Justin Francis, founder of The Responsible Tourism Awards and Managing Director of responsibletravel.com, organisers of the Awards said:
“This year I have been heartened by the depth of commitment and connection our winners have shown to the local communities in their destinations. Their successes and pioneering spirits are remarkable and the very real and authentic experiences they have created, set responsible tourism apart. They also remind us that holidays can be both luxurious for visitor and enhancing for local people - helping build schools, water pumps, clinics and conserving cultural and natural heritage."
Amanda Wills, Managing Director, Virgin Holidays, headline sponsor of the Awards said:
“I’m once again humbled by the commitment, drive and ingenuity of today’s winners. They have shown us all what can be achieved by the people and places seeking to benefit from tourism, even when the economic climate continues to challenge us all. Their’s is truly an example for the rest of the industry to follow, and I’m delighted that Virgin Holidays is again able to be a part of this celebration.”
Launched in 2004, the Awards are run in association with partners World Travel Market, Metro Newspaper and Geographical Magazine.
For more information about all the Award Winners and Highly Commended organisations, visit the official
Responsible Tourism Awards website
VIRGIN HOLIDAYS RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AWARD WINNERS 2010
Overall Winner: Nihiwatu, Indonesia
Judges' Reason: “The Judges were impressed by the unquestionable scale of change achieved by this comparatively small resort. Importantly, Nihiwatu has been able to leverage the income from what is a very luxurious tourism experience to alleviate poverty among the Sumbanese, and they have done so without compromising the comfort of that experience."
Contact details:
Nihiwatu , Ingrid, PA to Claude Graves, Managing Director, ingrid@nihiwatu.com
Best tour operator for local economies, sponsored by Oman Ministry of Tourism
Winner: Desafio Adventure Company, Costa Rica
Judges' Reason: “This Costa Rican adventure tourism operator is awarded for an investment in local people that goes beyond the benefits to their tourism business. An income of £1.2 million annually from 15,000 passengers allows Desafio to support their staff in their own local entrepreneurial initiatives - helping their guides to buy photographic equipment, drivers to buy vehicles for their own business ventures, and even supporting the office manager in developing her own website. They demonstrate that the benefits of local tourism can have lasting effects on local livelihoods."
Contact details:
Desafio Adventure Company, Christine Krishnan, Owner, gerencia@desafiocostarica.com
Best accommodation for the environment, sponsored by Tourism Western Australia
Winner: Hotel Mocking Bird Hill, Jamaica
Judges' Reason: “Proof that indulgence doesn’t have to be at the expense of the environment, Mockingbird Hill is a small locally-owned luxury hotel that drives innovation, ensures that good practices are identified and monitored and adds value to the local community. The judges were impressed by the scale and depth of their ability to measure impacts – including energy consumption, economic impact for local partners, and recording biodiversity. They list the short distance from their local suppliers down to the last kilometre – impressive in Jamaica where the reliance is typically on imports. They have driven innovation – conducting in-house recycling in an area without the infrastructure for it, and encouraging their suppliers to improve environmental performance.”
Highly commended:
Bedruthan Steps Hotel & Spa , UK
Contact details:
Hotel Mocking Bird Hill , Shireen Aga, info@hotelmockingbirdhill.com
Best accommodation for local communities, sponsored by Kenya Tourist Board
Winner: Hotel Punta Islita, Costa Rica
Judges' Reason: "Hotel Punta Islita is culturally embedded in the local community and fully Costa Rican owned. 60% of all hotel guests visit their Contemporary Art Museum, bringing in £100k to local artists. 52% of the money that the hotel generates stays in the local community, helps to combat urban migration, and has nurtured a steady growth of micro-enterprises including seafood processing plants, restaurants and cafes, retail stores, furniture workshops, and tour operators."
Highly commended:
Cuyaqui Wayi Vicos , Peru,
Huaorani Ecolodge , Ecuador,
Jungle Bay Resort & Spa , Dominica
Contact details:
Hotel Punta Islita , Maria Barquero, Outreach Manager, outreach@grupoislita.com
Best low carbon transport & technology, sponsored by The Quito Visitors' Bureau, Ecuador
Winner: Seat61.com, UK
Judges' Reason: "No stranger to the Awards, Seat61.com has proved invaluable in the last year not only to those who knew they want to travel by train or ferry but also to those who didn’t. Strikes, airlines collapsing and volcanic ash forced many travellers to turn to Mark Smith’s remarkable site with up to the minute information for travellers. The site has grown from 6.5 million to almost 10 million users and been instrumental in the growth of rail travel bookings."
