Rest of the World Responsible Tourism Awards 2024
The Gold Award winners will advance to the Global Responsible Tourism Awards sponsored by Sabre, which will be announced on November 4th. In 2024, there are six categories. Details of the categories and our judging criteria can be found online here.
In judging the awards in each region, we are mindful of those being recognised as Gold and Silver in the other regions: Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. The One to Watch recognition is given to new initiatives or innovative approaches that have interested the judges but where the evidence is insufficient for gold or silver recognition. We hope to see those entries again in a year or two with the evidence.
Gold: TUI UK&I Accessible Holidays Strategy UK
www.tui.co.uk/holidays/accessible-holidays/
www.tui.co.uk/destinations/info/assisted-travel-with-tui/
TUI UK&I serve over six million holidaymakers a year. TUI’s Accessible Holidays Strategy team sits within Customer Experience and works to enable those with access needs to book accommodation that meets their needs. TUI has partnered with AccessAble to survey hotels and develop Detailed Access Guides available online: www.accessable.co.uk/tui/. The team of 90 staff with specialist training and knowledge regularly achieve 9.5/10 customer satisfaction scores, and they have partnered with Sign Live to provide interpreting services for British Sign Language Users via video relay. The judges were pleased to see a major tour operator address the needs of those with access needs and hoped that others would follow their example.
One to Watch: Pitchup.com UK
www.pitchup.com
Pitchup.com is Europe's leading outdoor accommodation booking platform, offering over 5,600 campsites, glamping sites and holiday parks in 67 countries. In 2024, Pitch Up partnered with Purple Goat, disability-led inclusive marketing agency, commissioning research with 2,000 disabled people to understand their “thoughts, experiences and challenges” in accessing outdoor holiday accommodation, including camping, caravanning and glamping. They found that more than half of disabled travellers avoid outdoor holidays altogether for fear that their access needs won't be met and 39% thought authentic photos of accessibility features, and user reviews would improve their booking experience and make them more likely to book. Pitchup has launched 13 new accessibility filters, an accessibility hub and accessibility guides. The judges hope to see a further application when the impact of these changes in the provision of information have bedded in.
Silver: Costa Navarino Greece
www.costanavarino.com
Developed by TEMES, Cost Navarino in the southwest Peloponnese features “five-star deluxe hotels, luxury private residences, conference facilities, spa and thalassotherapy centers, signature golf courses, as well as a wide range of unique year-round activities for adults and children.” The judges recognised the ‘nature positive impact’ of some of the activities funded by Costa Navarino which could be replicated by similar developments. TEMES established the Navarino Environmental Observatory with Stockholm University and the Academy of Athens in 2009. 1,800 students have visited, and more than 200 200 scientific papers have been published. Through the observatory, TEMES has supported research projects on the Natura 2000, Gialove Lagoon. In cooperation with Archelon, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece they have supported the monitoring and protection program for the loggerhead sea turtle. They have rehomed over 250 dogs and cats and transplanted over 7,000 olive trees disturbed during construction to preserve the centuries-old olive groves.
One to Watch: Broughton Sanctuary UK
www.broughtonsanctuary.co.uk
Established in 1097, Broughton Hall in Yorkshire has been passed from generation to generation in the Tempest family. Recently renamed the Broughton Sanctuary to better represent their “vision and mission to be a regenerative space that is rooted in the Nature and Wellbeing of both humanity and the planet.” Their rewilding project began five years ago with native tree planting and habitat restoration at a scale of 1000 acres and by the reintroduction of iron-age pigs. Their Lens on Nature and Guided Star Gazing engage visitors and guests with nature, complementing the hospitality provided in the Hall and the spa. The judges are excited to see the scale of the ambition with plans to introduce rare breeds and reintroduce beavers. We would like to see a further application in due course when it is possible to report on the biodiversity impacts of this rewilding and the Iron Pigs have generated a trophic cascade.
Gold: WISE Sustainability Australia & Ireland
www.wisesustainability.com
Established in 2016, Wise Sustainability assists businesses in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by “turning the invisibility of energy, water, food, and materials use into visible, measured, monitored, and controlled consumption that reduces the use of finite supplies.” Applying the principle that you can only manage what you can measure, Wise Sustainability uses technology to measure use, identify the profligate use of resources and enable management to reduce resource use. Their technology benefits the bottom line by enabling businesses to manage resource costs and secure market advantage from verified data on reduction in water, waste and greenhouse gas emissions. They have developed six subscription-based services, including a live reporting widget that provides real-time, transparent, and independently verifies sustainability progress. There are verified examples of savings in resource use and greenhouse gas emissions on the website.
