The ASEAN and OCEANIA Tourism Forum is held on Monday 7 November at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney as part of the Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference. The Forum features an excellent compilation of national and international speakers. The latest additions to the speaker program will be updated here as they are confirmed.

Program

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Mr. Richard Beere - Managing Director, Fastrak Asian Solutions
Monday 7 November 16:00-16:30 - ASEAN and OCEANIA Tourism Forum

China’s Travel Trends: the emerging significance of cultural tourism
Indigenous and ethnic minority cultural experiences are becoming important to Chinese tourists. This developing thirst is demonstrated in most domestic travel planning patterns for Chinese and it’s becoming gradually important for the millions now traveling internationally. For more than a generation now, China has been opening up to the world in the exchange of people, goods and services. An example of the increased exposure is the way in which cultural tourism has developed in what are known as China’s autonomous regions. Traveling to destinations to experience the cultures of indigenous and ethnic minorities is now recognised a special experience, however enjoyment of the untamed environment is not something that comes naturally to Chinese people. This attitude among tourists is partially responsible for the slow start in the growth of China's eco-tourism sector and this is changing.

Biography
Richard Beere is a senior manager with a passion for building bridges between peoples, cultures and markets, and a proven track record of delivering above target business results , revenue growth, successful market strategies, and profitable management of large, regional businesses.

He is a “facilitator” by nature and is motivated by thinking outside the box; creating and initiating successful new approaches to challenges; building new frameworks and platforms for future growth; working with, and leading, others on taskforces, project teams, and committees; and by building and leading strong teams.

This year he received the Outstanding Individual Contribution to the Industry Award from the Australian Tourism Export Council( ATEC) in recognition of his efforts especially in regard to Asia.

Over 30 years’ experience- 29 in the tourism industry, 20 in senior management positions, and 13 living in Asia provide Richard with a powerful and unique set of skills, experience , and attributes covering international business, multi market cultural understanding, Government and commercial arenas, strategy, management, marketing, and communications. Asia is his speciality.

He is currently Managing Director of Fastrak Asian Solutions, a company that helps organisations build business with Asia through direct immersion, engagement and discussion, and strategic advice with CEOs and Senior Management teams.

Ms. Louise Boronyak - Project Coordinator, Institute for Sustainable Futures
Monday 7 November 11:00-11:20 - ASEAN and OCEANIA Tourism Forum

Achieving Conservation and Community Development through Ecotourism
This presentation will reflect upon the important role that communities can play in ensuring the success of eco-tourism ventures to improve conservation outcomes, community development and the tourist experience. It will focus on how to establish the structure and systems that build capacity within communities to deliver a high quality tourism products. It will encourage community participation in eco-tourism to ensure that the benefits that eco-tourism is seized and spread throughout the community. The presentation will be illustrated by the best practice case studies of tourism ventures from across the ASEAN region. The case studies demonstrate that eco-tourism ventures can provide a mechanism which supports communities to derive income whilst protecting their natural and community assets. Effective community based eco-tourism can address social needs, contribute to building a more sustainable environment, and be commercially viable.

Biography
Louise Boronyak is a Project Coordinator for the Institute for Sustainable Futures. She was the lead researcher on a project for APEC in which she developed a handbook about building Effective Community Based Tourism. Her experience is predominantly in the private sector in a range of project management, coordination and stakeholder communication roles in green businesses and the finance sector. Louise has a Masters in Environmental Management and a Bachelor in Economics. Louise worked with communities in the Amazon basin in South America to develop alternative income generation for local communities such as community based tourism initiatives to reduce the trade in illegally trafficked animals.

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Dr. James Dawos Mamit - Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia
Monday 7 November 11:20-11:40 - ASEAN and OCEANIA Tourism Forum

The Synergy Between Community Based Tourism and Ecotourism in Malaysia
Community-based tourism in Malaysia entails the participation of local communities, mainly the rural indigenous people, in the tourism industry. In this branch of tourism, the rural communities provide complete tour packages for tourists, such as accomodation, meals, tours of natural areas and activities for tourists in the natural environment, cultural shows, and learning activities of the community's traditional cooking and cultural arts. Since the indigenous communities generally reside in the rural areas, the locations of nature, i.e. the Tropical Rainforests, rivers and lakes, are just in their backyards. Thus, the activities of ecotourism is widely chosen as a tour package in the natural environment and forest ecosystems. The involvement of the indigenous communities in Community Based Tourism and Ecotourism is governed by their participation in the Homestay Programme. The Homestay Programme is a strategy devised by the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia to enable the rural indigenous communities to gain economic benefits from the growing tourism industry in the country. In 2010 alone, the income derived from the Homestay was US$4.1 million from a total of 144 homestay destinations. The homestay destinations are the tradional villages of the indigenous communities where rooms are provided as accomodation for the tourists.

