WTTC names 2010 Tourism for Tomorrow winners

The four winners of the World Travel & Tourism Council’s 2010 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards have been revealed during the 10th Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Beijing.

Of the 12 finalists, Emirates Hotels & Resorts, Whale Watch Kaikoura, Accor and Botswana Tourism Board were named as winners for their successful work in advancing sustainable tourism best practices in different parts of the world.

“We are seeing a new horizon in the global travel and tourism industry where more and more companies and destinations, both large and small, are leading the way forward in demonstrating that tourism can be an opportunity for protecting our planet and delivering tangible social and economic benefits at the local, national and international level, “said Costas Christ, chairman of the judges for the awards.

Indigenous Maori-owned and locally operated, Whale Watch Kaikoura won the community benefit award for its outstanding achievement in rebuilding the local economy through community-based tourism in Kaikoura on the east coast of South Island in New Zealand.

Whale Watch Kaikoura specialises in giving more than 100,000 visitors annually the opportunity for up close observation of marine life, including rare sperm whales, using environmentally-friendly vessels.

The company was founded in 1987 by local Maori, to create jobs for the indigenous Ngati Kuri community, and has since grown into a multi-million dollar nature tourism business.

In the conservation category, Emirates Hotels & Resorts was chosen for creating the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR) – the first protected area in the United Arab Emirates – through the establishment of the Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa.

In Australia, the Wolgan Valley Resort next to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area is successfully reversing extensive grazing and development damage to restore rare native flora and fauna.

Botswana Tourism Board was the winner of the destination stewardship award for its ‘low-volume – high-yield’ approach to tourism in the Okavango Delta, and particularly for the legislative framework and ecotourism standards that ensure proper management of one of the world most iconic nature travel destinations.

Today, sustainable tourism in the Okavango employs 34 percent of the adult population in the area while protecting the largest inland wetland in the world for future generations.

Accor won the award for global tourism business for its Earth Guest Programme and company-wide philosophy based on hospitality, respect for diverse cultures, environmental best practices and the social welfare of local people where they operate in more than 40 countries.

The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are organised in association with Travelport and the Travel Corporation’s Conservation Foundation.