The name 'Responsible Tourism' is a bit of a turn-off for us. Nothing sounds worse than exploring the globe while being responsible and sensible. But while we prefer the occasional bout of irresponsibility in our travels, the one thing our travel and 'R-travel' has in common, is an effort make travel more sustainable; and this week, in London, several of R-travel businesses were honored at the annual Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards. Fourteen awards were handed out overall from over 1900 nominations and judges included Harold Goodwin, Director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism,Tricia Barnett, Director of and Graeme Gourlay, publisher of Geographical magazine.
Winners this year included British tour operator, Explore, who won the Best Tour Operator Award for initiatives such as investing $600k into energy-efficient projects including cooking stoves in Cambodia and appointing a full-time responsible tourism manager. The Best Small Accommodation Award was won by Nkwichi Lodge in Mozambique, which was commended for their role in the creation of one of the first large community associations in Mozambique, which has enabled six communities to secure their land rights certificates from the Government.
The Bycyklen in Copenhagen, Denmark cam away with the Best Low Carbon Transport & Technology Award. Like many city bike initiatives, The Bycyklen scheme provides more than 2,000 city bikes for free public use by locals and tourists, and in addition it helps provide local people with an opportunity to learn new skills and enable them to gain employment.
The overall winner, however, was New Zealand - the winner of the Best Destination Award. The judges stated that New Zealand demonstrates what national government can achieve, when working with the private sector, local communities and local government - to improve and protect the environment
For a full list of winners go to responsibletourismawards.com
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