New tourism for tomorrow awards won by grass roots initiatives

New categories of Tourism for Tomorrow award won by stunning Indian mountain destination and emerging Laos tourism initiative

It was also announced that Fiona Jeffery, Chairman of Just a Drop and former Chairman of World Travel Market, will take over as Chair of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.

Ecosphere India, based in the exotic Spiti Valley won the new Tourism for Tomorrow Innovation Award.

Ecosphere  wants "the great legacy of the Himalayas to thrive so that future generations can equally savour its beauty and bounties". This is brave, considering that this social enterprise is located in the high altitude region of the Spiti Valley, which has a very short tourist season.

Ecosphere has, however, created a collective of eighty homestays in six villages, generating 25 per cent of the average family income. As Buddhist culture encourages the marriage of economics and conservation, Ecosphere has created holistic, culturally-sensitive products such as reviving indigenous ancient pottery, traditional medicine as well as ‘Monk for a Day’ monastery visits.

Ishita Khanna told me today:  "From the rigorous judging process to the opportunity to meet and learn from such shining examples of sustainable tourism from around the world, the tourism for tomorrow awards has truly been a humbling experience for Ecosphere."

And the Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, Laos won the new Tourism for Tomorrow People Award.

SEE VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH TRAVELMOLE HERE

Lao People’s Democratic Republic may be landlocked but all doors are open for tourism. However, three quarters of the population still works in subsistence agriculture, so education in tourism is fundamental. This need is being catered for by the Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality (LANITH) . Set up in 2008, it has two arms: a diploma in Tourism for undergraduates and The Passport to Success for industry professionals. Supported by Luxembourg Developments (LuxDev), which offers bursaries and funding, it is Laos’ biggest industry training programme with over a thousand people studying customer services, food and beverage operations, management and communications.

"This award shows that Laos is on a solid, sustainable path towards building a strong travel and tourism industry through people, who deliver an international level of service quality," said Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) Director General Mr. Nouphan Outsa, who thanked Luxembourg Development for funding the establishment of Lanith

There are four other award  categories: Destination Award, Environment Award, Community Award, Business Award,. Each year, more than 20 international experts from around the world, representing the private sector, academic institutions, non-profit organisations, and governments, come together as independent judges to select the finalists and winners .Each finalist undergoes an independent on-site evaluation.

Costas Christ, Chairman of the Judges of the Awards, for the final time after 10 successful years, says: "Hundreds of unique applicants applied for the Awards this year. This year’s winners show that embracing sustainable tourism principles and practices is a full time responsibility to both current and future generations of this finite and fragile planet that we all share."

The other four 2014 Tourism for Tomorrow Award winners are:-

Business Award. Winner: Asilia Africa, Tanzania.

With thirteen properties in Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique, Asilia employs 600 people and operates in critical conservation areas where both wildlife and local economies are under threat.

Community Award. Winner: Arviat Community Ecotourism, Canada.

When Arviat’s Inuit people received money under a land-claim agreement relating to Federal Conservation Areas, they invested it in the future; a future sustained by tourism and wholly owned by the community. The aim now is to replicate it in other parts of Nunavut; which, in Inuit means, aptly, "Our Land".

Destination Award. Winner: TEMES – Costa Navarino, Greece.

Messinia, in the Peloponnese region of Greece, was the home of shipping magnate Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos who sought to invest in protecting the land he loved. Employing 700 people locally,Temes contributes to environmental research, has one of the most extensive photovoltaic facilities in Greece, has created the largest olive tree plantation in Europe.

Environment Award. Winner: Jetwing Vil Uyana, Sri Lanka.

Jetwing Vil Uyana set out to regenerate its landscapes first. Depleted by slash and burn agriculture, the company recreated three hectares of wetland; half a hectare for paddy and two hectares of native forest, with a Green Directory to monitor the hotel’s environmental performance and a resident naturalist and on-going education programme,

Valere Tjolle

This week’s Vision special FREE offer HERE