Highly commended:
snowcarbon.co.uk Ltd , UK
Contact details:
Seat61.com , Mark Smith, Owner & Founder, mark@seat61.com
Best in a mountain environment, sponsored by Oman Ministry of Tourism
Winner: Ecosphere, India
Judges' Reason: "Ecosphere is a self-reliant social enterprise where the economic benefits to mountain communities are both clearly demonstrated and transformative. Ecosphere has moved from being donor funded to self-supporting, and 55 out of the 66 villages in the Spiti Valley have seen their incomes rise by up to 50% through Ecosphere’s trekking and homestay initiatives. Their carbon reduction programme is also comprehensive, citing a reduction of 520 tons of C\O2 per year."
Highly commended:
Kasbah du Toubkal , Morocco,
Shakti Himalaya , India,
Village of Corrençon en Vercors France.
Contact details:
Ecosphere, Ishita Khanna, Founder & Director, ishita@spitiecosphere.com
Best in a marine environment, sponsored by Tourism Fiji
Winner: Matava, Fiji
Judges' Reason: "Matava is a beacon for responsible tourism and an example to other dive sites. They maintain a strong commitment to both the conservation of the marine environment and the development of the local Fijian community. All staff and dive guides are from local villages, they have signed an agreement with local villages designating three established marine reserves as 100% no-take zones, across large geographic areas, and even succeeded in getting marine conservation on to the Fijian National Curriculum."
Highly commended:
Coral Cay Conservation , UK
Contact details:
Matava, Stuart Gow, Company Director, Stuart@Matava.com
Best cruise or ferry operator, sponsored by Oman Ministry of Tourism
Winner: Orion Expedition Cruises, Australia
Judges' reason: "Orion Expedition Cruising is the only cruise company with Earthcheck certification, and shows a real commitment to the communities it visits. By acknowledging that authenticity can only be realised for their guests by working in partnership with communities, they conduct community research ahead of establishing new ports of call - helping protect cultural heritage and environment while offering real benefits to the places they visit. They have influenced suppliers to make positive changes like moving from plastic containers to cardboard and aluminium bottles over plastic. Cruise is a growth area and this small operator is one to watch."
Highly commended:
Kalimantan Tour Destinations , Indonesia
Contact details:
Orion Expedition Cruises, Andy Harmer, Sales and Marketing Director UK, andy@cruiseportfolio.co.uk
Best for poverty reduction, sponsored by PromPeru
Winner: Nihiwatu, Indonesia
Judges' Reason: "Over 20,000 people living in 400 villages on the Indonesian island of Sumba benefit from Nihiwatu being their neighbour. 500 guests donating $400,000 annually at this remote 14-room resort support the Sumba Foundation in its remarkable work. Malaria has been reduced by 85% with at least 53 lives saved, five clinics looking after 18,000 people have been opened, and specialists have been brought onto the island to perform 263 life changing eye and 168 cleft palate surgeries. 14 primary schools are supported and the foundation has been able to bring clean water to the Sumbanese community as well as start a malnutrition project - with 327 children having benefitted so far."
Highly commended:
Kaliandra Foundation , Indonesia
Contact details:
Nihiwatu , Ingrid, PA to Claude Graves, Managing Director, ingrid@nihiwatu.com
Best for conservation of wildlife & habitats, sponsored by South Australian Tourism Commission
Winner: ZEALANDIA: The Karori Sanctuary Experience, New Zealand
Judges' Reason: "With a 500 year vision, Zealandia immediately stood out as an ambitious conservation initiative which engages with tourism to secure local support. But when you’re trying to return an area to a time before humans - over 80 million years ago - it is this vision that is required! This unique conservation project is already a safe haven for some of New Zealand’s most endangered native species. The ecological restoration of this urban wildlife sanctuary is well underway and through the removal of invasive species has enabled the successful reintroduction of species."
Highly commended:
Steppes Discovery, UK
Contact details:
ZEALANDIA , Alan Dicks, Senior Marketing & Communications Coordinator, alan.dicks@visitzealandia.com
Best for conservation of cultural heritage, sponsored by Jamaica Tourist Board
Winner: Booderee National Park, Australia
Judges' Reason: "Booderee is proof that a partnership between government and a marginalised community can work to protect cultural heritage through long-term conservation goals. The Park’s Botanic Gardens is the only Aboriginal-owned botanic garden in existence. The judges recognised the partnership for preserving the privacy of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community within the sanctuary zone, and using tourism to the National Park for securing their livelihoods. With 430,000 visitors a year bringing in 1.2 million Australian Dollars and with 80% of the workers Indigenous and living within the park, the future plan for the community to take over sole management of the park alone is very real."
