Sunvil Holidays co-founder Noel Josephides has been awarded the British Guild of Travel Writers’ 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award was presented during World Travel Market in recognition of his contribution to the travel industry, including his campaign for ‘green’ tourism.
BGTW chairman Mary Anne Evans said: “Noel was in the forefront of supporting responsible tourism way before it became acceptable and ‘fashionable’.
“To many of us, he was a lone maverick in the days when tour operators were either very big and powerful, or absolutely tiny and specialised, and package holidays, unlike today, were pretty much the only way people travelled. But he was never afraid to take on the big boys in his fight for responsible tourism, and he has gone on to make very real changes in the industry and in the way people think.
“He has always practiced what he preached and through his company he has helped transform dying villages into vibrant communities, stressing the importance of maintaining local culture and local cuisine, for both visitors and residents. He has made a real difference to our world and this is why we have awarded him the honour.”
Josephides: “It gives me enormous pleasure to see how, at long last, many of the environmental issues that I have been fighting for all these years are now being adopted by the industry as a whole. We’ve still got a long, long way to go – but who would have believed, two years ago, that the four market leaders would be taking the environmental and social impact of their activities so seriously today?”
By Bev Fearis
