Nominations flooding in for our 2007 Responsible Tourism Awards
After just 2 weeks of nominations for our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards, founded by responsibletravel.com in 2004, we are delighted to announce that we have already received over 200 nominations for your favourite responsible holidays - a record result! A big big thank you to all who have nominated already and if you haven't, what are you waiting for? It's easier than ever to nominate, just press the button and fill in the form.
You can nominate as many deserving tourism organisations as you want and don't forget, if you nominate an Award winner you could be heading off to Uganda or Nepal in our win a holiday competition!
If you're a bit stuck for ideas, however, or can't decide which category your great green holiday fits into, take a little look at some of the nominations we've had so far...
Brimpts Farm, Dartmoor, nominated for: Best in a Park or Protected Area
"Brimpts are a pioneering farm diversification project located in the Heart of the Dartmoor National Park - right on our doorstep (no nasty flights needed). The project encompasses a number of facets -they have a tea room (lots of local produce), fantastic walks on the moor (biodiversity educational stuff through their website), they continue to be a working moorland beef farm, they campaign for the Dartmoor Pony Preservation society, they have made use of redundant farm buildings for B&B and self catering and there is a strong emphasis on education and supporting the local community." Tammy Molesworth
Last year's winner in this category was the Napo Wildlife Center in Ecuador. Located within the national park and a joint venture with the local community, over 90% of employees are local to the area. The Napo Wildlife Center actively protects 82 square miles of pristine rainforest, working closely with Yasuni National Park.
The Center has even brought together all of the communities that inhabit Yasuni National Park into a political unit that will help to protect the park well into the future.
Nominate a tourism organisation in the Best in a Park or Protected Area category
Huntingtower Lodge, Fort William, Scotland, nominated for:
Best Small Hotel / Accommodation (fewer than 50 rooms)
"Huntingtower Lodge ticks all the boxes. It's green, walker friendly, biker friendly, lgbt friendly - and all this without compromising on quality. All the small green details are attended to - a low emission car if you travel there by train, a lift into town in exchange for a contribution towards tree planting. And Alison & Aitken are so friendly and knowledgeable - the perfect hosts!" Evie McLaren
Will this year's Small Accommodation winner be UK based? Previous winners have come from Barbados (Casuarina Beach Club) and Indonesia (Nihiwatu Resort) while 2006 saw Il N'gwesi Community Lodge in Kenya scoop this particular title. Run and managed by the Ilaikipiak Maasai Il N’gwesi community, the lodge is a successful cohabitation system of both wildlife and humans that live, ‘share’ and own the area. 40% of profits go to the 600 plus families that have a share in owning the lodge.
The success of Il N’gwesi has served as a model for other communities in Northern Kenya.
Nominate a tourism organisation in the Best Small Hotel/Accommodation category
Marari Beach Hotel, Kerala, India, nominated for: Best Large Hotel / Accommodation (more than 50 rooms)
An intriguing tour of the hotel sewage system prompted Helen Jackson to nominate this large hotel:
"Marari Beach Hotel, Kerala, India has a reputation for caring for the environment. It employs a naturalist, Jesmin, who took us on a number of excursions.
Although a trip round the sewage treatment plan didn’t sound enticing, we were pleased to learn that the hotel had its own waste water recycling plan and didn’t release effluents into the sea. We also saw the bio-gas plant where cooking gas is produced from kitchen waste.
Jesmin was very proud of the organic garden he’d planned and created. We saw many types of vegetables being grown which are all used in the hotel’s kitchen. This ensures that the organic vegetables and fruit are as fresh as can be..."India also produced last year's winner of this category, The Orchid Hotel in Mumbai, which the judges said provided a responsible tourism model for other business hotels to follow. A ‘zero garbage’ hotel with multiple innovations to be more energy efficient, they also stood out for their strong outreach programme within the local community.
Nominate a tourism organisation in the Best Large Hotel/Accommodation category
Reef CI, nominated for: Best in a Marine Environment
And if you're a diving fanatic or just a beach lover, you might think about nominating in the 'Best in a Marine Environment' category. Caroline Vestey enjoyed a great break with Reef CI:
"I spent the most amazing 2 months with Reef CI on Franks Caye helping with Reef Check monitoring and the Lobster and Conch surveys they do with Belizian fisheries. It was not only a fantastic holiday but it was great to be able to assist in the projects and learn a great amount about sustainable fishing practices. The island was beautiful, the diving great, the people amazing - and at the same time I was doing something worthwhile - it doesn't get much better!!"
Wakatobi Dive Resort, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia picked up our Marine Award last year. Their raison d’etre is to help the environment in an over-fished region where the reefs are being destroyed. Employing 150 people from the local community, they have created the Collaborative Community Based Reef Management Program where in exchange for direct payments to local villages, reef sanctuaries have been established. Today 12km of reef enjoys complete protection by the local community.
Nominate a tourism organisation in the Best in a Marine Environment category
Sustrans, nominated for: Best for Low Carbon Transport & Technology
And last but not least, we're all trying to reduce our carbon emissions to help slow down climate change, so why not give some thought to any low carbon transport or technology that you've come across while on your travels.
Jo Hayes has nominated Sustrans in this category, a winner in 2005 for getting people out of their cars and in reducing carbon emissions. Their national Cycle Network reached a landmark 10,000 miles in September 2005.
Last year, The Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership won this category. Their efforts to connect Norwich with the north Norfolk coastal towns of Cromer and Sheringham not only increased rail use by over 170% in 9 years (the national annual average is 6%), but also encouraged visitors to small businesses through their TeaRail, AleTrail and CycleRail schemes.
The number of car journeys through the major town of Wroxham is also going down as a result of high profile marketing of the route.
In South Africa, meanwhile, the Bicycling Empowerment Network (BEN) were awarded for their township tours with a difference. Rather than touring in an air-conditioned bus, tourists travel by bike increasing their interaction with the local Xhosa community. Even better, the bikes used for the tours are abandoned ones, reclaimed and reconditioned by the host community providing them with an alternative source of income.
To find out more about last year's winners and to inspire you to nominate, why not download our Awards brochure?
Keep those nominations coming in!
Deadline for nominations Monday 2 July