London - 18 February, 2005 - Today the World Travel & Tourism Council
(WTTC) announced the shortlist for the 2005 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.
The Awards, until last year under the auspices of British Airways, recognize
and promote best practice in tourism development all over the world.
The finalists were selected from over 90 applications from 30 countries
representing the full spectrum of Travel & Tourism enterprises, large,
medium and small. Mandip Singh-Soin, Founder & Managing Director of
Ibex Expeditions in India and member of the finalists� selection committee
said, �The number of excellent applications submitted for review was inspiring.
I am delighted to be part of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards which will
raise the profile of role-model companies and encourage others to follow
suit.� Martha Honey, Executive Director of The International Ecotourism
Society and also a member of the finalists� selection committee added,
�The entries received this year were of a particularly high standard which
made the selection process very difficult. However, it is encouraging to
see how many companies are committed to developing tourism in a responsible
way all over the world�. The finalists for each of the four categories
are, in alphabetical order:-
Destination Award
Chugchilán and Black Sheep Inn � Ecuador
The founders of Black Sheep Inn moved to Chugchilán, high in
the rural Andes, in 1994 with the goal of creating an affordable sustainable
tourist destination. Before 1994, the village of Chugchilán
was unknown by tourists, travellers, and agencies. Ten years later, Chugchilán
has preserved its cultural charm and now has several small community businesses
that profit from sustainable tourism. Guidebook Let's Go! Ecuador 2004
describes �The Latacunga Loop� with these words �the tiny town of
Chugchilán has seen more than its share of visitors in recent years.
Part of this may be due to its oasis of idealism: the Black Sheep Inn�.
Chugchilán has become a sustainable ecotourism destination that
has positive impact on both the environment and local community. www.blacksheepinn.com
Jurassic Coast � United Kingdom
The Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site (popularly known
as the Jurassic Coast) is situated on the south coast of England, and stretches
from Exmouth in Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset. Recognized
by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2001, Jurassic Coast�s development
has been a partnership between over 200 local, national and international
stakeholders for more than. A commitment to local community engagement
combined with the recognition of the inherent value of the natural asset,
and therefore its conservation, means that benefits from the 22 million
staying and day visitors each year are reinvested in the local culture,
society and environment. www.jurassiccoast.com
Rinjani Trek Ecotourism Programme � Lombok Indonesia
The Rinjani Trek spans the Gunung Rinjani National Park in Lombok,
Indonesia linking the villages of Senaru, via the crater rim and crater
lake, with Sembual Lawang. Not only is it considered one of the best
treks in South East Asia, the Rinjani Trek Ecotourism Programme is one
of the world�s leading examples of how tourism can really benefit the communities
and environments on which it depends. The Rinjani Trek Ecotourism Programme
offers opportunities to guides, porters, handicraft makers, trail maintainers
and many others while at the same time making sure that locals and visitors
are fully aware of the value of their environment. www.lomboksumbawa.com/rinjani
Conservation Award
Cooperativa de Santa Lucia de Nanegal � Ecuador
Santa Lucia Cooperative owns 650 hectares of 80 primary cloud forest
in a biodiversity hotspot in the Andean-Choco corridor in northwest Ecuador.
This is a truly community driven project dedicated to preserving the environment
while making a livelihood from it. The Cooperative depends on tourism to
survive, but tourism in turn depends on the forest. Tourist facilities
have therefore been developed with minimal impact on the environment and
money generated from tourism is used for restoration, conservation monitoring
and community projects. This small-scale initiative is one of the
world�s most successful models for conservation through tourism. www.santaluciaecuador.com
Damaraland Camp � Namibia
Damaraland Camp is located 90 kilometres inland from Namibia�s Skeleton
Coast and integrates communities, the environment and wildlife. The
camp is located within the Torra Conservancy and enjoys the vistas across
stark plains, ancient valleys and soaring peaks. Damaraland Camp
is one of Wilderness Safaris� successful tourism and conservation partnerships
and has resulted in a 72 000 hectare (180 000 acre) conservancy being proclaimed
in what was barren countryside. Prior to Damaraland Camp�s construction,
there were no environmental or poaching controls and the community had
no sense of ownership. Today, this area has been transformed; the
wildlife numbers are climbing and the animal populations have doubled.
