Kenya: Ol Pejeta Conservancy wins WTTC 2017 awards

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has on Wednesday announced the winners of the 2017 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards at Global Summit, held in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy scooped the price for community award, the eco-camp houses some of the world’s most endangered animals. It is considered as East Africa’s largest black rhino sanctuary, the closest reserve to Nairobi with the “Big 5” and holds some of the highest predator densities in Kenya.

The Accolades celebrates inspirational, world-changing tourism initiatives from all over the globe.

The WTTC Awards are presented in five categories, which reflect the WTTC’s aim of ‘balancing the interests of people, planet, and profits’.

The 2017’s Awards winners are notable for their forward thinking and eco-positive approach. The Winners are also all contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) laid out in the UN’s 2030 Agenda.

The 2017 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards winners are:

Community Award – Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya

Destination Award – Chobe, Makgadikgadi, and Okavango delta Ramsar site, Botswana Tourism Organisation, Botswana

Environment Award – Misool, Indonesia

Innovation Award – Mapping Ocean Wealth, The Nature Conservancy, USA

People Award – The J Willard and Alice S Marriot Foundation’s China Hospitality Education Initiative (CHEI), China

The Awards are judged by a panel of independent experts. Academics, business leaders, NGO and governmental representatives all join forces to whittle down the finalists to just five Winners.

“I am delighted by the high standard of all our finalists. Those taking away the Awards this year represent the very best in sustainable tourism, and we hope that their example will both educate their peers and lead the sector forward.” David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC, said.

He further stated that the Travel & Tourism sector is growing fast, and they have to ensure that the growth does not see short-term gains prioritised over the longer-term health of local environments and communities.

“This year’s Award Winners demonstrate not only that tourism can be sustainable, but that it can bring tangible improvements to both the environmental and cultural surroundings in which it operates. We will see the Travel & Tourism sector driving forward to ensure a more sustainable world.” He says

Fiona Jeffrey, OBE, Chair, WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, said: “This year’s Tourism for Tomorrow Winners continue to push the sustainability agenda and walk the talk in terms of developing a better, more responsible, and accountable sector, better tourism experiences and a protected planet. None of this is achieved through a short-term initiative.

These companies have all proven that sustainable development sits at the heart of their DNA and they live and breathe these values with outstanding economic, environmental and social results. They are great role models we can all learn from and apply to businesses all over the world.”

Jeff Rutledge, CEO, AIG Travel, the headline sponsors of the Awards, said: “The 2017 Tourism for Tomorrow Award winners is an inspiration to us all. By actively empowering the communities in which they are based through their conservation and educational initiatives, our winners and finalists are proving that sustainability really does make practical sense for the Travel and Tourism industry.”

Full List of Winners and Finalists:

Community Award

WINNER – Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya

FINALIST – Cinnamon Wild Yala, Sri Lanka

FINALIST – G Adventures, Canada

Destination Award

WINNER – Chobe, Makgadikdgadi, and Okvango delta Ramsar site, Botswana Tourism Organisation, Botswana

FINALIST – City of Bydgoszcz, Poland

FINALIST – Pallas-Yllästunturi  National Park, Finland

Environment Award

WINNER – Misool, Indonesia

FINALIST – Biosphere Expeditions, UK

FINALIST – Caiman Ecological Refuge, Brazil

Innovation Award

WINNER – Mapping Ocean Wealth Initiative, The Nature Conservancy, USA

FINALIST – NATIVE Hotels and Accessible Tourism, Spain

FINALIST – Soel Yachts, The Netherlands

People Award

WINNER – The J Willard and Alice S Marriot Foundation’s China Hospitality Education Initiative (CHEI), China

FINALIST – Desert & Delta Safaris, Botswana

FINALIST – STREETS International, Vietnam