LISU LODGE RECEIVES CONDE NAST TRAVELER’S ECOTOURISM AWARD

Lisu Lodge has received the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s (USA) 2001 Ecotourism Award. It is the 5th international award for Lisu Lodge in the past 3 years.

The lodge, which opened in 1992, is situated in a Lisu village about one hour’s drive north of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. It resembles a typical village home of the Lisu, one of Thailand’s ethnic minorities and was built in close collaboration with the Lisu villagers. With only 6 guest rooms and a common space surrounded by a large garden, it employs 7 Lisu, one of whom is the manager. Guests can arrange one– to four-day treks including elephant safaris, guided hikes, four-wheel-drive tours, mountain biking trips, white water rafting and visits to other villages.

The lodge provides not only employment and income to the families of the village but also serves as a role model for sustainable tourism. In the words of Conde Nast Traveler ”This again proves that the natural world and the business world can indeed coexist and can, under the right management, even work to mutual benefit”.

Guests are educated through facts sheets and trained local people are employed to act as guides in the village. Interaction between villagers and tourists is encouraged, for example, by family visits. Traditions are maintained and presented proudly to different people from around the world who come to visit and stay in the village.

Lisu Lodge forms part of The Asian Oasis Collection, a unique range of traditional Asian lodges, river cruises and sailing junks, which are owned and managed by East West.