About the Sponsors
We are pleased to introduce our sponsors, without whom the 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards wouldn’t have been possible. We are very proud to have these sponsors associated with the Awards as it sends out a signal to the industry how seriously responsible tourism is now being taken.
Airport Parking & Hotels
APH is delighted to sponsor the ‘Best Protected Area' category in the 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards. We believe we have a duty to be responsible environmentally and have joined forces with the World Land Trust, which we work with regularly. So far this year we have raised over £10,000.
In addition we have purchased the equivalent amount of acres of Belize rainforest to match the APH car parking acreage in the UK and carbon balanced the companies operation, again through the World Land Trust.
Blacks Online
Blacks Outdoor is Britain’s leading chain of specialist outdoor and travel stores, catering for the serious walker, hiker, camper and adventure traveller with a wide variety of the UK’s best known brands of technical clothing, footwear and equipment, together with seasonal products such as ski-wear.
Blacks pride themselves on their in-house team of experts who are experienced outdoor enthusiasts, with extensive product knowledge gained through regular use of the equipment.
Through their high-street retail presence of over 100 stores nationwide, Blacks promote the Great British Outdoors as a leisure destination and actively encourage their consumers to participate in outdoor activities which respect the environment, as well as supporting continued growth in the adventure holiday market which contributes to annual UK revenues of over £13 billion from domestic holidaymakers alone.
Blacks actively supports the “Fix the Fells” charity, dedicated to raising funds to repair the erosion to pathways in the Lake District National Park caused by nature as well as feet. During September 2006, Blacks donated £1 for every pair of boots sold towards the charity’s £5 million target.
Blacks’ regular newsletter also highlights environmental projects, wildlife programmes and eco-tourism opportunities that are of interest to its online subscriber base.
Blacks also supports some of the UK's most prominent outdoors groups, including the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (for which Blacks are an official kit supplier), Outward Bound Trust, Lake District National Park Authority and the Council for National Parks.
Exclusively for ResponsibleTravel.com readers, Blacks Online are offering 10% off all purchases from www.blacks.co.uk until 30th November 2006. Simply enter promotional code RT010GCR at the checkout for your discount.
Bulgarian Dreams
Bulgarian Dreams is delighted to be supporting the Responsible Tourism Awards 2006 and believes that great holidays, highly desirable destinations and excellent accommodation shouldn’t compromise local people and the environment as a whole.
The awards go a long way towards achieving this ideal, by raising awareness of the problems that exist and by supporting the companies that aim to redress the balance. Bulgarian Dreams is the UK’s largest agent of Bulgarian real estate and is currently involved in a number of projects designed to minimise the impact on the global environment in the construction of new holiday homes. Windows to Paradise is the world’s largest fully carbon neutral new-build development and represents Bulgarian Dreams’ determination to provide cutting edge Bulgarian property that is in line with popular worldwide initiatives such as the Kyoto Protocol.
In the UK alone, nearly 50% of all emissions created are from the construction, maintenance and occupation property. At the development, Bulgarian Dreams has worked with the leading company in the calculation and balance of carbon emissions, The CarbonNeutral Company. The company carried out an assessment of Windows to Paradise and has calculated the CO2 and other Kyoto protocol emissions, which Bulgarian Dreams has offset by helping set up a Hydro-electric Power Station in Bulgaria and funding a forestry project in Scotland. This investment has ensured a zero impact on the climate as well as creating jobs for people in the local community. Tel: 0800 011 2750 info@bulgariandreams.com
Eurostar
Eurostar offers a greener way to travel from the UK to France and Belgium and is proud to sponsor the Best Transport Initiative category of the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards in 2006.
Expert Africa
We chose to support these awards because we believe that excellence needs to be trumpeted, and to raise these issues still further. Travelling more responsibly needs to be the future for the whole industry. These winners are making that a reality today; they deserve recognition.
Haivenu Tours
Haivenu Tours is a wholly Vietnamese company based in Hanoi who offer high-quality tours in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for those wanting to combine the comforts of city hotels with responsible and authentic experiences in little visited areas. Haivenu fully supports the 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards.
i-to-i
i-to-i is committed to providing responsible travel placements which benefit local communities throughout the world, whilst minimising the negative environmental and social impacts of tourism.
