The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced the 15 Finalists for its 2016 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards in the five categories; Community, Destination, Environment, Innovation and People. The 15 Finalists, which were chosen after a rigorous judging process, showcase the highest level of sustainability practices within the Travel & Tourism sector.

To understand how diverse responsible tourism is and the many ways it can help local communities and environments, you only have to look at below examples, carefully selected by Tourism for Tomorrow judges. The 2016 Awards saw applications from 62 countries across all continents. Following the first phase of the three stage judging process all applications have now been carefully evaluated by a committee of independent expert judges against established sustainable tourism criteria, which include community development, preservation of cultural and natural heritage, and innovative solutions for sustainable practices.

V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa and Wilderness Safaris from South Africa and Botswana led the way for the sector in Africa as shortlisted finalists, which will see them move forward into the second phase of on-site evaluations by international sustainable tourism experts, assessing the organisations and the business practices they have highlighted in their application.

Winners will be officially announced during the Awards Ceremony taking place in Dallas, USA on 7 April 2016 during WTTC’s Global Summit.

The Finalists of the 2016 WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are:

Community Award Finalists

• Expediciones Sierra Norte, Pueblos Mancomunados, Mexico
• Sapa O’Chau, Vietnam
• Yayasan Ekowisata Indonesia, Indonesia

Destination Award Finalists

• Parkstad Limburg, Netherlands
• Swiss Parks Network, Switzerland
• V&A Waterfront, South Africa

Environment Award Finalists

• Alcatraz Cruises, US
• Lindblad Expeditions, US and worldwide
• Wilderness Safaris, South Africa / Botswana

Innovation Award Finalists

• ANVR, the Netherlands
• Northsailing, Iceland
• PWC, Travel Foundation & TUI Group, United Kingdom

People Award Finalists

• Jus’ Sail, Saint Lucia
• Kinyei International, Cambodia
• Youth Career Initiative (YCI), United Kingdom

Source: https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/lifestyle/2016/01/18/travel-finalists-for-2016-tourism-for-tomorrow-awards-announced/