Tourism Cares for Tomorrow announced the winners of the fifth annual Sustainable Tourism Awards at the United States Tour Operators Association luncheon. The winners of the Smithsonian magazine/Tourism Cares for Tomorrow 2005 Sustainable Tourism Awards were announced as follows:

• Preservation Category: The Louisa May Alcott Orchard House in Massachusetts


• Conservation Category: The Black Sheep Inn Ecolodge in Ecuador

Online voting for the awards increased by 22 percent over that of 2004.

This is the fifth year of these awards and each year it becomes more competitive. All of the more than 100 applicants were worthy of the Sustainable Tourism Awards. A panel of experts from various fields chose the six impressive finalists who all exemplify the tenets of sustainable tourism which these awards advocate, said Bruce Beckham, Executive Director of Tourism Cares, adding, The winners embody sustainable tourism through their work in preservation and conservation, protecting our treasures and environment for future generations to enjoy.

The other finalists by category were:

• Preservation: Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum, Baltimore, Maryland


• Preservation: Lower East Side Tenement Museum, New York, New York


• Conservation: Shamwari Game Reserve, South Africa


• Conservation: Chumbe Island Coral Park, Tanzania