We currently operate placements throughout Asia, Africa, Latin America, Australia and Europe, working with residents towards a common goal of sustaining their natural surroundings. In line with this, we aim to use only local projects initiated by the community in which they are located.
We are also acutely aware of the importance of local customs and cultures within our volunteer destinations. It is our policy to uphold those traditions and treat them with the utmost respect. In the same way, all of our volunteers must sign a code of conduct reflecting this before their departure.
Since 1994, we have worked closely with people and organisations across the globe, to ensure that the volunteers and services we provide are those which are wanted and needed by the very communities with whom we operate. By working with our placement countries in this way, we believe that volunteer travel can be used responsibly to secure the long-term prosperity of these destinations and their peoples.
Further demonstrating our commitment to helping overseas communities, we have a charity arm, the i-to-i Foundation, (No. 1099482) to provide resources for the most disadvantaged volunteer projects that we work with throughout the developing world.
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is delighted to be sponsoring this year's Best Destination category at the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards. The Awards play a crucial role in raising awareness among the travel industry.
Just as importantly, they help travellers find out more about destinations and make informed choices about how and where they travel. Travellers are engaging with this issue more than ever, and they're becoming more choosy about where they travel to. Operating along sustainable lines is something that really makes a destination stand out, and this effect is sure to be magnified in the future.
Peregrine Adventures
Peregrine operates tourism that fosters understanding, appreciation and conservation of the cultures and environments we visit. We operate in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.
We are committed to working with our clients and the peoples of our host destinations to ensure direct economic benefits at a community level, and to contribute to cultural and environmental conservation. With the continual monitoring of our operations, we aim to operate beyond best practice guidelines, endeavouring to set the world-wide industry benchmark for responsible tourism operation.
One of the very best ways we, as a tour operator, can demonstrate our commitment to responsible travel is by employing leaders from the country or region in which the tour operates. This means providing, rather than denying, employment opportunities for local tour leaders, many of whom have studied for many years to gain the necessary accreditation, speak many languages fluently and to whom this is a career. We're now extremely proud of our team of excellent leaders (over 230 of them), and we know they do a fantastic job - our clients keep telling us.
responsibletravel.com
responsibletravel.com is an on-line travel agent marketing responsible holidays, and organiser of the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards. Through this Award we celebrate the power of passionate and determined individuals to make a difference.
Rezidor SAS Hospitality
The First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards 2006 is an excellent opportunity to reward the best larger accommodation/hotel for outstanding achievements in creating a responsible workplace, marketplace and local environment and community.
Increasingly, travel managers and individuals traveling on leisure or business expect that the hotels they are staying at meet stringent environmental, ethical and social criteria. These demands include seeing proof of reduced resource consumption, actions to combat global warming, the presence of fair trade products as well as organic and allergy-friendly food products, providing green conferences, and ensuring an increased awareness and understanding about a hotels’ ecological impact among guests and employees.
We are at a turning point in our industry, when responsible tourism is becoming a clear business opportunity for hotels, attracting companies and individuals who want to reduce their ecological footprint. The winner of this award has demonstrated that they truly appreciate this trend. Rezidor SAS and its 226 hotels in over 40 countries supports the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards 2006, as we perceive this award to be an excellent way of encouraging the entire industry to adopt more responsible and sustainable business practices.
Small Luxury Hotels of the World
As part of its commitment to responsible tourism, Small Luxury Hotels of the World has embarked on a “Caring Luxury” initiative. Through responsible tourism practices, SLH will demonstrate that luxury can be both enriching and rewarding, all the while enjoying the comforts and service of a luxury hotel experience.
Small Luxury Hotels of the World is the first group of small, independent, luxury hotels to adopt such an initiative and it comes at a time when an increasing number of global travellers are concerned about the impact that tourism is having on the environments, economies and communities in which it functions. SLH believes that by practising Caring Luxury, hotels can help maximise the positive effects of tourism, such as creating jobs and benefiting small businesses, enhancing guests’ awareness of local culture and traditions and identifying ways to conserve and protect areas.
By adopting caring luxury practices, Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s properties meet the needs of visitors and the destination, and minimise the negative effects of tourism by protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. Caring Luxury is about making better places to live and visit, while at the same time providing enriching and rewarding experiences for guests who stay at SLH member hotels.
