I WAS LIKE a child on Christmas morning at the annual Responsible
Tourism Awards at the World Travel Market in London, where a World
Responsible Travel Day celebrates the growing movement for more ethical
practices in tourism.
For the past five years, I have been watching the awards grow. At
first they were hidden away in a corner of the vast world travel market,
when "green" was considered a dirty word, and "responsible"
was for "right-on greenies". In 2004, there were over 700
nominations for businesses trying to fight the mass tourism system
and make a difference. This year there were almost 2,000 nominations,
and they are no longer fighting the system. Ministers, celebrities
and CEOs packed into the main seminar room to hear who had won the
coveted awards.
Responsible tourism has taken its place centre stage at last, and
is showing the world that it is here to stay. And the reason it's
like Christmas, is because each new discovery at the awards is like
a gift to me as a writer. Without them, I have nothing to write about.
So well done, and thank you, to all the winners. If you are thinking
about where to holiday next year, have a glance at some of them. With
14 awards in all, this is just a handful to inspire your future travels.
Best Tour Operator is Explore, which I have often cited in this column,
and it has been recognised for training and employing local tour leaders,
investing over €300k in energy-efficient projects, and for appointing
a full-time responsible tourism manager.
Best Large Hotel was awarded to the Kingfisher Bay Resort, Fraser
Island, Australia, for having a low environmental impact, educating
its guests about conservation, and engaging positively with the indigenous
people. The Best Small Hotel Award was given to the Nkwichi Lodge
in Mozambique. It has created the Umoji Association, representing
20,000 local people through their chiefs and elected representatives.
This is the most extensive community association in Mozambique, and
has allowed six communities to secure land rights certificates.
The Best Low Carbon Transport Technology Award was given to the superb
bike system Bycyklen, in Copenhagen, which provides more than 2,000
bikes for free to the public. Best in a Mountain Environment was awarded
to Community Action Treks Community Action Nepal, for the example
it has set in using tourism for the economic and cultural benefit
of communities, and the provision of health and education services.
The Best in a Marine Environment Award went to Ecoventura, Ecuador,
for contributing scholarships for education, providing alternative
livelihoods for the wives of fishermen and converting a fishing boat
into a restaurant and boutique. Best for Conservation of Endangered
Species or Protected Area was Gamewatchers Safaris Porini Camps, Kenya
for its low-impact tourism policy which benefits the Maasai people.
However, it was New Zealand which took the big awards of the day,
winning Best Destination and also becoming the Overall Winner. It
sets high standards in providing visitors the pristine environment
they expect when visiting this beautiful country.
The panel of expert judges' choice of New Zealand proves "that
it is possible to develop a national strategy which uses tourism to
help make better places to live and to visit". Let's hope that
many others, including Ireland, will follow their fine example.
First published in Ethical Traveller, Go, Irish Times
ETHICAL
TRAVELLER: Catherine Mack on responsible tourism - 02 Dcember 2008
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