subject: Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2010 - Held by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) [print this page] For the last six years, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has held the "Tourism for Tomorrow Awards." With the ever-increasing concern over the environment and the planet's dwindling natural resources, as well as the need to preserve cultural and historical resources, the "Tourism for Tomorrow Awards" give recognition and confirmation to those organizations that are leading the tourism industry in promoting responsible tourism.
History of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)
Established twenty years ago, the WTTC is comprised of the world's foremost business leaders in the Travel and Tourism industry, including some 100 Chief Executives. One of the organization's main goals is to raise awareness of this mega-industry, which employs over 200 million people worldwide, and generates almost 10% of the world's gross domestic product (GDP).
One of the most important functions of the WTTC is to conduct in-depth research regarding tourism's impact on various economies around the world. Over $5 million has been invested into this research, and one outcome has been the creation of a new standard for the organization's "Tourism Economic Impact Data and Forecasts" already adopted by the United Nations.
Global Travel and Tourism Summit 2010
Every year, the winners of the "Tourism for Tomorrow Awards" are announced at the Global Travel and Tourism Summit. The summit is an international gathering of the world's highest-ranking leaders in the Travel and Tourism industry. Board chair members, chief executives and high-ranking government officials meet at this annual convention to discuss how travel and tourism are related to economic growth around the world as well as the issues of sustainable development. The 2010 Summit was held in May in Beijing, China at the National Center for the Performing Arts.
History of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
The awards first made their appearance in 1989, established by the Federation of Tour Operators. Their goal was to encourage industry members to work towards environmental protection. Three years later, British Airways began presiding over the Awards, and expanded the range of topics to include a wider variety of sustainable tourism issues.
The winners each year are chosen by judges who include world-renowned experts on the subject of sustainable development. The thoroughness and seriousness with which these experts conduct the candidate's investigation has won the Award's international respect by the media, governments, and members of the industry.
Four Categories of Awards
The awards are divided into four different categories: Destination Stewardship Award, Community Benefit Award, Conservation Award and Global Tourism Business Award. In each category a winner and two finalists are chosen.
The Destination Stewardship Award is given to a town, state, region or country, where the tourism network has been able to provide successful sustainable tourism, encompassing all aspects including economic, environmental, social and cultural, as well as the ability to engage members from across various sectors and involve them in the sustainable tourism ideals.
The Community Benefit Award is given to an initiative or ongoing business that has shown proven benefits to the local community and its residents. This can have a number of outplays, including helping to build the community's infrastructure, teaching skills to increase knowledge and potential for advanced employment, or any other ways and means of providing value within the surrounding local community.
The Conservation Award is given to a business or an organization that can prove they have contributed to conserving some form of natural heritage, whether by preserving a natural reserve, aiding wildlife, protecting a piece of land, or any other means.
The Global Tourism Business Award goes to one of the industry's large companies hotel chain, airline or cruise line, etc. with at least 200 employees, and the prerequisite that it operates in two or more countries. Here the award recognizes a company that has developed and implemented best sustainable tourism practices at the level of a large, international company.
How the Judges Select the Winners
The judging process to select the winners of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards involves three important steps and include between 15 and 20 judges who hail from a variety of backgrounds with a range of expertise in the global travel and tourism industry.
After receiving all applications, the WTTC checks each one to ensure that the applicants have complied with the rules, and then sends them on to the panel of judges. The judges are divided into four subcommittees one for each of the award categories and each committee evaluates the candidates on their own and then together via teleconference. From these sessions, three finalists are chosen for each category.
Each of the finalists is inspected by experts in sustainable tourism, who visit the finalist at their place of business to confirm that all information they have presented in their application is true and correct. These experts also meet with members of the surrounding community, to hear further input about the organization's efforts in promoting sustainable tourism. The results of these on-site inspections become part of the final evaluation process in selecting the winners.
