LONDON – WTM 2013 – REPORT: Overall Winner at World Responsible Tourism Awards 2013 is TUI Nederland, the Netherlands.
LONDON – WTM 2013 – REPORT: The World Responsible Tourism Awards were founded in 2004 to surprise and inspire tourists and the tourism industry by the best of the best in responsible tourism – tourism that creates better places to live in and visit. 2013 sees the awards growing to be called the World Responsible Tourism Awards. “We want to celebrate the shining stars of responsible tourism – the individuals, organisations and destinations working innovatively with local cultures, communities and biodiversity. But more than that, we want their examples to inspire others”.
2013 winners
Overall Winner: TUI Nederland, the Netherlands
TUI Nederland, overall winner
Responsible Tourism Awards 2013, Elise Allart, TUI Nederland.
TUI Nederland developed policies and trained staff to identify child abuse, whether amongst the families for whom they provide holidays or abuse perpetrated by travellers in the destination. They have been working to protect children from abuse since 2002 when they signed the Child Protection Code with ECPAT Nederland. They have worked to embed child protection into their routine business operations and have extended this commitment through their network of supplier and partners.
Realising that child sex tourism is silently growing in the Northeast of Brazil, TUI Nederland and its numerous partners launched a campaign to say “a collective ‘NO’ to child sex tourism in the Northeast of Brazil”. TUI Nederland has contributed over €100,000 since 2008 to fighting child exploitation in the region; 80 adolescents from 14 to 17 years of age have been trained as ‘Youth Mobilizers’, for the prevention of sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, reaching over 2,000 people. Their vocational training programme has 104 graduates of whom 39 were employed throughout 2012.
Category winners (click on a category for more information):
- Best for Responsible Wildlife Experiences: Nam Nern Night Safari, Lao PDR
- Best for Water Conservation: Chepu Adventures EcoLodge, Chiloe island in Patagonia
- Best for the Local Economy: Village Ways, India & Ethiopia
- Best for Responsible Tourism Campaigning: people and places, UK
- Best Destination for Responsible Tourism: Bonito, Brazil
- Best for Child Protection: TUI Nederland, the Netherlands
- Best Photography for Responsible Tourism: No winner (3 Highly Commended)
- People’s Choice: Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve, Chile
Photo caption: Responsible Tourism Awards 2013 (left to right): Kate Stefanko of people and places, Paul Eshoo, Ecotourism Advisor at the Wildlife Conservation Society, Justin Francis, responsibletravel.com, Manisha Pande, Director and General Manager of Village Ways, Elise Allart, TUI Nederland, Marcos Diaz Soares, Bonito, Brazil, His Excellency Ahmed bin Nasser bin Hamad al Mahrzi, Tourism Minister of the Sultanate of Oman, Sallie Grayson, people and places, Ximena Leon, Huilo Huilo, Daniel Frey, Chepu Adventures EcoLodge and Professor Harold Goodwin from Manchester Metropolitan University & Director of The International Centre for Responsible Tourism.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
