By John Nicholls

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This is where families collect water while donor consultants sit in expensive resorts composing reports on how to best help the locals. As the sea level rises around Vanuatu, wells like this will be rendered unusable, at which time whole island populations will be without fresh water and deep-rooting trees will die off. The coconut palms are already gone from beach degradation as this small island (Uliveo) shrinks. The immediate needs are obvious: the people need help catching and managing rainwater, harnessing energy for pumps and making bricks for effective retaining walls. Soon the problems will be too big to tackle, but the donors are busy with expensive studies.

Private enterprises usually operate on the principle of the smallest amount of energy and funding required to produce the greatest outcome. In striking (and disturbing) counterpoint to this, it seems to me that too many donor organisations – both international or domestic – operate in a parallel but opposite world guided by the principle of the greatest amount of energy and funding required to produce the least outcome.

Precious Resources Wasted

A couple of years ago, a major donor in Vanuatu decided to provide assistance in tourism. The donor sent out requests for expressions of interest in producing (wait for it…) a ‘Pre-Feasibility Study’ on developing tourism to the outer islands of Vanuatu. Even better, the ‘Pre-Feasibility Study’ in question had two programmed follow-ups: a ‘Feasibility Study’ and an ‘Implementation Plan’!

The winning tender went to a consultant company from northern Europe. They assembled a crack team with representatives from all over the world. Unfortunately, all but one had never worked or studied tourism in Melanesia (the team leader had spent a week in New Guinea). Read More…

Posted under General, Vanuatu, countries, opinion, responsible organisations

By John Nicholls

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This article was first published by our friends at The Local Travel Movement, who have agreed to its republication here.
View the original article on the Local Travel Movement blog.

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I recently had friends around for a dinner party. They’re all in the 50-60 age bracket and well travelled, so we talked about an issue raised by the Local Travel Movement.

The question I asked them was whether they travelled primarily to meet and interact with local people in the destinations they go to or to see and experience things as distinct from the personal interaction?

John Nicholls (third from left) of of Vanuatu Hotels, the whl.travel local connection in Vanuatu, with local friends and former colleagues from the days when he operated a resort on Tanna

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Posted under General, Vanuatu, opinion

Photo and text by John Nicholls,
whl.travel local connection in Vanuatu

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Much has been written about the island of Pentecost (part of the Vanuatu archipelago) and its yearly ritual of death-defying land jumps performed in the south of the island in celebration of the yam harvest. The Nagol (or N’gol) ritual of land diving has been performed for hundreds of years, and also doubles as a male coming of age ceremony. Following the wet season (January to April), men and boys above the age of seven tie elastic vines to their ankles. In accordance with the height required by the jumpers, the other ends of these vines are then tethered to different levels of a specially constructed tower.

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Posted under Photo of the Week, Vanuatu, countries

Image/text by John Nicholls, whl.travel local connection in Vanuatu

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Every so often, a photographer finds him- or herself in the right place at the right time, although the circumstances may not be ideal. This shot (one of a series of 10) is the result of such a unique time and place.

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Posted under General, Photo of the Week, Vanuatu, countries

By Ethan Gelber

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John and Silvana Nicholls on a moonscape plain near Mt Yasur volcano, Tanna Island, Vanuatu

On a typical morning, John and Silvana Nicholls share a pawpaw topped with passion fruit from their garden. The handmade, wood-fired bread from an indigenous baker is still warm, as is the pot of organically grown coffee from a nearby island. Any scraps will be disposed of on a compost heap that will fertilise their banana trees. “It’s tough, but someone’s got to do it!” said John.

The Nicholls own and operate Vanuatu Hotels, the most comprehensive online accommodation booking facility – also the whl.travel local connection – in this island nation in the South Pacific. Running a business unaffiliated with any hotel, resort or tourism company, the Nicholls got where they are today by putting in the long, hard hours required to build expertise and a reputation for integrity and reliability. But they also found their way into a golden opportunity and have capitalized on it fully.

Fortunately for the people and nature of Vanuatu, the Nicholls’ also promote culturally and ecologically sensitive travel out of profound respect for their adopted land and its indigenous inhabitants.
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Posted under General, Vanuatu, countries, responsible organisations, responsible travel, whl.travel newsletter

By John Nicholls

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Every so often, I have the pleasure of meeting and working with people who not only follow their passions, but operate businesses that fully integrate the indigenous people of the destination into their businesses. One such person is is Pascal Guillet, owner/operator of Vanuatu Ecotours.

La Colle River is in pristine condition and Pascal is careful to show it with zero footprint, especially along a section that runs through a large private property and to which Pascal has exclusive access for trekking/ kayaking. Here, Pascal has met local Nivan guys along the track making lunch from a caught wild hen.

I chatted with Pascal – no easy task as he is always on the move – to find out what keeps him going.
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Posted under General, Vanuatu, countries, responsible organisations, responsible travel, whl.travel newsletter

By Ethan Gelber

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At the July 2009 whl.travel Asia-Pacific Regional conference, Teamworkz Consulting was officially recognised as the whl.travel Franchisee of the Year 2008-2009 for its work in Vientiane, Laos. Teamworkz, which also owns and operates five other sites in Laos and seven in Thailand, could just as easily have earned its laurels for its labours in Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng, both also in Laos.

Teamworkz Consulting accepting its accolades as Franchisee of the Year 2008-2009 at the whl.travel Asia Pacific regional conference. Left to right are: Rob Shortland, whl.travel Asia Pacific Regional Director; Anne Done, Lee Sheridan and Mouk of Teamworkz; Len Cordiner, CEO of WHL Group

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Posted under General, Laos, Thailand, Turkey, Vanuatu, awards, countries, responsible organisations, responsible travel news, whl.travel news, whl.travel newsletter

The coconut crab can weigh over five kilograms and measures one metre from claw to claw when fully grown

In April 2001, John and Silvana Nicholls, today owners and operators of Vanuatu Hotels, arrived in Vanuatu to launch and manage the new White Grass Ocean Resort on the island of Tanna. It was their intention to ensure that it would operate according to strict environmental guidelines, so they immediately declared it a bird sanctuary, protecting fowl from the indigenous practice of hunting and eating them. Although a parallel ‘turtle emergency rescue’ program of buying turtles captured by locals as a step in saving them from the cooking pot unfortunately had to be discontinued as it created a new industry – the
capture of released turtles in order to sell them back – the resort nevertheless became the island’s de facto animal refuge, even providing veterinary assistance when need.

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Posted under General, Vanuatu, countries, responsible organisations

On 8 December 2008, under a marquee on a beach at Le Lagon Resort in Port Vila, the Vanuatu Tourism Association (VTA) distributed honours to the stars of its industry. On hand were John and Silvana Nicholls of Vanuatu Hotels to present to Epi Island Guesthouse the Green Award, introduced to create a greater more serious awareness of and engagement in the issues of environmental and cultural protection in tourism.

The Epi Island Guesthouse of Vanuatu, a welcome home

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Posted under General, Vanuatu, countries, responsible organisations, responsible travel, whl.travel newsletter