WTTC is delighted to announce the 2018 leaders in sustainable tourism at the 2018 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards ceremony. The Awards, which were presented at a special ceremony during the 18th WTTC Global Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, celebrate inspirational, world-changing tourism initiatives from all over the globe.

The 2018 Awards winners are highly commended and recognised for business practices of the highest standards that balance the needs of ‘people, planet and profits’ within our sector. This year’s winners are industry leaders who promote inclusive growth, and work toward a greener future as a result of their proactive contributions to sustainable development and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 2018 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards winners are:

Community Award – Global Himalayan Expedition, India

Destination Award – Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, British Colombia, Canada

Environment Award – Airport Authority Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Innovation Award – Virgin Atlantic, UK

People Award – Cayuga Collection of Sustainable Luxury Hotels and Lodges, Costa Rica

The Awards are judged by a panel of independent experts, led by Graham Miller, Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Surrey. Academics, business leaders, NGO and governmental representatives all join forces to whittle down the finalists to just five Winners. Becoming a Tourism for Tomorrow judge is not a task to be taken lightly – the stringent, three-stage judging process includes a thorough review of all applications, followed by on-site evaluations of the Finalists and their initiative.

The winner of each category is determined by the winners’ selection committee which is chaired by Fiona Jeffery OBE, Tourism for Tomorrow Awards Chair, and composed of: Sandra Howard Taylor, Vice Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Colombia; John Spengler, Director of the Centre for Health and the Global Environment of the Harvard School of Public Health; and Darrell Wade, Co-Founder and CEO of Intrepid Group.

Gloria Guevara Manzo, President & CEO, WTTC, commented:“This year the Tourism for Tomorrow Award finalists prove just how diverse and all-encompassing our sector’s commitment to sustainable growth is. The award categories are designed to demonstrate that every player in the Travel & Tourism industry has a role to play in driving the sector to a more responsible future — whether providing training to people from disadvantaged backgrounds, protecting vital wetland areas via ecotourism or operating the world’s greenest airport. I congratulate them all on their achievements and leadership.

This year’s award winners demonstrate not only that tourism can be sustainable, but that it provides tangible benefits to destinations, local communities and travellers. We hope that our award winners will motivate the Travel & Tourism sector to be part of a more sustainable world.”

Fiona Jeffery, OBE, Chair, WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, stated: “The role of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards is to showcase some of the most outstanding examples of sustainable tourism practise in the world and inspire and motivate our industry to be the change we want to see and experience. The Tourism for Tomorrow 2018 finalists and winners each demonstrate vision, leadership, and a long-term commitment to ensuring our industry focuses on creating better places for people to live in and better places for people visit. This year however we have seen more cross sector collaboration and an acknowledgement that steps can and should be taken to assess tourism impacts more effectively which is an encouraging development.”

Jeff Rutledge, CEO, AIG Travel, the headline sponsors of the Awards, said: “From operating the world’s greenest airport to establishing Africa’s first marine park, this year’s Tourism for Tomorrow finalists are a diverse group of change makers from all over the globe. The 2018 winners demonstrate that regardless of size or purpose, all businesses in the Travel & Tourism sector can make sustainability a priority and become part of our collective journey towards a greener future.”

For more information on the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards and all the winners, please visit www.wttc.org/tourism-for-tomorrow-awards

Full List of Winners and Finalists:

Community Award

WINNER – Global Himalayan Expedition, India

FINALIST – &Beyond, South Africa

FINALIST – Sustainable Development Institute Mamirauá, Brazil

Destination Award

WINNER – Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, British Colombia

FINALIST – Riverwind Foundation, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA

FINALIST – Corporación Parque Arví, Colombia

Environment Award

WINNER – Airport Authority Hong Kong, Hong Kong

FINALIST – Chumbe Island Coral Park, Tanzania

FINALIST –Melia Hotels International, Spain

Innovation Award

WINNER – Virgin Atlantic, UK

FINALIST – Parkbus – Transportation Options, Canada

FINALIST – Yayasan Karang Lestari Teluk Pemuteran (Pemuteran Bay Coral Protection Foundation), Indonesia

People Award

WINNER – Cayuga Collection of Sustainable Luxury Hotels and Lodges, Costa Rica

FINALIST – Heritage Watch, Australia

FINALIST – TREE Alliance, Cambodia

About the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards:

More details on the Awards and the application process can be found at http://wttc.org/tourism-for-tomorrow-awards/

Tourism for Tomorrow Award Partners:

Headline Sponsor of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards: AIG Travel Inc.

Category Sponsors:

Community Award Sponsor: Value Retail

Destination Award Sponsor: Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority

Environment Award Sponsor: Ecolab

Innovation Award Sponsor: Amadeus

People Award Sponsor: Mastercard

Awards Supporters:

Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA)

African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA)

Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN)

BestEn Travel

Considerate Hoteliers

Ecotourism Japan

The EUROPARC Federation

Fair Trade Tourism (FTT)

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)

GreenHotelier/International Tourism

Partnership (ITP)

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)

Rainforest Alliance

The Long Run

Tony Charters & Associates

Travelife

Travel+SocialGood

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