www.wilderness-safaris.com
Manda Wilderness Project (including Mchenga Nkwichi Lodge) - Mozambique
Mix a heady cocktail of sumptuous yet �responsible� tourism, grassroots
practical help for the war-weary people of Mozambique and a last chance
to protect a pristine corner of real Africa - and you have the Manda
Wilderness Project. The Project protects one of Africa�s last true wildernesses,
releases the true potential of an African community, and boosts the standards
of international tourism. Established in 1999 as a privately-funded
company and community trust, the Project has worked alongside the local
Nyanja people to carve out a huge conservation area along the shores of
Lake Niassa (also known as Lake Malawi), build primary schools and roads,
and create a successful luxury lodge dedicated to responsible tourism.
www.mandawilderness.org
Investor in People Award
Cook-up with Kamamma at Dreamcatcher - South Africa
Cook-up with Kamamma brings the benefits of tourism those who would
otherwise not have access to the industry�s opportunities. It is
an exciting, participative and interactive cuisine experience, whereby
�Kamamma� (community matriach and entrepreneur), teaches visitors her culinary
secrets at her community restaurant, and consists of 60 home-based catering
businesses of women representative of the diverse indigenous cultures of
South Africa. Cook-up with Kamamma venues can be found on all the
major tourist routes in South Africa, traversing approximately 2000 kilometers
across both rural and urban areas, and is rapidly growing to be one of
the country�s top tourism experiences. www.dreamcatcher.co.za
Conservation Corporation Africa � Southern & Eastern Africa
Conservation Corporation Africa (CC Africa) is a pioneer in sustainable
ecotourism, conservation development and community empowerment. The company
was founded in 1990, with a strong corporate commitment to operating a
successful high quality tourism business while contributing unprecedented
time, passion and the resulting revenue to benefit rural communities in
the areas in which they operate. The 35 lodges and camps in 16 African
wilderness highspots, Walking and Specialist Safaris, CC Africa Expeditions
and tour-operations span eight African countries and provide employment
for 1700 people � all ensuring the conservation of hundreds of thousands
of hectares of wilderness land and the betterment of the lives of all who
benefit there from. www.ccafrica.com
Grupo Plan, Haciendas del Mundo Maya � Mexico
Grupo Plan is a Mexican development company that owns several luxury
resorts in the Yucatan peninsula called "The Haciendas". In their
heyday of the 1920s, the haciendas were booming plantations which supported
their local communities but by the 1990s they had been abandoned, leaving
the communities in poverty. Over the past years, the haciendas have
been rebuilt by teams of specialist historians, architects, hoteliers,
trainers and social workers to breathe life back into these communities.
Now, operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, under the brand
of �The Luxury Collection�, the Haciendas are a succesful tourism business
providing jobs, support and social welfare for the communities which surround
them. www.haciendasmundomaya.com
Global Tourism Business Award
Casuarina Beach Club � Barbados
Casuarina Beach Club is a three -star hotel located on the south Coast
of Barbados, in one of the busiest resorts in the South Caribbean. It�s
beautiful 10-acre property is set in a �Tropical Forest� and is one of
the few hotels in the Caribbean in its own ecosystem. All aspects
of Casuarina�s management are dedicated to ensuring the environmental,
social and cultural sustainability of its surroundings. All rooms
are fitted with water and energy saving devices, staff are trained in all
aspects of environmental management and guests are encouraged to participate
in local community activities. Within Barbados, Casuarina is already
leading the way in environmental awareness, providing advice to other companies
wishing to follow their example and working with the government to put
in place �green� policies. www.casuarina.com
Tiamo Resorts � Bahamas
Since commencing operations in 2001, Tiamo Resorts on South Andros
Island has been a precursor for tourism businesses worldwide, representing
a unique model for innovation in sustainable development, integrated resource
management, and coastal development. The vision of its founders has
been to provide the best vacation experience possible, offering exceptional
service, cuisine and accommodations to a limited number of guests in a
pristine nature based environment. A team of South Androsians
manage guest services and operations, providing full service dining, daily
maid service, guided snorkeling, kayaking, sailing and nature hikes.
