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17 April 2012 |
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2012 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards winners unveiledThree companies and one destination, from four continents, have been recognised for their best practices in sustainable tourism at this year’s WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.
For all the latest photos and footage form the Awards ceremony please check www.wttc.org And the winners are...
Community Benefit Award - Saunders Hotel Group, USA This local family-owned hotel group has been a leader in sustainable tourism practices as far back as the early 1980s, when they converted an old police building in Boston, Massachusetts into an historic hotel and worked with local community partners to build affordable housing in the same area. Through initiatives that are driven and supported by all levels of their staff, the group supports dozens of local charity and non-profit groups with a combination of financial backing, volunteer time, and in-kind resources that goes far beyond most corporate social responsibility efforts. For Saunders, community service begins at ‘home’, where helping people in need is part of the company mission, recognising that disadvantaged communities can also exist in a major city in the United States.
This hotel boasts long term conservation stewardship of 38,000 acres of rainforest in the Amazon basin and 25 acres of cloud forest within the Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary. Founded in 1975, Inkaterra has grown into a renowned biodiversity research and conservation tourism company operating five hotels in the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu and the Madre de Dios area of the Amazon rainforest. As well as a 100% carbon neutral hotel stay for every guest, Inkaterra has continued to implement a host of self-supported, sustainable tourism projects to facilitate a better understanding among tourists and local peoples about the need to protect fragile habitats in the Andes and the Amazon of Peru, which is home to 84 of the world’s 104 identified ecological life zones.
Their successful multi-stakeholder approach to creating a thriving sustainable tourism destination in the old mining town of Røros, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is an example for many to follow. Since the end of mining in the late 1970’s, Destination Røros has been instrumental in reversing the area’s environmental degradation, guided by a management plan that actively engages and builds cooperation among local communities, municipal authorities, and private sector stakeholders. Emphasis is placed on demonstrating that historical cultural sites and formerly degraded natural areas can be revitalised and utilised in new contexts through sustainable development, thereby bringing tangible economic benefits to the local people. Destination Røros is also a pilot project for Norway’s country-wide Sustainable Tourism Initiative.
Their longstanding commitment to sustainability and creating tourism value recognition among stakeholders to support the protection of diverse natural and cultural heritage in worldwide destinations ranging from Mexico to China. Banyan Tree works through a three-pillar strategy: enhancing efficiency in environmental operations, conserving natural heritage and biodiversity, and social and economic empowerment of local people in the countries and regions where they operate. In addition to strong sustainable tourism practices, Banyan Tree has also fully integrated sustainability monitoring and evaluation across the company including its annual reports, in addition to issuing annual stand-alone sustainability performance reports that document projects, successes, and challenges. They have successfully done this for more than a decade, while also being one of the first global hospitality companies in the world to ban the sale of shark’s fin in all of their hotels in 2006. Finalist and winners videos to launch soonThe Tourism for Tomorrow Awards media partner National Geographic Channel is currently putting together the 2012 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards finalist and winners videos. These videos will showcase the incredible projects, initiatives and operations that our finalists are achieving. They are incredible role models for the Travel & Tourism industry. Each of the finalists are pioneers in sustainable tourism...take a look for yourself Community Benefit Award:
- Saunders Hotel Group, USA Conservation Award:
- Cheli & Peacock, Kenya Destination Stewardship Award:
- Destination Røros, Norway Global Tourism Business Award:
- Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, Singapore
Next-generation solutions to businesses and destination
Long-time partners of the WTTC and Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, Sustainable Travel International (STI) is an organization focused on providing next-generation solutions to businesses and destinations worldwide throughout the travel and tourism industry. STI aims to make sustainability manageable and accessible, helping position destinations and businesses to meet the needs of their constituents, demonstrate increased global competitiveness and capitalize on the latest tourism trends. Sustainable Destinations Approach: A collaborative approach to sustainability that helps destination managers identify priority issues, develop practical solutions, and foster a collective vision for tourism development and marketing. Join STI in writing a new chapter of your Sustainability Story.
STEP (Sustainable Tourism Education Program): This program includes a suite of training tools and online sustainability management solutions, in addition to an eco-certification standard recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Widely recognized as a gold standard for the industry, STEP is perfect for businesses looking for measurable progress and ROI from their sustainability programs. Planeterra Foundation Supports Prevention of Future Disasters In the Fragile Ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands
The principal economic activity in the Galapagos is tourism, which started in the early 1970s when local people took visitors around on their fishing boats. Over the past three decades the number of visitors has increased to well over 170,000 tourists each year. With the number of visitors and the population increasing, so has the number of boats increased, along with illegal fishing and tour boats. Due to a lack of resources within Galapagos park management, the risk of oil spills are a real threat. In 2001, the supply tanker “Jessica” ran aground and released over 200,000 gallons of diesel and bunker fuel into the ocean. Since then there have been other near misses. The Ecuadorian Navy (Coastguard) performed assessments both in 2002 and 2009, and determined that in order to prevent further incidences such as this, it recommended an oil spill prevention and contingency response control unit be based on Baltra island, centrally located within the reserve. The Planeterra Foundation is raising funds needed to implement a cargo boat inspection and maintenance program to prevent oil spills in the future. This program will include an inspection station to help prevent future disasters in the fragile ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands. The Planeterra Foundation is passionate about protecting and preserving the places people love to travel most. We recently launched a video showcasing our Galapagos Oil Spill Prevention efforts on the Island of Santa Cruz. Our video launched just in time for Earth Month, calling on travellers to protect the places they visit by supporting initiatives in our Destination Preservation Fund. BEST Education Network
The BEST Education Network is welcoming you to the next BEST EN Think Tank entitled “Mobilities and Sustainable Tourism” is held in Gréoux les Bains, France, from June 24–27, 2012 in conjunction with SKEMA Business School and La Cité de la Culture et du Tourisme Durable. The Think Tank presents an opportunity for participants to work with others to create new knowledge, as participants will join in developing a research agenda and educational materials for use in undergraduate and graduate education. Innovative approaches in sustainable tourism education will be explored through keynote speeches and paper presentations. This year we have three exciting speakers: Stefan Gössling and Allan Williams, and Ghislain Dubois will open the industry forum which focuses on the industry’s needs for research stemming from academia. For more information and to register, please visit our web site: www.besteducationnetwork.org Contact Information
For more information on the Awards please visit www.tourismfortomorrow.com or contact:
Anja Eckervogt
Follow the Awards on facebook and on Twitter WTandTC Watch the 2012 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards videos on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wttc |
Community Benefit Award Sponsor 
Conservation Award Sponsor 
Destination Stewardship Award Sponsor 
Global Tourism Business Award Sponsor 
Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel, Breaking Travel News, CNBC, eTurboNews, fvw Mediengruppe, Financial Times, Luxury Must, Mercado & Eventos, National Geographic Channel/Sky News, National Geographic Traveler, Newsweek International, Nikkei, TravelBiz Monitor, Travel Daily News, Travel Journal, Travelmole, Travel Weekly US, Travesías, TTN Middle East, TW Group, USA TODAY, Xinhua 
BestEn Travel, Global Eco Conference, EUROPARC, Planeterra, Rainforest Alliance, Reed Travel Exhibitions, Sustainable Travel International, Tony Charters & Associates |
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