One to Watch: Vegan Travel Asia Texas. USA
www.vegantravelasia.com
Vegan Travel Aisa is based in Texas and offers “culturally immersive and responsible vegan travel experiences across Asia. … a nuanced understanding of each destination's people, traditions, culture, and cuisine.” They use land transportation to reduce emissions, low impact accommodation, reusable water bottles. Since 2023 they have worked with Climate Conscious Travel, to measure their carbon footprint which they calculate at 57kg of CO2e per peson per day. They estimate that “an 8-day tour with an omnivore diet would emit approximately 46 tons of CO2, whereas our vegan tours emit only 23 tons, highlighting the substantial reduction achieved through plant-based diets.” The judges were pleased to see a small niche company making a significant effort to measure and reduce its greenhouse gas emission
Gold: Scottish Crannog Centre Scotland
The Scottish Crannog Centre is an open-air museum which recreates an Iron Age village on the banks of Loch Tay. The museum has sourced as much as possible from within the travelling distance of the museum. “The Iron Age village was built by local crafts people and local thatchers, and we hired local plant machinery rather than working with larger contractors. Using materials from within travelling distance of an Iron Age person, timber from Drummond Hill and from the local castle estate, heather from Glen Lyon and Dun Coillich on Schiehallion, stone from the castle, lochside and local farms, turf from the golf course… . This supports a sense of place that is felt, promoting ways of living sustainably in nature that we can learn from today.”
The museum is growing its own food for the café and developing coppice sites to harvest natural materials to maintain the building. Four apprentices work on site, ensuring that skills are available locally to maintain the museum: “We are owning our future ourselves as a community—exactly what people 2500 years ago would have done.” Others are already following their example.
One of their referees described their visit with refugees to the centre this year. “There are so many standout moments – from making rock art with the indigenous people of Taiwan which mirrors that of the rock art of Loch Tay, to Rangoli making, Yemini bookmarks, games from around the world, textiles, art with nature, rings of care, puppet shows, story-telling in the hushed intimacy of the beehive roundhouse, food and tea and coffee from abundant cultural contexts and perspectives, and the all the music and singing.”
Gold: Ulu Ai Experience Sarawak, Malaysia
www.borneoadventure.com
The Ulu Ai Experience is a partnership between tour operator Borneo Adventure and local Iban communities in Sarawak. Visitors experience the local community lifestyle on the host’s terms; the tourists are guests of the indigenous Iban people. Tours to Ulu Ai focus on community, conservation and the environment rather than on performances and demonstrations. Over 40 families are now involved in the upper Ai River watershed tourism. Overnight tours are promoted, rather than day trips, to increase the economic benefit to the community. The community earns from the provision of boat transport, upkeep of the lodges, guiding and working as porters, cooks, cleaners and from the sale of handicrafts. In addition to these regular operational services, the community also derives income from tourism-related projects such as constructing new lodges or facilities, major repairs and maintenance, cutting new jungle trails and location filming. Borneo Adventure also contributes to a community longhouse fund through a tourist tax and headman levy for each tourist that visits Ulu Ai. The community has realised that orangutans are a valuable asset to be protected from illegal poaching, and tourism has raised their standard of living. Currently, the community’s average annual revenue from tourism is around RM (Ringgit Malaysia) 1 million (US$ 255,300) or roughly RM 28,000.00 (US $6,300) per family per year paid directly in the community. The money from tourism has broken the subsistence agriculture cycle and stimulated a cash economy in the area. As they say in their submission for the Award “There is no point talking about conservation when communities are trying to overcome poverty…”
EMPLOYING AND UPSKILLING LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Silver: Sense of Oman, through a woman’s eyes, Six Senses, Zighy Bay Oman
www.sixsenses.com/en/resorts/zighy-bay/sustainability/
In 2022, Six Senses Zighy Bay launched a new experience for hotel guests in partnership with the Dibba Women's Association: Sense of Oman, through a Woman's Eyes. “This immersive journey invites guests to immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of Omani women's lives, offering culturally crafted experiences that engage all the senses. From the tactile art of date palm weaving to the intricate designs of pottery decorating and henna painting, guests are treated to an unforgettable exploration of local traditions. Not only does this experience enrich the guest’s stay, but also contributes to the association's infrastructure development projects, including vital facilities for local children.” Since 2008, when the resort opened, 0.5% of total revenues every year have been invested in schools, hospitals, animal welfare and other environmental programs. Every staff at Zighy Bay has a personal development plan to help them reach the next step in their careers. The Dibba Women's Association sells online products made by the women, and they sponsor a pre-learning school, Zighy Bay demonstrates what an enlightened resort can achieve when it upskills its staff and empowers the community through the Sense of Oman, through a Woman's Eyes, empowering the Dibba Women's Association, enriching the community and the guest experience.
