Middle East and North Africa sustainable tourism award announced

Backing for Olympic peace through tourism initiative confirmed

World Green Tourism 2011 saw the announcement of VISTA MENA – Vision on Sustainable Tourism’s International Sustainable Tourism Award.

VISTA MENA is the third step of a global roll out of the original VESTAS (Vision European Sustainable Tourism Awards) presented at ITB Berlin. The VISTA Asia Pacific and VISTA Africa awards were announced earlier this year.

The announcement of the VISTA MENA was made at World Green Tourism by Gopinath Parayil, global coordinator of VISTA awards and founder of The Blue Yonder, and Valere Tjolle of Vision on Sustainable Tourism. Award nominations will now be collected from eco-labels, verification and certifying agencies across the Middle East and North Africa.

Said Valere Tjolle “The VISTA Africa awards are launched to support and provide a powerful showcase for sustainable tourism initiatives throughout the MENA countries. We will accept nominations from agencies and organisations that have evaluated organisations and initiatives in the region. We now are in the process of identifying partners for the awards and will be announcing the categories and dates for nominations in the coming months."

“Nominations will classify themselves according to the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria of effective sustainability planning – maximizing social and economic benefits for the local community, enhancing cultural heritage, and reducing negative impacts to the environment."

Backing for the Olympic peace through tourism initiative was also confirmed by the VISTA organizers – the initiative is calling for the launch of a peace based, global green economy where travel, tourism, and trade flourish in a golden age of inter-cultural knowledge exchange and innovation to face global challenges.”

The first VESTA European award ceremony took place at the Responsible Tourism Networking at ITB Berlin 2011. The European awards partnered with 20 of the 30 European certifying agencies who have nominated over 100 of their certified tourism initiatives from small scale accommodation to full service destinations. Amongst the VESTA partners were Visit Scotland, Innovation Norway, Green Globe, Austrian Environment Ministry and Pan Parks.

The VESTAS are now to be known as the VISTAS – Europe and will be run every other year from 2013.

Further information is currently available through award partners Destinet at: DESTINET

Valere Tjolle
Valere is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2011 Get your copy at a special offer price: HERE