Winners of 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards announced today

The 2009 winners of the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards were announced this morning in London as part of the celebration of World Travel Market's third annual WTM World Responsible Tourism Day. Sponsored by Virgin Holidays, the awards are organized by responsibletravel.com together with partners The Daily Telegraph, WTM, and Geographical Magazine. 

This year's overall winner was New Zealand-based Whale Watch Kaikoura. Announcing the reason for their selection, the panel of judges said: "Rarely do we see a tourism initiative developed from the ground up by a local community to such a successful and grand scale – growing from modest beginnings to securing in a joint venture with Sea World on the Gold Coast of Australia to provide their whale watching. Whale Watch Kaikoura provides consistently responsible whale watching tours with minimal impacts. The founding of the enterprise by four Maori families has demonstrated that the local Maori community can not only grow a considerable tourism business, but, more significantly, use that business to buy back their ancestral land for the benefit of the indigenous people and their cultural identity."

Justin Francis, founder of the Responsible Tourism Awards and managing director of responsibletravel.com, commented: “In this, the sixth year of the Awards, I have been particularly impressed to see that despite this year’s recession, organizations continue to come up with innovative ideas around responsible tourism that ensure local communities and environments benefit from tourism as much as possible. The money may have dried out a little in the past year but the passion, ingenuity and creativity certainly hasn’t."

In addition to the overall award, 13 other category awards were presented. Whale Watch Kaikoura also won the award for "Best in a marine environment." The other winners, selected from nearly 600 nominated organizations, individuals, and destinations, were:

Best tour operator for cultural engagement: Village Ways, India
Highly commended: Estrela, Brazil and Tropic Journeys in Nature, Ecuador

Best large hotel / accommodation (more than 50 rooms): YHA Wellington City, New Zealand

Best small hotel / accommodation (less than 50 rooms): Rivertime Resort and Ecolodge, Laos
Highly commended: Beechenhill Farm, England, and Napo Wildlife Center, Ecuador

Best low carbon transport & technology: Alcatraz Cruises, US
Highly commended: Swiss Travel System, Switzerland, and Seat61.com, UK

Best in a mountain environment: Upland Escapes, UK
Highly commended: Wilderness Journeys, Kenya, and Ecocamp Patagonia, Chile

Best in a marine environment: Whale Watch Kaikoura, New Zealand
Highly commended: Blue Ventures, UK; Misool Eco Resort Dive and Conservation Centre, Indonesia; and Camel Dive Club and Hotel, Egypt

Best cruise or ferry operator: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, US
Highly commended: SeaFrance Ltd, France

Best for poverty reduction: Guludo Beach Lodge, Mozambique
Highly commended: Tribal Voice Communications, Kenya, and Rekero, Kenya

Best for conservation of wildlife & habitats: Great Plains Conservation, South Africa
Highly commended: Chimpanzee Sanctuary & Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT), Uganda, and Way Out Experiences, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Borneo

Best for conservation of cultural heritage: Selena Travel LLC, Mongolia
Highly commended: Rivers Fiji, Fiji

Best volunteering organization: People and Places, UK
Highly commended: Coral Cay Conservation, UK, and Peru's Challenge, Peru

Best destination: City of Cape Town, South Africa
Highly commended: Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, UK

Best personal contribution: Gavin Bate, Founder of Adventure Alternative and the Moving Mountains Trust
Highly commended: Chris Thompson, Travelife Sustainability Manager, ABTA Ltd , UK, and Manda Brookman, Director, CoaST, UK

For more about the awards and the winners, visit the Responsible Tourism Awards website.

See also: "Beyond ecotourism: How to travel responsibly"