Winners of the 2009 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards

For the first time ever, the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards were an integral part of the annual Global Travel & Tourism Summit, held this year in Florianópolis, capital of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.

The Awards Programme, which has been under the stewardship of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) for the past five years, recognise and promote best practice in sustainable tourism development all over the world.

"This year's Tourism for Tomorrow Award winners represent a more diverse group of businesses, organisations and destinations that are helping to take sustainable tourism to new levels of innovation," Costas Christ, Chairman of the Judging Panel, told the assembled delegates at the Summit.

"For the first time, we have the airline sector represented, as well as micro-lending financial credit organisation, one of the world's largest hotel groups, and a major Caribbean tourism destination."

The 2009 winners, presented with their awards in Florianópolis, are:

- Destination Stewardship Award - Grupo PUNTACANA, Dominican Republic
- Conservation Award - NatureAir, Costa Rica
- Community Benefit Award - Zakoura Foundation for Micro-Credits, Morocco
- Global Tourism Business Award - Marriott International Inc, USA & Global

The judging process, chaired by Costas Christ, a world expert in sustainable tourism, included a team of international judges and involved a stringent, three-step selection procedure, including an on-site verification of all finalists. The winners were then selected from among the finalists by the Winner Selection Committee, comprising:

- Costas Christ, Chairman of Judges, Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
- Graham Boynton, Group Travel Editor, The Telegraph Media Group
- Fiona Jeffery, Chairman, World Travel Market & 'Just A Drop'
- Jeanine Pires, President EMBRATUR

See other recent news regarding: Travel News Asia, WTTC, Tourism, Awards