In awarding these prizes, the UNWTO seeks to recognize and stimulate innovative knowledge creation, dissemination and application in the area of tourism and bring to light the latest advances. It is hoped that this contributes to best practices in T-governance and tourism at large all over the world.

Professor Chris Cooper who has an outstanding career in T-research and T-education, has been awarded the 2009 UNWTO Ulysses Prize for Academic Excellence in the Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge in Tourism.

Before joining the Christel deHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute at the University of Nottingham in the UK, Prof. Cooper spent 8 years at the University of Queensland, Australia building a highly successful tourism school. In September 2009 he will join Oxford Brookes University as the Dean of the Business School.

Professor Cooper was Co-Founder of Progress in Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation Research and the International Journal of Tourism Research and is currently the co-editor of Current Issues in Tourism. He is a member of the editorial board for leading tourism, hospitality and leisure journals. He has authored a number of leading textbooks in tourism, including Worldwide destinations - the geography of travel and tourism, Tourism principles and practice and Contemporary tourism. He is the co-series editor of Channelview’s influential book series ‘Aspects of Tourism’ and series editor of Contemporary tourism reviews for Goodfellow publishing.

The 2009 UNWTO Ulysses Awards for Innovation in Tourism Governance will go to:
First Prize:
Open Governance in the PortugueseTourism Administration - Turismo de Portugal, IP.

Special Jury Prizes:
Sensibilizacion en Cultura Turistica Escolar: "Costa Rica: Aventura" - Instituto Costarricense de Turismo.
Action Plan of the Government of Thailand for the Recovery of its Tourism Industry in light of the Global Economic Crisis - Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand.
Bank of Tourism Potentials in Slovenia - The Slovenian Tourist Board.

The 2009 UNWTO Ulysses Awards for Innovation in Tourism Enterprises will go to:
First Prize:
ClubHotel Riu Karamboa- Cabo Verde "Desarrollo turistico de un nuevo destino" – Riu Hotels & Resorts.

Special Jury Prizes:
TourMIS – Modul University Vienna.
LegalACAV - Asociacion Catalana de Agencias de Viajes

The 2009 UNWTO Ulysses Awards for Innovation in Non-Governmental Organizations will go to:
First Prize:
Programa de Vias Verdes y el pasaporte turistico de Vias Verdes - Fundacion de los Ferrocarriles Espanoles.

Special Jury Prizes:
BRIDGE- IT - Bridging the gap between local people and Global Tourism Business - BIRD Biodiversity Research and Development of Nepal.
Creating Destination Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism – The Travel Foundation

Now in its 7th edition, the UNWTO Ulysses Prize and Awards is striving to create a more permanent structure, with broader worldwide outreach activities, to make science and innovation more prominent in tourism policy and governance.