Airport Parking & Hotels
APH is delighted to sponsor the ‘Best Protected Area' category in the 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards. We believe we have a duty to be responsible environmentally and have joined forces with the World Land Trust, which we work with regularly. So far this year we have raised over £10,000. In addition we have purchased the equivalent amount of acres of Belize rainforest to match the APH car parking acreage in the UK and carbon balanced the companies operation, again through the World Land Trust.
Blacks Online
Blacks Outdoor is Britain’s leading chain of specialist outdoor and travel stores, catering for the serious walker, hiker, camper and adventure traveller with a wide variety of the UK’s best known brands of technical clothing, footwear and equipment, together with seasonal products such as ski-wear. Blacks pride themselves on their in-house team of experts who are experienced outdoor enthusiasts, with extensive product knowledge gained through regular use of the equipment.
Through their high-street retail presence of over 100 stores nationwide, Blacks promote the Great British Outdoors as a leisure destination and actively encourage their consumers to participate in outdoor activities which respect the environment, as well as supporting continued growth in the adventure holiday market which contributes to annual UK revenues of over £13 billion from domestic holidaymakers alone.
Blacks actively supports the “Fix the Fells” charity, dedicated to raising funds to repair the erosion to pathways in the Lake District National Park caused by nature as well as feet. During September 2006, Blacks donated £1 for every pair of boots sold towards the charity’s £5 million target.
Blacks’ regular newsletter also highlights environmental projects, wildlife programmes and eco-tourism opportunities that are of interest to its online subscriber base.
Blacks also supports some of the UK's most prominent outdoors groups, including the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (for which Blacks are an official kit supplier), Outward Bound Trust, Lake District National Park Authority and the Council for National Parks.
Exclusively for ResponsibleTravel.com readers, Blacks Online are offering 10% off all purchases from www.blacks.co.uk until 30th November 2006. Simply enter promotional code RT010GCR at the checkout for your discount.
Bulgarian Dreams
Bulgarian Dreams is delighted to be supporting the Responsible Tourism Awards 2006 and believes that great holidays, highly desirable destinations and excellent accommodation shouldn’t compromise local people and the environment as a whole. The awards go a long way towards achieving this ideal, by raising awareness of the problems that exist and by supporting the companies that aim to redress the balance. Bulgarian Dreams is the UK’s largest agent of Bulgarian real estate and is currently involved in a number of projects designed to minimise the impact on the global environment in the construction of new holiday homes. Windows to Paradise is the world’s largest fully carbon neutral new-build development and represents Bulgarian Dreams’ determination to provide cutting edge Bulgarian property that is in line with popular worldwide initiatives such as the Kyoto Protocol.
In the UK alone, nearly 50% of all emissions created are from the construction, maintenance and occupation property. At the development, Bulgarian Dreams has worked with the leading company in the calculation and balance of carbon emissions, The CarbonNeutral Company. The company carried out an assessment of Windows to Paradise and has calculated the CO2 and other Kyoto protocol emissions, which Bulgarian Dreams has offset by helping set up a Hydro-electric Power Station in Bulgaria and funding a forestry project in Scotland. This investment has ensured a zero impact on the climate as well as creating jobs for people in the local community. Tel: 0800 011 2750 info@bulgariandreams.com
Eurostar
Eurostar offers a greener way to travel from the UK to France and Belgium and is proud to sponsor the Best Transport Initiative category of the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards in 2006. Expert Africa
We chose to support these awards because we believe that excellence needs to be trumpeted, and to raise these issues still further. Travelling more responsibly needs to be the future for the whole industry. These winners are making that a reality today; they deserve recognition. Haivenu Tours
Haivenu Tours is a wholly Vietnamese company based in Hanoi who offer high-quality tours in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for those wanting to combine the comforts of city hotels with responsible and authentic experiences in little visited areas. Haivenu fully supports the 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards. i-to-i
i-to-i is committed to providing responsible travel placements which benefit local communities throughout the world, whilst minimising the negative environmental and social impacts of tourism. We currently operate placements throughout Asia, Africa, Latin America, Australia and Europe, working with residents towards a common goal of sustaining their natural surroundings. In line with this, we aim to use only local projects initiated by the community in which they are located.