Biography
Education: BSc & MSc in Forestry; MSc & PhD in Environmental Management. Current Employment: Deputy Minister of Tourism, Malaysia since January 2010 Member of Parliament, Malaysia since November 1999. Previous Work Experience: Advisor of Environment to the State Government of Sarawak, Malaysia since 2001. Controller of Environmental Quality, the State Government of Sarawak, Malaysia 1993-1999. Principle Researcher in Forestry Department, State of Sarawak, Malaysia 1984-1992. Participation in International Fora: Member of Malaysian Delegation in UNCED 1992 (preparatory meetings 1991-1992), participated in negotiations in Convention on Biodiversity, UN Convention on Climate Change, and Forest Principles. Member of Malaysian Delegation in negotiation for the International Tropical Timber Act in 1993 under UNCTAD. Leader of Malaysian Delegation in the Asia Pacific Parliamentarians' Conference on Environment and Development since 2002.

 

Prof. Rowena Delgado - PhD Candidate and Researcher, University of Melbourne, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning
Monday 7 November 14:10-14:30 - ASEAN and OCEANIA Tourism Forum

Ecotourism Housing and Community: impacts of participation in *Gawad Kalinga Villages, Cam Sur Philippines
Studies reveal housing issues as one setback resulting from tourism. Indeed tourism take priority over the local residents’ needs and desires, pushing the locals aside. This predicament is in disparity with concepts associated with community involvement in ecotourism. However, studies on community-based ecotourism demonstrate how tourists are attracted to an experiential learning of local culture and how it contributes to the sustenance of the host community. This paper investigates Gawad Kalinga Villages in the province of Cam Sur Philippines, where housing provision for the poor and homeless residents are seen as tourist attractions. Findings demonstrate how the process of housing provides a model for upholding the principles of ecotourism, leading to the creation of new communities as well as the upgrading of existing ones. It is argued in this study that ecotourism may be improved if the housing process is integrated in the plans and policies for tourism development.

Biography
Prof. Rowena Santos-Delgado finished a Bachelor of Science in Architecture at the University of the Philippines in 1995, and a Master of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning in 2004. She was in the Architecture Faculty at the same University from 1999 to 2008, as well as a practicing architect. She had various research engagements concerning tourism and shelter programs in the region of Davao Philippines. Her interest on Gawad Kalinga's shelter programs has led her to do a research on the influence of housing strategies on ecotourism. She is now on her second year of her PhD by Research Degree in Architecture and Planning, under the supervision of Dr. Sidh Sintusingha and Prof. Catherin Bull of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, Australia.

 

Prof. Ross Dowling - Foundation Professor of Tourism - Edith Cowan University
Monday 7 November 3:50-14:10 - ASEAN and OCEANIA Tourism Forum

Branding Issues in an Ecotourism Destination: the case of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo
This presentation reports on research carried out in Sabah with stakeholder groups to examine the processes of the State's destination branding in regard to ecotourism. Elements of consistency, clarity and realism were investigated where promotional tools accentuate the activities, experiences and key benefits of visiting ‘Destination Sabah’. The research identified the challenges faced by 37 public and private stakeholders of Sabah’s tourism industry via in-depth interviews. This process gave insight into the challenges faced by key stakeholders in their effort to create a unified branding vision for ‘Destination Sabah’. It revealed a gap between an ideal branding perception and reality. Key conflicts identified included the prefererred target market (Ecotourism versus Nature-Based tourism), a lack of integrated destination management (pollution and development in conflict with a Nature-Based product), the lack of community involvement, as well as a controlling, rather than, an involving, style of management from the top. It was recommended that ‘Destination Sabah’ re-assess its direction against its tourism resources, to identify those assets which appeal to clearly defined, well researched, target markets.

Biography
Professor Ross Dowling OAM is Foundation Professor of Tourism, School of Marketing, Tourism & Leisure, Faculty of Business & Law, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. He is a co-founder and Deputy Chair of Ecotourism Australia; Board Member of Australia’s Coral Coast Tourism Marketing Board; Chair, Australia’s Geoparks Network; and Advisor to Cruise Down Under. In Western Australia he is Chair of the Forum Advocating Cultural and Eco Tourism (FACET) as well as a Council Member of the Royal Automobile Club and the Minister of Tourism’s appointee to the Council of the National Trust.

