coming up with innovative products to lessen our environmental impact while traveling. If you wish to lessen the impact of your travels, you may want to consider these products when planning your trip to China or anywhere else.

In Mark Graham’s late September South China Morning Post article, “On the inside track,” the author quotes a Chinese couple expressing their changing thoughts on tourism at home: ”We want to explore [China] more and more; it’s something my parents’ generation could not do.”

The couple’s comments are reflective of a generational shift in Chinese travel. As the mystery, grandeur and beauty of China’s many diverse areas becomes increasingly accessible to its own people, the Chinese are choosing domestic travel over international – and at a rapid rate.

Chinese tourists are looking more to inbound tourism, but away from the crowds of popular sights. (Photo from Shanghaiist.com)

However, these tourists aren’t choosing cookie-cutter tour buses and factory shops – wealthy Chinese now want to explore their roots in an authentic, eco-friendly way, with customized ‘green’ travel.

Read what WildChina’s Mei Zhang has to say about the direction of travel for domestic Chinese tourists and how it’s shaping the industry. Download the full article from the WildChina website (listed in ‘WildChina in the News’ under ‘September 2010′), or read it on the South China Morning Post website if you are a subscriber.

WildChina is pleased to announce that our founder, Mei Zhang, has recently joined Adventure Travel Trade Associaton (ATTA)’s 15-member Advisory Board.

Mei is proud to join the Adventure Travel Trade Association's Advisory Board this month

In the company of other innovative leaders in the adventure travel industry, Mei looks forward to bringing her passion for travel, as well as commitment to cultural and environmental sustainability, to the Advisory Board.

The ATTA’s complete press release is as follows:

WildChina’s Mei Zhang Joins Adventure Travel Trade Association Advisory Board

(SEATTLE) – APRIL 13, 2010 – Entrepreneur, China native and founder of internationally acclaimed sustainable adventure tour company WildChina, Mei Zhang, today was named to the 15-member Adventure Travel Trade Association Advisory Board.

Zhang, a native of Yunnan province in southwest China, holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and worked for McKinsey & Company before creating Beijing-based Wild China, which offers distinctive, ecologically sensitive journeys in China. While consulting for The Nature Conservancy, Zhang witnessed the push and pull between economic development and conservation of both nature and culture in Yunnan. She strongly believed that there was a for-profit solution to this: providing sophisticated interpretation of Chinese culture and nature, and therefore creating experiential travel that was unheard of in China.

“The ATTA represents big and small businesses alike, and particularly for adventure tour operators, most which are small operations driven by passion, there are not a lot of other venues of associates that address their needs,” said Zhang. “Many of us face similar business challenges, such as understanding product trends and social media and addressing sustainable operations. So, with my involvement in the ATTA, I hope to contribute international and small business perspective to operators worldwide, and also possibly contribute in a way to organize small Chinese adventure travel operators.”

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When reading Orville Schell’s recent article in Conde Nast Traveler, “China’s Magic Melting Mountain,” readers might notice that the destinations in Yunnan he describes seem rather, well, touristy.

Schell is quick to outline the realities of these tourist meccas. Of Mt. Kawagebo, he writes,

A distant rooster crows, and the sun bursts into full flame over the ridge. As if some switch were thrown to make them artificially glow from within, the mountains’ peaks become tinted with gold and orange. The Chinese tourists around me begin clicking away on their cameras with the intensity of tail gunners whose bomber squadron has suddenly come under attack.

On Lijiang, Schell is even less forgiving; he calls it a “high-kitsch carnival of Naxi minority culture.”

Lijiang: unforgettable Naxi minority town, or simply a playground for mass tourism?

Comments such as these beg the question: if Yunnan’s Lijiang and Mt. Kawagebo are so kitschy and crowded, then what is the point of visiting them? And, from a potential client’s point of view, why is WildChina still visiting these areas? Don’t they promote “experiencing China differently?”

We, too, have often debated the issue of historical and culture value versus tourist developments and influx in these areas. In the spring and summer of 2009, we wrote a few blog posts on the issue. Our April 14, 2009 blog post, entitled “What We’re Reading: NYTimes Goes to Yunnan,” addresses the struggles of preserving the uniqueness of such a popular destination on our trips:

“For operators like WildChina, it’s always a balancing act to manage sustainable development of a site while promoting its appeal to future travelers. On one hand, you might want to keep small places a secret so that they retain that je ne sais quo that made the place so appealing in the first place. On the other, you want to promote these amazing places and tell everyone about them so that they can share your experience.”

Three days later, we explained our philosophy regarding responsible tourism:

“For WildChina, our goal of responsible travel includes providing travelers a greater understanding of local cultural and environmental issues… It means visiting Songzanlin Monastery, also referred to by Jenkins, but having monks guide us through areas normally off-limits and having tea with a top lama in his private chambers. And it means visiting local families in surrounding Tibetan villages, like Hamagu, where World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is working to build support for sustainable tourism as an alternative source of income to logging.”

We at WildChina realize that as more tourists flood these areas, some aspects of local culture and environment are inevitably compromised. However, despite these realities, we strongly believe that we are still able to give our guests a unique travel and cultural experience.

How do we accomplish this? We travel away from the crowds. We engage in people-to-people meetings and interactions so that our travelers experience daily Chinese life. We offer once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, such as meeting with a Bimo shaman (see our Chinese Treasures itinerary). In smaller, more intimate Naxi villages nearby, we take our guests to local markets and community performances by village elders. It is through these personalized experiences and intimate looks at life in Yunnan that we are able to customize our travelers’ experiences and maintain the wonder of local cultures for our guests.

It’s also important to consider why these sites have become as touristic as they are. Why do thousands flock to Yunnan each year? There is clearly a reason why: Yunnan is one of the most diverse areas of China. Lijiang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an absolute must-see; Mt. Kawagebo is a spectacular and breathtaking sacred Tibetan mountain. While we cannot and do not deny that mass tourism does have negative effects upon these areas, the tourist culture in this area reflects the reality of Chinese domestic travel, and, for the reasons mentioned above, is justified.

Orville Schell does not sugarcoat his opinions of Lijiang, Mt. Kawagebo, and the current tourist climate in China. But he is still writing about them. Why? Because regardless of the tourists visiting these sites, they are still simply remarkable.

We invite you to join us in our ongoing rethinking of tourism in China. If you have something to say about this topic, please leave a comment, or email Alex at alex.grieves@wildchina.com. We’d love to hear from you.

This week has been a somewhat inspiring one for me from a professional perspective. As I think I have mentioned in a previous blog, China often gets bad international publicity when it comes to their environmental decisions and practices. I am not saying that this publicity is unfounded nor unwarranted, but rather that ‘good news stories’ about China just seem to be lacking in the international arena.

Changqing Staff who attended training

This week, Changqing National Nature Reserve, the reserve that I am working for, held a training program for its field staff and also a small number of its office staff. The focus of the training was ‘Eco-tourism’, and it was supported financially by WWF. The training was one of the priority actions that came out of Changqing’s recent ‘Ecotourism Action Plan’, a plan that focuses upon what Changqing Administrative Bureau hope to achieve in the coming three to five years.

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