LAUNCH OF THE VIRGIN HOLIDAYS RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AWARDS 2008
**New cruise operator category for 2008**  Nominations open today for the Responsible Tourism Awards 2008 sponsored by Virgin Holidays. The Awards celebrate tourism ventures around the world that make a positive contribution to conservation and the economies of local communities. Organised and founded by online travel directory responsibletravel.com, the Awards are once again run in association with World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine (the magazine of The Royal Geographical Society). This year, The Daily Telegraph is the Awards' UK newspaper partner and Virgin Holidays is again the headline sponsor. High profile support for the Awards An array of celebrity and high profile commentators, including Michael Palin, Ben Fogle, Pen Hadow, Alain de Botton and Rosie Boycott, has already offered words of support for this year's Awards (see www.responsibletourismawards.com). Palin said: "Getting to know more about each other remains one of the most important hopes for the peaceful future of the planet. If we are really to understand each other better, then we need to be reminded to travel carefully and thoughtfully, listening to people along the way and respecting the world we are privileged to travel through. The Responsible Tourism Awards are one of the most important ways in which we can understand how to travel better." Now in their fifth year, the Awards are the largest of their kind in the world, with 13 categories receiving a total of over 1,700 nominations in 2007. Justin Francis, co-founder of the online travel directory responsibletravel.com, organisers and founders of the Awards, said: "More and more destinations, travel ventures (both large and small), tourist boards and travellers around the globe, are signing up to the concept of responsible tourism. Not only is it a more enjoyable and authentic way to travel but it is also the only way forward if travel is to have a sustainable future. Our Awards aim to recognise and encourage the passionate pioneers who are helping to bring about real, positive and lasting change in the tourism industry." New Best Responsible Cruise Operator category Words from our partners "Virgin Holidays enters its second year as headline sponsor of the 2008 Responsible Tourism Awards, and we are delighted. Recognising those in our industry that put sustainability on the agenda and keep it there, mirrors our own position as a tour operator taking an active role in shaping a sustainable reality for travel. We see these awards as an outward statement of our continued commitment to sustainable tourism solutions, as new community projects, research and industry partnerships drive our own efforts and progress behind the scenes at Virgin Holidays." Fiona Jeffery, Chairman of World Travel Market, the world’s leading business event for the international travel and tourism industry, which hosts the Awards at London ExCeL, said that Wednesday 12 November – when the Responsible Tourism Awards are announced - is a momentous day for travel and tourism, both in the UK and globally. “The presentation of the Awards coincides with WTM’s World Responsible Tourism Day, now in its second year and supported by the leading travel associations worldwide. It’s a signal that the international industry is undergoing a huge step change, with recognition that action across the whole spectrum of tourism, can and is making a real difference to the world in which we live. “This follows a much bigger and growing change in people’s thinking and social conscience; that choosing a holiday is not just about the size of the swimming pool or the charm of the locality, but also about how their presence may impact on the local community, as well as the planet, be it positively or negatively."
Ends-------- Notes to editors: For a full list of celebrity quotes and more information on the Responsible Tourism Awards, go to www.responsibletourismawards.com For stories and quotes from last year's winners click here or email krissy@responsibletravel.com. Images of last year's winners and the presentation ceremony are also available upon request. The judging panel The judging panel for the Responsible Tourism Awards 2008 is chaired by Harold Goodwin, Professor of Responsible Tourism Management at Leeds Metropolitan University & Director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism, and includes: Justin Francis, Managing Director, responsibletravel.com Graham Boynton, Group Travel Editor, The Daily Telegraph Fiona Jeffery, Chairman, World Travel Market Graeme Gourlay, Publisher, Geographical Magazine Tricia Barnett, Director, Tourism Concern Andrew Cooper, Director General, Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) Debbie Hindle, Managing Director, bgb communications Sue Hurdle, Chief Executive, The Travel Foundation Ian Reynolds, former Chief Executive of ABTA & Trustee of The Travel Foundation Keith Richards, Head of Business Development and Consumer Affairs at ABTA
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