The 5th Annual Skal International Ecotourism Awards were presented by the President of Skal International, Jan Sunda and Director of Media and Public Relations, Ms. Hulya Aslantas during the…
The 5th Annual Skal International Ecotourism Awards were presented by the President of Skal International, Jan Sunda and Director of Media and Public Relations, Ms. Hulya Aslantas during the Opening Ceremony of the 67th Skal World Congress held in Pattaya, Thailand, in PEACH.
Skal, founded as an international association in 1934 is the largest organisation of travel and tourism professionals in the world, embracing all sectors of the travel and tourism industry, in five Continents, 87 Countries and at over 500 locations, with 22.000 members from hoteliers to travel agents, Airlines, tourism media, tourism academicians and such..
Skal International is aiming at quality in tourism and values sustainable development in Tourism as the key to the industry’s future success and considers Ecotourism but one area of the various components of sustainable development and responsible tourism.
To encourage the conservation of the environment and help to promote the development of responsible and sustainable tourism, Skal International initiated an awards program in 2002, during “The Year of Ecotourism and the Mountains” as declared by United Nations.
While the purpose of these awards was to highlight best practices in ecotourism around the world, they were also created with the aim of acquainting the world with this new concept that puts emphasis on the importance of the interaction of the physical, cultural and social environment, the traveler’s responsibility and the need for active community participation for Ecotourism.
In their fifth year the awards have received continued support worldwide and this year 51 entries were received originating from 28 Countries; 16 from Asia, 15 from Americas, eight from Europe, seven from Africa and five from Oceania. It was interesting to note six entries from India and five from Canada the two Countries with highest number of entries.
The Awards show the sensitivity and awareness of Skal International towards the protection of the environment in conjunction with sustainable tourism. Ecotourism, together with other alternative forms of tourism strengthens the local economies and contributes to sustainable development
The applications were evaluated by three independent judges and the scores given by each separately, are added up to find the winners. The primary criteria for the evaluation is based on such points like, contribution to the conservation of nature and cultural heritage, community involvement, educational features, business viability and innovation.
The winners are announced as follows:
In the category of Tour Operators and Travel Agents
- VOLUNTOURISTS WITHOUT BORDERS INITIATIVE, from Thailand
In the category of Rural Accommodation, the joint winners are
- BLACK SHEEP INN, from Ecuador, and INKATERRA, from Peru
In the category of Urban Accommodation
- SHINE – SAUNDERS HOTELS INITIATIVE TO NURTURE THE ENVIRONMENT, from the United States of America
In the category of General Countryside
- BLUE VENTURES, from the United Kingdom
In the category of Cities and Villages
- THE CAMILI RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, from Turkey
In the category of Educational Programmes and Media
- THE WECHIAU COMMUNITY HIPPO SANCTUARY, from Canada
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