NS Travel & Tours - Our Social & Ecological Responsibility and Commitments

OUR SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL COMMITMENTS

Since 1979, (date NS TRAVEL & TOURS Co Ltd was founded), social involvement and ecological commitment have always been closely related to the evolution of the company. N and S (From NS Travel) are the initials for NOOM SAO (หนุ่มสาว) which means in English ‘Youth’… This name was chosen by the founder of the company who very much wanted young graduates from Universities (mainly in Bangkok) to travel up country and discover the unspoiled nature as well as the genuine ethnic communities living in the mountains. In that time, tourism was totally inexistent in these areas. Mr Soorangura was the first one who set in motion what would later become tourism in many regions of the country. He is considered as a real pioneer in developing tourism activities in remote regions, helping local villagers to better their incomes.
The time of the pioneers
Early 1980, he discovered Doi Angkhang which was a Royal Project under patronage of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej Doi Angkhang was one of the numerous northern mountains where ethnic villagers grew poppy. He then found the project interesting and wanted young graduates to discover the site. He convinced a local farmer to transform a hut in which he kept crops, into accommodation for young Thai tourists… Regular flux of young educated people from Bangkok traveled to the northern countryside, helping locals to diversify and develop their activities… One of the main early achievements of ‘NS Travel’ was to buy the Jungle Rafts moored on the banks of the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi. The project had been originally created by a French citizen. The idea was simple: Create accommodation in a totally pristine environment, so that nature lovers could enjoy a stay amidst unspoiled jungle. More than 30 years after the project was launched, the Jungle Rafts are still there. No electricity, no air conditioning, no TV, radio or what can be regarded as nuisance of modern civilization are present in Jungle Rafts. A community of the Môn ethnic (originally from Myanmar) manage the resort and entertain the guests. Years after years, NS Travel have been growing, opening new routes for young graduates to discover Thai provinces, enlarging the possibilities to other Thai citizens to discover their own country, opening other hotels, helping local communities to develop themselves, launching new projects and participating to structure tourism in Thailand.
Fourteen hotels have been launched by Mr Soorangura, all over Thailand, giving jobs to more than 1000 people, mostly locals, coming from humble condition. Two ethnic communities: ‘Môn’ in Kanchanaburi province and ‘Hmong’ in Chiangmai province, have jobs besides their own village, living in harmony with their own ethnic principles thanks to the company. NS Travel has recently donated 1.000.000 baht to the Môn community in Kanchanaburi to build a sacred Chedi in the jungle so that the whole community (all fervent Buddhist devotees) can worship their religion in a more sacred environment. The Hmong lodge was built according to the Hmong traditions and the very community has provided 100% of the needed material.
NS Travel regularly donates important amounts of money to enhance local ethnic communities or countryside villagers. Each year, NS Travel staff support a local project, and backs a social initiative. In order to keep locals close to their communities, the 14 hotels managed by SERENATA (sister brand of NS Travel) hire mainly local staff and buy local products so that local economy is directly stimulated as well. Our guides also commit by advising tourists to visit local producers instead of shopping centers where only abroad manufactured goods are on display. They are also teach by our domestic guides department, how and where to buy food during the Thai group tours, by boycotting as much as possible food containers which are not recycling material. NS Travel have been organizing trips to the communities or home stay programs since many years and distributed these ‘Community Based Tourism Programs’ to Thai market. But recently it started developing similar programs for foreigners in association with other Thai tour operators, also experts on this field, and with CBT-I. The aim is to make communities accessible to the rest of the world, as well as enable them to generate new sources of incomes by themselves.
Part of the staff of NS.TRAVEL and young pupils at Baan Bong Ti Lang School

Some of the most recent social and ecological involvement of NS Travel
September 2000 Organization of activities for children in the remote area of Baan Wang Von, (Prachuap Khiri Khan Province). Donation of school material to the children Lunch provided for children August 2001 Organization of activities for children at the Children Development Center, (Kanchanaburi Province) Donation of a pavilion to the Center Material donation August 2002 Material donation to Chalerm Rajakumaree Almshouse (Kanchanaburi Province) Lunch donated for children at the Mae Fah Luang Hill Tribe Educational Centre, in Baan Huay Muang. September 2003 Material donated at Baan Huay Kra-tha Tong (Kanchanaburi Province)Organization of activities for children. September 2004 Material donated to Bong Ti Lang Hill Tribe Educational centre (Kanchanaburi Province) Lunch donated to children at Baan Tai Muang Children Development Center. September 2005 Material and lunch donation to elder needy persons at Chalerm Rajakumaree Almshouse (Kanchanaburi Province) August 2006 Lunch donation to elder needy persons at Chalerm Rajakumaree Almshouse (Kanchanaburi Province September 2007 Reforestation activity for Siam City Insurance September 2007 Organization of a caravan tour "Travel on a Thai way against global warming" for the American University ‘Alumni Language Center’ September 2008 Material donation and complex of toilets building for children at Baan Bong Ti Lang School (Kanchanaburi Province). Reforestation activity in the area of Baan Bong Ti Lang Donation of a lunch for the children of the school	1.000.000 THB donation to a Môn community in Kanchanaburi Donation to Chalerm Rajakumaree Alms House
	Donation to Chalerm Rajakumaree Alms House
	Donation to Chalerm Rajakumaree Alms House Donation to Chalerm Rajakumaree Alms House


Mr. Soorangura and pupils in reforestation activities	Reforestations activities
Donation of new toilet building in the school of Baan Bong Ti Lang	A new library donated to Baan Haad Ngew