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Ms. Gail Parsonage - President, International Institute for Peace through Tourism Australia Inc. (IIPT)
Monday 7 November 13:30-13:50 - ASEAN and OCEANIA Tourism Forum

Implement a Change to bring about Sustainable Tourism, Climate Change and Peace
IIPT – International Institute for Peace through Tourism is a not-for-profit association. Its mission is to foster and facilitate tourism initiatives which contribute to: - International understanding and cooperation, improved quality of environment, preservation of heritage and poverty reduction and through these initiatives helps to bring about a peaceful and sustainable world.
In May 2011, IIPT held the 5th African Summit in Lusaka, Zambia with 440 delegates from 36 nations. As a result of that meeting, the Lusaka Declaration on Sustainable Tourism Development, Climate Change and Peace was adopted.
The Lusaka Declaration calls on all sectors of the Travel and Tourism Industry, Government and International Development Agencies and Travellers, to take a positive role in contributing to, Sustainable Tourism and reducing the effects of climate change, specifically as it relates to the Tourism Industry.
Simple but practical examples include:-

• Tourism activities that contribute to poverty reduction and contributes to the restoration of ecological systems.
• Implement environmentally responsible development and operational practices.
• Practices that benefit local destinations and enhance both cultural and natural heritage.
• Give emphasis to energy conservation and aggressively make the transition to renewable and clean energy sources.

We challenge all people to be “Agents of Change”.

Biography
Gail Parsonage is President of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism Australia Inc. (IIPT).
Her background covers 25 years in the International Airline and Tourism Industry and for the past10 years she has been a trainer and lecturer, specialising in Travel & Tourism, Event Management and Business Administration.

Most recently Gail was a delegate to the 2011 IIPT African Summit held in Lusaka, Zambia which addressed the issues of “Challenges of Climate Change to Tourism”.

Gail has also held the position of President of the Women’s Australian Travel League. Governor – Pacific Region, of the International Federation of Women’s Travel Organisation, and was also a Founding Member and Executive to the Australia Travel & Tourism Professionals.

Her other interests include practising MBTI (Myer Briggs Psychological Type Indicator) and has conducted a Stress Management topic using MBTI for the Australian Army Chaplains, she also does voluntary work for the Little Sisters of the Poor and Exodus Foundation.

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Mr. Albert Teo Chin Kion - Managing Director - Borneo Eco Tours and Sukau Rainforest Lodge
Monday 7 November 15:30-16:00 - ASEAN and OCEANIA Tourism Forum

Ecotourism in the Asia-Pacific Region
This presentation attempts to showcase where Borneo Eco Tours operates some of its ecotours and how they benefit the stakeholders using the elements of ecotourism; how it value adds its tours to create unique experience, community involvement, conservation, using four different models of ecotourism businesses in the last twenty years; its challenges, financing and unique approaches to alleviation of poverty through capacity building and social entrepreneurship under BEST Society, a community and environment profit foundation which it uses as a catalyst for change; how it set aside part of its income for community and environmental projects; how it views its involvements in the various communities in Borneo, lessons learned and conclusions drawn; all to create sustainability by preserving nature and generate employment, provide human resource development, business entrepreneurship, community lifestyle, minimize welfare and charity projects to alleviate poverty, creating business strategies and synergy and thus competitive advantage and profit for Borneo Eco Tours.

Biography
A graduate in Economics (Honours) from the University of London in 1977, Albert Teo has been in the tourism industry for the last thirty four years. Over the three decades, he has been a hotelier, tour operator, lodge and backpacker owner and operator, photographer, author, publisher, conference organizer, ecotourism consultant, speaker and lecturer. Albert is presently working on designing and building two new ecolodges in Sabah.

A keen photographer, he has trekked over 1,000km in Borneo and published ten books. His companies Borneo Eco Tours, www.borneoecotours.com and Sukau Rainforest Lodge, www.sukau.com have won numerous international ecotourism awards. Albert is presently focusing his energy on developing social entrepreneurship through his non-profit foundation, Borneo Ecotourism Solutions and Technologies or BEST Society. www.bestsociety.org

Over the last ten years, Albert Teo has organized four highly successful international ecotourism conferences in Malaysia. Albert has served in various positions in the tourism industry including Advisor of The International Ecotourism Society, USA. Albert was a member of the finalist selection committee for the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards of World Travel and Tourism Council WTTC for six years from 2005-10.

In the last few years Albert travelled around the Asia Pacific countries as a keynote speaker on ecotour and ecolodge operations. In October 2006, Albert was appointed Adjunct Lecturer by Edith Cowan University, Australia for his contribution to the ecotourism industry.