A selection committee, composed of five judges, and led by the Chairman of Judges, Costas Christ, a brilliant visionary and exemplary public speaker and authority on sustainable tourism, reviews the recommendations by the judges regarding the finalists, along with the applications themselves and the reports by the on-site experts. This committee ultimately comes to a final decision as to who the winner is in each of the four categories.
The 2010 Winners
This year's winners in each of the four categories were:
Community Benefit Award: Whale Watch Kaikoura, Ltd., New Zealand
Global Tourism Business Award: Accor, France & Global
The Botswana Tourism Board, established in 2003, has the stated mission of working towards the sustainable usage of tourism resources and the development of Botswana into a sought after destination for international tourism, thus helping to build the national economy.
The Emirates Hotels and Resorts have been active for the last ten years with the "Emirates Conservation Programme" to preserve local wildlife, flora and fauna that face extinction due to the development of industry. The Emirates Hotels and Resorts worked hand in hand with the Dubai government to create the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, only the first of what become a number projects to offer responsible, sustainable tourism, including Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, and the soon to be established Cap Ternay Resort & Spa. Their resorts occupy a small percentage of the surrounding natural landscape, and are devoted to managing the wildlife conserves and marine life which protect these species.
Whale Watch Kaikoura, Ltd. is a marine-based company that offers tourists the opportunity to experience whales from up close through their whale-watching expeditions. Tourists have the opportunity to encounter not only whales but fur seals, dolphins and wandering albatrosses, an endangered species. This award-winning company is owned and operated by the Kati Kuri an indigenous people that are a Maori sub-tribe of the Ngai Tahu tribe. Now over twenty years old, Whale Watch offered and continues to offer employment to the Maori people, and its success stimulated the economy of Kaikoura and brought vast opportunities for employment and investment in the area- all surrounding the idea of working with, not against, nature.
Accor, France & Global is a true industry leader, Europe's leading hotel manager, operating in 90 countries and employing nearly 150,000 people. The Group includes some 15 brands, from the most exclusive to economy level, and includes well known names such as Sofitel, Pullman and Novotel. The philosophy of the group, "As guests of the Earth, we welcome the world" illustrates the company's belief not only in hospitality but in having a profound respect for the members of different cultures. They are equally determined their businesses will have a positive effect on the surrounding communities, aiding in the health, economic and social development.
The Contest's Sponsors: The Travel Corporation
For the third year in a row one of the two principal sponsors of the "Tourism for Tomorrow Awards" was The Travel Corporation (TTC), and its foundation: The Travel Corporation Conservation Foundation. The Travel Corporation is a leading group of companies specializing in travel, tourism and leisure activities.
Of great importance to this company is helping to do its part to protect and preserve the earth and encourage sustainable tourism around the globe. In addition to sponsoring the awards this year, the Travel Corporation has several initiatives on the go, which include collaborating with the World Wildlife Fund, the University of Glasgow and the National Trust. Their mutual projects have been established as far as Australia, Egypt, the United Kingdom and various locations in Europe.
According to Brett Tollman, the President and Chief Executive of The Travel Corporation and one of the founders of the Travel Corporation's Conservation Foundation, "Our diverse projects are empowering indigenous communities to protect a small part of their country and culture, uncovering and preserving historical sites and minimizing pollution and the impact of tourism to precious waterways such as the Nile, just to name a few. Through The Travel Corporation's Conservation Foundation our brands will continue to fund this important work."
Brett Tollman, who has an extensive history with The Travel Corporation and its subsidiaries, is the company's President and Chief Executive. With over three decades of experience in the travel and tourism industry, Brett Tollman spearheads the company's international offices. His years of experience in providing practical management techniques, combined with his intense dedication to preserving the environment and respecting individual cultures and lifestyles, have led him to make several strategic and unique plans for the coming years. This will culminate in, among other things, some very exciting and original travel opportunities for the clients of The Travel Corporation and its companies.
Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2010 - Held by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)
By: Bailey Hake
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