The World Travel & Tourism Council announced the winners of the 2005 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards…
The World Travel & Tourism Council announced the winners of the 2005 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The awards, until last year under the auspices of British Airways, recognize and promote best practice in tourism development all over the world. The winners are:-
Destination Award – Jurassic Coast, UK
Conservation Award – Damaraland Camp, Namibia
Investor in People Award – Haciendas del Mundo Maya, Mexico
Global Tourism Business Award – Casuarina Beach Club, Barbados
The winners were selected by a panel of judges entries after on-site evaluation visits carried out by sustainable tourism experts from around the world. The panel consisted of:-
Costas Christ, CEO Bar Harbor Maine Chamber of Commerce
The Hon John Briceno, Deputy Prime Minister
Belize
Hitesh Mehta
Graham Boynton, Travel Editor, the Daily Telegraph
Jean-Claude Baumgarten, President of WTTC said during the awards ceremony which took place at New Delhi`s Old Fort, Travel & Tourism has a huge economic and social potential. More and more, there are examples from all over the world of where this potential is being realized and the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards highlight the very best of these.
Costas Christ, a world expert on sustainable tourism, said Protecting the places that matter most to us is vital. The Earth`s cultural and natural heritage must be maintained if future generations are going to benefit economically and socially from Travel & Tourism. The winners of the 2005 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are demonstrating that business success and responsible tourism practices can go hand in hand.
Jurassic Coast, United Kingdom – Destination Award Winner
A partnership between more than 200 local, national and international stakeholders, Jurassic Coast has worked hard to bring the principles of sustainable tourism to the Dorset and East Devon Coast of England. This includes designation as a World Heritage Site and successful protection of both cultural and natural heritage of the region. Jurassic Coast is showing the world how successful destination stewardship through careful tourism planning can lead to economic development and cultural revitalization for rural and urban communities.
Damaraland Camp, Namibia – Conservation Award Winner
Part of the Wilderness Safaris groups of lodges in Southern Africa, Damaraland Camp was among the first in Namibia to successfully link tourism, community partnership and conservation. The result is an 180,000 hectare protected area established and managed by the local communities who directly benefit economically through tourism as partners in Damaraland Camp. In the ten years of the project, wildlife populations in the Nature conservancy area have doubled and the model of private sector/community partnership, successfully pioneered by Damaraland Camp, has spread to other areas of Namibia and southern Africa, helping to achieve vitally important conservation of natural areas as well as community economic development.
Haciendas del Mundo Maya, Mexico – Investor in People Award Winner
The Haciendas del Mundo Maya are found in Mexico`s Yucatan Peninsular and represent outstanding architecture, historical preservation and one of the world`s most unique and luxurious travel experiences. The partnership between the Grupo Plan company, Starwood Hotels and Resorts and the Foundation Haciendas del Mundo Maya represents the true meaning of travel and tourism being an Investor in People. Working closely with local Mayan communities, the Haciendas del Mundo Maya have played a key role in poverty alleviation and Myan cultural heritage preservation. They have brought literacy training and micro enterprise development workshops, revived traditional handicraft making and helped to secure legal land ownership for thousands of Mayan villagers. The Haciendas del Mundo Maya are showing how responsible tourism can be a successful business strategy and directly help to alleviate poverty at the same time. As an example of this, the Mayan villagers they work with today own and manage their own businesses that operate in partnership with the Haciendas.
Casuarina Beach Club, Barbados – Global Tourism Business Award Winner
It`s hard to book a room at the Casuarina Beach Club because they have one of the highest occupancy rates in the Caribbean. They also have one of the most advanced environmental hotel management systems in the world. This goes well beyond asking guests to reuse their towels to help protect the environment. Rather, Casuarina Beach Club has water and energy saving devices throughout their entire 10 acre property and staff are trained in all aspects of environmentally sensitive hotel operations. In addition, Casuarina educates its guests about sustainable tourism practices. Their efforts prove that you can be a profitable hotel business and also a leader in protecting the environment.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