We are also acutely aware of the importance of local customs and cultures within our volunteer destinations. It is our policy to uphold those traditions and treat them with the utmost respect. In the same way, all of our volunteers must sign a code of conduct reflecting this before their departure.
Since 1994, we have worked closely with people and organisations across the globe, to ensure that the volunteers and services we provide are those which are wanted and needed by the very communities with whom we operate. By working with our placement countries in this way, we believe that volunteer travel can be used responsibly to secure the long-term prosperity of these destinations and their peoples.
Further demonstrating our commitment to helping overseas communities, we have a charity arm, the i-to-i Foundation, (No. 1099482) to provide resources for the most disadvantaged volunteer projects that we work with throughout the developing world.
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is delighted to be sponsoring this year's Best Destination category at the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards. The Awards play a crucial role in raising awareness among the travel industry. Just as importantly, they help travellers find out more about destinations and make informed choices about how and where they travel. Travellers are engaging with this issue more than ever, and they're becoming more choosy about where they travel to. Operating along sustainable lines is something that really makes a destination stand out, and this effect is sure to be magnified in the future.
Peregrine Adventures
Peregrine operates tourism that fosters understanding, appreciation and conservation of the cultures and environments we visit. We operate in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.
We are committed to working with our clients and the peoples of our host destinations to ensure direct economic benefits at a community level, and to contribute to cultural and environmental conservation. With the continual monitoring of our operations, we aim to operate beyond best practice guidelines, endeavouring to set the world-wide industry benchmark for responsible tourism operation.
One of the very best ways we, as a tour operator, can demonstrate our commitment to responsible travel is by employing leaders from the country or region in which the tour operates. This means providing, rather than denying, employment opportunities for local tour leaders, many of whom have studied for many years to gain the necessary accreditation, speak many languages fluently and to whom this is a career. We're now extremely proud of our team of excellent leaders (over 230 of them), and we know they do a fantastic job - our clients keep telling us.
responsibletravel.com
responsibletravel.com is an on-line travel agent marketing responsible holidays, and organiser of the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards. Through this Award we celebrate the power of passionate and determined individuals to make a difference. Rezidor SAS Hospitality
The First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards 2006 is an excellent opportunity to reward the best larger accommodation/hotel for outstanding achievements in creating a responsible workplace, marketplace and local environment and community. Increasingly, travel managers and individuals traveling on leisure or business expect that the hotels they are staying at meet stringent environmental, ethical and social criteria. These demands include seeing proof of reduced resource consumption, actions to combat global warming, the presence of fair trade products as well as organic and allergy-friendly food products, providing green conferences, and ensuring an increased awareness and understanding about a hotels’ ecological impact among guests and employees.
We are at a turning point in our industry, when responsible tourism is becoming a clear business opportunity for hotels, attracting companies and individuals who want to reduce their ecological footprint. The winner of this award has demonstrated that they truly appreciate this trend. Rezidor SAS and its 226 hotels in over 40 countries supports the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards 2006, as we perceive this award to be an excellent way of encouraging the entire industry to adopt more responsible and sustainable business practices.
Small Luxury Hotels of the World
As part of its commitment to responsible tourism, Small Luxury Hotels of the World has embarked on a “Caring Luxury” initiative. Through responsible tourism practices, SLH will demonstrate that luxury can be both enriching and rewarding, all the while enjoying the comforts and service of a luxury hotel experience. Small Luxury Hotels of the World is the first group of small, independent, luxury hotels to adopt such an initiative and it comes at a time when an increasing number of global travellers are concerned about the impact that tourism is having on the environments, economies and communities in which it functions. SLH believes that by practising Caring Luxury, hotels can help maximise the positive effects of tourism, such as creating jobs and benefiting small businesses, enhancing guests’ awareness of local culture and traditions and identifying ways to conserve and protect areas.
By adopting caring luxury practices, Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s properties meet the needs of visitors and the destination, and minimise the negative effects of tourism by protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. Caring Luxury is about making better places to live and visit, while at the same time providing enriching and rewarding experiences for guests who stay at SLH member hotels.
Interested? Read more about the 2006 Responsible Tourism Award winners here.