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WTTC's Tourism for Tomorrow winners announced
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced the winners of its Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2009. The winners are:
Destination Stewardship Award: Grupo Puntacana, Dominican Republic (puntacana.com). See the interview with Jake Kheel, Environmental Director of Grupo Puntacana, Green Travel Guides.
Conservation Award: NatureAir, Costa Rica (natureair.com). See the interview with Alex Khajavi, Chief Executive, NatureAir, on Green Travel Guides TV.
Community Benefit Award: Zakoura Foundation for Micro Credits, Morocco (zakourafondation.org). See the interview with Leila Akhmisse, Director of Development, Zakoura Foundation, on Green Travel Guides TV.
Global Tourism Business Award: Marriott International Inc, USA & Global (marriott.com). See the interview with Ed Fuller, President and Managing Director, Marriott International, on Green Travel Guides TV.
According to the award's website, "The 4 winners were selected by an international team of independent judges in each of the four award categories for having successfully demonstrated sustainable tourism best practices, including the protection of natural and cultural heritage, social and economic benefits to local people, and environmentally-friendly operations.
"The second phase of judging involved an on-site evaluation to assess what they are doing in practice."
The winners were announced at the organisation's annual conference, which this year was held at Florianópolis, Brazil. In previous years it was held in Dubai (2008), Lisbon (2007), Washington DC (2006) and New Delhi (2005).
For the full list of finalists, see: greentraveller.co.uk/node/655.
For previous years' winners, see tourismfortomorrow.com.
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surama ecolodge award
Surama’s Eco-Lodge and community tourism programs were recognized and honored at the U.S. Educational Travel Conference (ETC), which took place in New Orleans, Louisiana from February 18-21. As the Responsible Tourism Showcase Honoree for 2009, Surama received recognition at the Opening Plenary session as well as press and visibility in front of tour operators from museums, schools, alumni associations, and other US-based institutions with international travel programs. Surama Eco-lodge also received a monetary award and will be recognized and featured on the ETC website and in outreach programs throughout 2009. The exposure will result in international recognition for Surama’s community tourism programs and should serve to increase awareness of the ecological and cultural preservation efforts underway throughout Guyana. On the selection of Surama as the award winner, Sherry Schwarz of the ETC said, “There were some outstanding applications this year and the selection process was quite difficult, which speaks even more highly to the merit of Surama Eco-lodge’s responsible tourism programming. Many of us didn’t know about this Guyana community and were fascinated to learn about its commitment to preserving its indigenous traditions and its environment. It’s really a perfect match for the Responsible Tourism Showcase Award.”
For more info, see www.guyanabirding.com/UserFiles/File/2009%20Press%20Releases/SuramaEcoLodge_ETC_PR_Feb09_web.pdf.
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