Responsible Travel has announced the 75 organisations that have been longlisted for the 2016 World Responsible Tourism Awards, to be presented at WTM London this November.
Organisations in the running cover a diverse range of issues from campaigning and innovation to poverty reduction and the inclusion of marginalised people, from hotels with exemplary employment initiatives to wildlife and habitat conservation.
Representing a huge diversity of work in 30 countries worldwide, the longlist includes; a hotel in Dubai rescuing, rehabilitating and re-releasing turtles and educating guests and local children about conservation; an association of hotels and restaurants in Kerala working together to ensure food isn’t wasted and that no-one in their community goes hungry; a tour operator in India making heritage sites, street food markets and festivals accessible to all through sensory tours and tailored assistance; a campaign to stop child abuse in tourism in Cambodia; and a hotel offering employment, training and empowerment to refugees in Austria.
“There are a few things which have really got me excited this year and one is seeing representatives from destinations such as Dubai, places we don’t usually associate with responsible tourism, included in the longlist for the first time,” said Justin Francis, managing director of Responsible Travel and founder of the Awards. For me this is a clear indication that the wider tourism industry is really recognising the importance and benefits of operating in a responsible way.”
The 2016 list of finalists will be released in August, with the winners announced in a special ceremony at WTM London during World Responsible Tourism Day on 8th November 2016.
The 2016 Longlist
- !Xaus Lodge – South Africa
- African Adventures – UK
- All Out Africa – Swaziland
- Authenticitys – Spain
- Bahia Bustamante Lodge – Argentina
- Basecamp Explorer Kenya – Kenya
- Better Volunteering Better Care – UK
- Blood Lions – South Africa
- Bodhi Surf School – Costa Rica
- Buffalo Tours – UK
- Burj Al Arab Aquarium – UAE
- Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Resort & Wellness Retreat – South Africa
- ChildSafe Movement – Cambodia
- China Highlights International Travel Service Co., LTD – China
- Dyer Island Cruises – South Africa
- Edirisa – Uganda
- Education For All Morocco – Morocco
- Elevate Destinations – USA
- Es Convent d’Ariany – Spain
- Exodus Travels – UK
- explorIndya – India
- ExploRussia – Russia
- Fogo Island Inn – Canada
- Banyan Tree – Seedlings Phuket – Thailand
- Great Plains Conservation – South Africa
- Grootbos Nature Reserve/Grootbos Foundation – South Africa
