Feynan named as finalist in National Geographic World Legacy Awards

We are excited to announce that National Geographic has announced Feynan Ecolodge as a finalist in their inaugural World Legacy Awards! Feynan has been recognised as a finalist in the Engaging Communities category that recognises the direct economic and social benefits that the lodge brings that improve the livelihoods of local people. The finalists were announced on 29 October at the ITB Asia event in Singapore.

The World Legacy Awards are a new initiative organised by the National Geographic Society, in partnership with ITB Berlin, aiming to recognise world leading tourism businesses who are driving change in the tourism industry, showcasing leaders and visionaries in sustainable tourism best practices. 

Nat Geo World Legacy Awards

“Sustainable tourism has evolved from trend to a true global transformation of how the travel and tourism industry operates and what impacts it has on the people and places that travelers visit. The National Geographic World Legacy Awards are about celebrating that transformation, pushing it to the cutting edge of leadership today, as represented by the 15 finalists from around the world selected by a team of 18 international expert judges," said Costas Christ, Chairman of the World Legacy Awards and editor at large for National Geographic Traveler.

Feynan Ecolodge was named a finalist in the ‘Engaging Communities’ category for its work using ecotourism to benefit the local communities who live around the Dana Biosphere Reserve. These remote Bedouin communities live a semi-nomadic traditional life with few opportunities for income and are affected by poverty. Find out more about these communities here. This is the latest in a number of awards won by Feynan Ecolodge including being named one of the top 25 ecolodges in the world by National Geographic Traveler Magazine in 2013 and Highly Commended for Poverty Reduction at the Responsible Tourism Awards in 2011.

Nabil at ITBAsia

Nabil Tarazi, managing director of EcoHotels who operate Feynan, was at the event in Singapore and said: “I am ecstatic that National Geographic is recognizing Feynan as a world leader in ecotourism. Our ethos puts the benefit of local people at the heart of Feynan Ecolodge: from exclusively local staff, to procurement, to activities that celebrate and preserve local culture. It is the local community that makes Feynan such a unique experience.”

Feynan Ecolodge directly benefits over 80 families (400 people) around the Dana Reserve, using policies such as exclusively local staff, a local community transfer scheme for guests at the lodge, purchasing products from local businesses and housing two workshops onsite that employ local women to make candles and leather handicrafts that are used and sold at the lodge. In 2013, over 50% of the money spent by tourists at Feynan stayed within the local community. Find out more detail on how we benefit local communities here.

“The RSCN is thrilled that our flagship property, Feynan, is a finalist for this award.” said Yehya Khaled, Director General of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), the organisation responsible for Dana Biosphere Reserve and owners of Feynan Ecolodge. He continued “Local community development is one of the major issues the RSCN is working on through our network of eight reserves in Jordan. Recognition of the work of EcoHotels at Feynan reinforces the importance of ecotourism as a tool for community benefit through employment and working with local people on exchange experiences with tourists.”

Visitors to the lodge are also invited to learn about local Bedouin traditions from local families, discover the natural landscape with local trained eco-guides or even spend a day with a local Bedouin shepherd herding goats in the hills. Find out more about what you can do during a stay at Feynan here.

 

 

 

29/10/2014