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Himalayan Kingdoms wins AITO Responsible Tourism Award
The adventure travel company Himalayan Kingdoms has won this year's AITO Responsible Tourism Award. The Gloucestershire-based company specialises in treks, cultural tours and overlanding adventures across many of the world’s great mountain ranges.
The judges said Himalayan Kingdoms won for "its continuing efforts in offering a number of tourism-related projects in various destinations, including most notably the launch of a scheme to provide English lessons for sherpas in 2008".
The company has invited nearly 30 regular Sherpa trekking staff on to the course, which is designed to help the Sherpa's become sirdars (head guides) and/or to work in offices in later life. The first of these intensive 45-day courses is due to begin early in 2008...
Himalayan Kingdoms also has been awarded AITO’s 3-Star Responsible Tourism accreditation, "in recognition of the company’s long-standing commitment to Responsible Tourism".
Other companies highly commended in the awards were Bushbaby Travel, which the judges says "has demonstrated that even a very small company can directly engage in a local destination project, making a real difference", and The Gambia Experience, which the judges said is "continues to have innovative ideas, including the creation of a self-sustaining conservation area in Gambian villages".
A special mention also went to Ski Beat, for developing "eco-friendly practices in resort, most notably with the new building of four chalets using green technology including zero-emission bio-mass heating systems".
The awards judges were Richard Hearn, former AITO Chairman and founder of Inntravel, Dick Sisman, AITO RT Advisor and founder of Tourism Industry Carbon Offset Service (TICOS), John Swarbrooke, Head of Tourism and Director of the Centre for International Tourism Research at Sheffield Hallam University (CITouR), Bill Bramwell, Professor of International Tourism Studies, Centre for International Tourism Research, Sheffield Hallam University and Associate Editor of the Journal of Ecotourism, and Richard Hammond, editor of greentraveller.co.uk.
Read about the winners of the 2006 AITO Responsible Tourism Award
Green airport transfers
Voyager goes green!!!!
Voyager uk are a northampton based uk & airport transfer company who have become one of the first in their trade, and definitely the first locally to operate a carbon zero vehicle within their fleet. Voyager uk plants a minimum of 2 trees every month in the northamptonshire area by donating money to www.carbonfootprint.com allowing them to offset their vehicle’s carbon output and to help towards saving our planet for the future.
voyager uk appreciate that their customers do need to travel and hope that their new scheme can help towards reducing both the companie's and their client's carbon footprint.
Voyager uk also uses recycled paper for company stationary and uses low energy lightbulbs in their premises.
Dean harris of voyager uk said “we hope that doing our bit as a business will encourage others to follow suit and our next planned vehicle purchase is likely to be run on lpg”
Voyager uk provides chauffeur driven vehicles to both private and corporate customers for any occasion.
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