News

WTTC unveils 2014 Tourism for Tomorrow Award finalists

Published

10 years ago

January 26, 2014

Blue & Green Tomorrow

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced the 18 finalists for the 2014 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The event includes some of the highest accolades in the travel and tourism industry, and winners are heralded as leaders in sustainable tourism.

Finalists across the six categories of awards – business, community, destination, environment, innovation and people – were selected after applications from 56 countries. The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, now in its 10th year under the stewardship of WTTC, have added two further awards for 2014, the innovation and people award.

Each of the finalists were selected by an international panel of independent judges and a comprehensive three step process which included on-site evaluation was undertaken. There are representatives across a broad spectrum of categories and sustainability criteria.

WTTC chief executive David Scowsill said, “To mark the 10th anniversary this year, we have changed the awards to reflect the broadening scope of WTTC’s sustainability agenda.”

The award nominees include more prominent tourism operators such as TUI Travel (business award), to Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark (destination award) for showing their commitment to sustainable tourism and destination best practice. There are also nominations for the likes of Ecosphere (innovation award) who are providing innovative solutions to many of the challenges facing tourism and travel.

In 2012, the recipients of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards included the likes of Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts for the tourism business award and Peru’s Inkaterra for the conservation award.

Chairman of judges, Costas Christ, commented on how the awards offer a form of recognition to organisations who are positively initiating the dramatic transformation of tourism around the world.

“This year’s finalists continue to demonstrate that when carefully managed, tourism can be a powerful force for improving livelihoods and protecting our planet for future generations“, he said.

The eventual winners will be presented with their awards at WTTC’s annual Global Summit, set to be held in China in April 2014.

To read more about the latest trends and insights into sustainable tourism, view the third and most recent edition of our Guide to Sustainable Tourism.