Highly commended:
Under the Thatch , UK
Contact details:
Booderee National Park, Dr Martin Fortescue, Park Manager, Martin.fortescue@environment.gov.au, +61 2 44422207
Best volunteering organisation, sponsored by Swaziland Tourism Authority
Winner: Blue Ventures, UK
Judges' Reason: "Blue Ventures is an example of how social initiatives can contribute to local livelihood diversification and support community resilience in the face of upheaval. In 2009 their project in Madagascar was threatened by the political crisis and many organisations chose to pull out of the country. Testament to their principles, Blue Ventures stayed committed to the project, with head office staff in London taking a 25% pay cut to ensure the maintenance of the jobs in Madagascar."
Highly commended:
Biosphere Expeditions, UK,
BTCV, UK,
The Great Orangutan Project, Borneo
Contact details:
Blue Ventures, Richard Nimmo, Richard@blueventures.org
Best destination, sponsored by Oman Ministry of Tourism
Winner: Nurture Lakeland, UK
Judges' Reason: "With over 17 years experience of inspiring businesses to support conservation and adopt sustainable tourism practices Nurture Lakeland is a pioneer of local tourism partnerships. This destination’s results speak for themselves - £1.7 million has been raised working with 1,200 tourism businesses in fundraising for local conservation projects. Campaigns such as a car free scheme and the Herdy Fund have been successful at encouraging visitors to the area to ditch the car, as well as promoting the conservation of the Herdwick sheep, and the rural lifestyle associated with upland fell farming in Cumbria and the lakes."
Highly commended:
Kangaroo Valley Tourist Association , Australia
Contact details:
Nurture Lakeland , Amy McLoughlin, Sustainable Tourism Advisor, amy@nurturelakeland.org, 01539 822 622
Best personal contribution, sponsored by Oman Ministry of Tourism
Winner: Sam Raphael, Jungle Bay Resort & Spa, Dominica
Judges' Reason: " Sam Raphael’s vision was to use tourism to revitalise a community facing poverty after the demise of the banana industry. In an area devoid of tourism his Jungle Bay resort in Dominica was constructed, opened and is now almost entirely operated by the local community. The trickle-down effect of his efforts are felt far and wide from the farmers who supply the resort with produce to the disabled children cared for at his “House of Hope”, and the youth supported by Sam’s initiative to mentor and promote young entrepreneurs. The philosophy that underpins Jungle Bay is wholly down to the passion and commitment of Sam."
Highly commended:
Jo Baddeley, Thomas Cook, UK and Scott Rains, Disability and Inclusive Development Consultant
, USA
Contact details:
Jungle Bay Resort & Spa , Sam Raphael, sam@junglebaydominica.com
For more on all our Winners and Highly Commended organisations, visit:
responsibletravel.com/awards
Downloadable images from the event can be found at WTM's picture library after 2pm today:
http://www.wtmlondon.com/picturelibrary
- Ends -
Notes to editors
For more information about the Awards and previous winners see the
Responsible Tourism Awards website
About The Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards
The Awards are the most competitive of their kind in the world and are a collaboration between online travel directory responsibletravel.com who founded and organise the Awards; UK media partners Metro Newspaper and Geographical Magazine, and World Travel Market who host the presentation event. The central tenet of the Awards is that all types of tourism - from niche to mainstream - can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people.
About responsibletravel.com:
responsibletravel.com is the world’s leading travel agent for responsible holidays. The site offers over 3,500 richer, deeper and more locally distinctive travel experiences that are better for destinations and local communities.
Whether you’re after an action-packed adventure, a relaxing beach escape or a charming countryside getaway closer to home, there’s something to suit all tastes and budgets.
Co-founder, Justin Francis had the original idea for the website on his travels through Africa having completed his MSc in Responsible Tourism. He launched the site with backing from Dame Anita Roddick in 2001 and since then has been included in Courvoisier’s The Future 500, Thames and Hudson’s 60 Innovators Shaping Our Creative Future and taken his place on the Advisory Board of The International Centre for Responsible Tourism at Leeds Metropolitan University. Based in Brighton, England responsibletravel.com also campaigns for positive change in the travel and tourism industry.
Contact:
Krissy Roe or Alex Lyons
press@responsibletravel.com
+44 (0)1273 648 519
