World Responsible Tourism Awards 2014 longlist announced

The official longlist for the World Responsible Tourism Awards 2014 has been released, recognising inspiring organisations that work to ensure tourism preserves and benefits destinations and local people.

The longlist names over 200 tourism organisations, initiatives, businesses and projects across 11 categories. These categories include animal welfare, conservation, poverty reduction, and air travel emissions reduction.

Nominees range from the London Science Museum to British Airways, from ABTA to the EDEN project. UK tourist destinations are also well represented, with the Lake District, the Cotswolds, Brighton & Hove and the South Downs National Park all up for an award.

Each longlisted entrant is picked not by official judges, but by travellers and the tourism industry. 

Now in their 11th year, the awards, organised by Responsible Travel and the International Center for Responsible Tourism, have been sponsored by the Sultanate of Oman Ministry of Tourism.

“At this stage of the awards we don’t know enough about the Longlist to decide the winners, but we’ve had just enough of a taste to get excited about the possibilities,” said Justin Francis, founder of the awards and managing director of responsibletravel.com.

“The organisations selected from public nomination each represent very different, in some cases competing, approaches to responsible tourism. Looking through that list should give a distinct flavour of the trends and new developments in responsible tourism.”

The winners will be announced at the World Travel Market as part of the World Responsible Tourism Day ceremony, on November 5. 

Prof Harold Goodwin, chair of the judging panel, added, “Not all of those listed here will make the cut.

“In the next month we’ll be asking them to put forward the best possible case for why they feel they can be credible and inspirational winners this year.”

Blue & Green Tomorrow’s Sustainable September tourism debate will bring together leading figures from the industry to argue for or against the motion “growth in tourism is undesirable: it is rarely economically, socially or environmentally ‘good’.”  Tickets are available here. 

Photo: Makio Kusahara via Free Images

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Further reading:

Industry ‘heroes’ to be recognised at 2014 World Responsible Tourism Awards

Sustainable September to ask ‘is the future growth of tourism desirable?’

TripAdvisor launches green initiative for sustainable travel

Row between ABTA and responsible travel operator over orca circus

Why tourism can be a force for good in the developing world, and why it isn’t