By providing an informative and practical educational experience for visitors,
the resort team hopes to instill an awareness and appreciation for the
local ecosystems and the resorts efforts to maintain their pristine status.
www.tiamoresorts.com
Xel Há � Mexico
Located in the heart of Mexico�s Mayan Riviera, Xel Há is a
unique theme park that offers a fun-packed adventure holiday experience
for visitors based on community involvement and environmental awareness.
Xel Há is a natural aquarium with 84 jungle hectares and water spots,
unique in the world. The park�s guiding philosophy sustains that the care
and respect for nature elevate the environmental consciousness of those
who interact in it. Different activities aimed at the regional educational
institutions, at all their levels, encourage participation of community
members. Xel Há finances scientific research in endangered species
and promotes the harmonious development of Chemuyil city, where 60 per
cent of the park�s collaborators work. www.xelha.com |
During the next phase of the judging process, each finalist will be
visited by a WTTC / Tourism for Tomorrow representative in person to ensure
that the high standards outlined in initial applications are indeed being
met in practice. The winners of each category, selected by the Panel of
Judges, chaired by Costas Christ, CEO of Bar Harbor Maine Chamber of Commerce
and an internationally recognized expert on sustainable tourism, will be
announced during a special ceremony at the Gala Dinner of the 5th Global
Travel & Tourism Summit in New Delhi, India on April 8.
Jean-Claude Baumgarten, President, WTTC said �WTTC is delighted to be
presenting the 2005 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards during the Summit.
The theme for this year�s Summit is �Realizing the Potential� and the Tourism
for Tomorrow Awards will honour the destinations and organizations that
are truly realizing the full social and economic potential of our industry.
It is particularly fitting that the Awards are taking place in India, one
of the world�s fastest growing Travel & Tourism economies where the
industry really does have the potential to create very many jobs, enhance
livelihoods and help to protect a particularly wide variety of natural
environments.�
The Finalists� Selection Committee
Chairman: Costas Christ, CEO, Bar Harbor Maine Chamber of Commerce
Committee:
Raul Arias de Para, Owner, Canopy Towers, Panama
Tony Charters, Principal, Tony Charters & Associates, Australia
Loreto Duffy-Mayers, Environmental Manager, Casuarina Beach Club, Barbados
Oliver Hillel, Director, Palawan Sustainable Development Project, Philippines
Martha Honey, Executive Director, The International Ecotourism Society
Meitamai Ole Dapash, Founder / Executive Director, Masai Environment
Resource Coalition (MERC)
Mandip Singh-Soin, Founder & Managing Director, Ibex Expeditions,
India
Ary Suhandi, Executive Director, INDECON, Indonesia
Albert Teo, Managing Director, Borneo Eco Tours, Malaysia
Richard Weiss, Vice President, Walt Disney Imagineering, USA
Tensie Whelan, President, Rainforest Alliance, USA
Christopher Whinney, Managing Director, ATG Oxford, UK
About the World Travel & Tourism Council
The World Travel & Tourism Council is the global business leaders�
forum for Travel & Tourism. Its Members are Chairmen, Chief Executives
and Presidents of the world�s most prominent Travel & Tourism organizations.
It is the only body representing the private sector in all parts of the
Travel & Tourism industry worldwide.
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