Tonight sees the presentation of the prestigious Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, the 10th under the WTTC’s stewardship, with 18 finalists in five categories. WTTC head David Scowsill sets the scene
The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards ceremony is always a significant event at WTTC Global Summits, but especially this year in Hainan, as we mark the 10th anniversary of these highly respected awards under the stewardship of WTTC.
WTTC has been committed to promoting sustainability in the travel and tourism industry ever since we were established over twenty years ago. The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are aimed at recognising best practice in sustainable tourism within the industry globally, based upon the principles of environmentally friendly operations, support for the protection of cultural and natural heritage, and direct benefits to the social and economic well-being of local people in travel destinations around the world.
Ensuring the long-term sustainable growth of our industry is probably the biggest challenge we face. The challenge is not just doing the right thing for the environment, but for our people and the businesses they work in. We recognise that the successful businesses of tomorrow will be those which balance a commitment to the planet, with people and profits.
For that reason, this year we have enlarged the scope of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, to include two new categories, the People Award and the Innovation Award, in addition to our four existing categories – Business, Community, Destination and Environment.
According to WTTC data, our sector will create 26 million jobs over the next ten years. Without the right people to fill these jobs, we will not be sustainable, not as businesses, destinations or guardians of our planet. Hence we felt it was time to introduce the People Award in order to highlight those leading the way in terms of skills development, nurturing the workforce for the future.
We are living in a fast-paced world where instability and dealing with the unknown is the norm. But the human race has a phenomenal ability to innovate and find solutions to new challenges. Travel and tourism is a dynamic industry and we need to harness this huge capacity to innovate to ensure that we are sustainable as we grow. The new Innovation Award brings to the fore the companies and organisations who are finding and developing creative new solutions to the challenges of ‘Tourism for Tomorrow’
The addition of these new categories has resulted in a greater number of businesses being recognised as the very best in sustainable tourism, without the awards losing the rigorous judging process for which they are rightly renowned. The three-step process involves up to 22 independent expert judges from around the world, as well as on-site evaluations of all award finalists.
Hundreds of awards applications were received this year from 56 countries representing all continents. The 18 finalists range from local destinations to global hotel groups, international airlines, luxury tour operators and small eco-lodges.
Congratulations to all this year’s finalists who continue to demonstrate that when carefully managed, tourism can be a powerful force for improving livelihoods and protecting our planet for future generations. The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards Ceremony in Hainan will be a night to remember.