Guanajuato’s State Ministry of Tourism (Mexico), Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group (Belgium), Govardhan Ecovillage (India) and Dutch Travel Trade Association (Netherlands) were the winners of 13th Edition of the UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism.
Geneva, 19 January 2017. The UNWTO Awards paid tribute to the commitment of the tourism sector towards sustainability and innovation. The winning projects were announced last night during the UNWTO Awards Ceremony in the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) in Madrid.
“The 13th UNWTO Awards is particularly relevant as it coincides with the Official Launch of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, a milestone and an immense opportunity for the global tourism community to advance towards a more inclusive and sustainable sector,” underlined UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai in his opening remarks.
Attended by nearly 400 participants from 85 countries, the Ceremony emphasized how the tourism community has embraced sustainable and innovative approaches in the last years as ways to enhance the sector in the future. Nearly 150 initiatives from 55 countries applied for the 13th UNWTO Awards.
The UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism are held annually to highlight and promote the work of organizations and individuals around the world that have greatly impacted the tourism sector.
Their achievements have served as an inspiration for competitive and sustainable tourism development and the promotion of the values of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The awardees of the 13th UNWTO Awards for Innovation in four different categories are as follows:
Finalists
Organization
Project
Country
Post
Public Policies and Governance
Guanajuato Ministry of Tourism
Strategies for the Development of Sustainable Tourism in Guanajuato
Mexico
Winner
Instituto Costarricense de Turismo
Social Progress Index in Tourist Destinations of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
First runner up
Valencia Region Tourism Board
Valencian Institute of Tourism Technologies (INVAT.TUR)
Spain
Second runner up
Advisory Council of the Tourism Ministry
Innovative Use of E-Tourism
Egypt
Third runner up
Entreprises
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
Adding Color to Lives
Belgium
Winner
Ecobnb
Ecobnb, The Community of Sustainable Tourism
Italy
First runner up
Non-Governmental Organizations
Govardhan Ecovillage
Govardhan Ecovillage - Eco Tourism as a catalyst for rural development
India
Winner
Petra National Trust
Culture Heritage: Tools for Sustainability of a World Heritage Site
Jordan
First runner up
Fundación Tropicalia
A Sustainable Tourism Supply Chain
Dominican Republic
Second runner up
Research and Technology
ANVR (Dutch Travel Trade Association)
Carmacal carbon calculator for travel packages
Netherlands
Winner
Turismo de Portugal, IP
Tourism 4.0
Portugal
First runner up
Ulysses Foundation
Encyclopedia of Tourism
Spain
Second runner up
The 13th Edition of the UNWTO Awards were supported by:
- Suning (China)
- China Chamber of Tourism (China)
- Andalucia Region (Spain)
- PortAventura (Spain)
- Macao Government Tourism Office (SAR)
- Itaipu Binacional (Paraguay)
- Secretaria de Estado de Turismo de Paraguay (Senatur)
- Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia
- Samsonite
- Madrid Destino
- Eventisimo