VISTAS! at ITB: save the date more shortlisted green destinations announced

A real green tourism showcase at ITB

VISTAS! 2014 sustainable tourism award event will include destinations from all over the world making one-minute sustainable destination pitches and beginning a Green Carpet ride to VISTAS! 2015

The event will take place on the main adventure stage at ITB in hall 4.1 at 17.30 on 6 March 2014

Participating destinations will not only get a massively beneficial green makeover and marketing assistance and exposure throughout their green carpet ride to VISTAS! 2015, but also a possibility of winning the big prize – a prestigious VISTA! award.

Each presentation will be broadcast via all the supporting networks – including TravelMole’s Vision on Sustainable Tourism, TravelMole TV, BookDifferent.com, GreenHopping.eu, TravelMotion.de, DestiNet.eu gaining an immediate mass audience throughout the travel, tourism and direct consumer world.

BEWARE Greenwashers – there will also be a ‘Rusty Nail’ VISTA! award for the worst example of UNsustainable tourism!!

Winners of this year’s pilot VISTA! awards for innovation in sustainable tourism will be announced.

Each week we will be showcasing three of the destinations shortlisted for this years VISTAS! and today’s three are as follows:

Noordwijk (Netherlands), a QualityCoast Gold destination since 2007, is surrounded by clean beaches, rich dunes, and in spring: tulip fields. Noordwijk was the first town with a "dike-in-dune": the seaward sand dunes were reinforced with a sea defence wall, under the sand. This preserves the ecology and the landscape.

Ameland (Netherlands), awarded QualityCoast Gold, is a Dutch island in the UNESCO Wadden Sea area. It has a total nature area of ca. 75% and 100% marine protected area. Local identity and culture is demonstrated through museums or festivals. Ameland preserved its traditional way of making mustard in the local windmill, now a tourist attraction.

Westvoorne (Netherlands), awarded QualityCoast Gold, is rich in biodiversity and historical buildings, including a lighthouse from 1630. Near the beach you can find an ecologically sustainable restaurant (Aan Zee), built with natural and efficient materials, using solar and wind energy. The food is prepared with local ingredients and cooked in wooden stoves.

VISTAS! is an initiative of the DestiNet Innovation Group, formed by Ecotrans, QualityCoast, EDEN Network and Alpine Pearls in partnership with TravelMole’s Vision on Sustainable Tourism. For more information visit http://www.vistawards.com

Valere Tjolle

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