Now in their 15th year, the World Travel Market Responsible Tourism Awards – the tourism industry’s longest running and best known responsible tourism awards – are once again looking to find the most inspiring companies and organisations work around the world. Five Awards will be presented during WTM London on World Responsible Tourism Day, Wednesday 10th November 2018.
Five Categories
For 2018, there are five categories of Awards:
‘Best for Managing Success’ looks for destinations that are coping with the demands of so called ‘overtourism’.
‘Best for Communicating Responsible Tourism’ seeks to recognise either a campaign by company or organisation that has raised awareness of an issue, changed behaviour or a marketing campaign using the aspirations of Responsible Tourism.
‘Best for Employment Conditions’ will be given to the company leading the way to ensure quality work for its staff.
‘Best for Local Economic Benefit’ is for ensuring best practice in benefiting the local economy through employment and local sourcing.
‘Best for Wildlife’ will be given to the company or organisation that impresses the judges the most with its work using tourism to improve the conservation of species and/or animal welfare in the wild.
Fourteen Judges
The judges for this year’s awards are leaders in their own right from across the tourism and sustainability sectors. Led as always by Chair of Judges Professor Harold Goodwin, they are:
- Debbie Hindle, Managing Director, Four Travel – part of Four Communications
- Matt Walpole, Senior Director for Conservation Programmes, Fauna & Flora International (FFI)
- Rebecca Armstrong, Founder, Responsible Tourism Matters
- Ian Corbett, Sustainable Business Manager, TUI UK & Ireland
- John de Vial, Director, Travelife
- Justin Francis, Chief Executive, Responsible Travel
- Mark Watson, former Executive Director, Tourism Concern
- Martin Brackenbury, Director, Classic Collection Holidays
- Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, WTM London
- BBC journalist Tanya Beckett, who will also present this year’s awards
- David Ville, Group Sustainability Manager, Thomas Cook Group
- Dr Tom Moorhouse, Post-doctoral researcher at Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit
- Professor Xavier Font, Professor of Sustainability Marketing, University of Surrey.
