The Awards

The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, now in their sixth year under WTTC's stewardship are aimed at recognising best practice in sustainable tourism within the Travel & Tourism industry worldwide. Given the growing concern about natural and cultural resources, these Awards are particularly important to WTTC and provide the Council with the opportunity of promoting and partnering with the industry leaders in responsible tourism, highlighting the prime examples of best practice.

In 2003, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched its vision statement - the Blueprint for New Tourism.

Outlining a multi-stakeholder vision, the Blueprint for New Tourism "looks beyond short-term considerations... and focuses on benefits not only for people who travel, but also for people in the communities they visit, and for their respective natural, social and cultural environments."

One way in which WTTC exemplifies that vision for New Tourism is with the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. First established in 1989 by the Federation of Tour Operators to encourage action from all sectors of the industry to protect the environment, the Awards were subsequently taken over by British Airways in 1992, and were further developed to encompass all aspects of sustainable tourism, with the explicit aim of leading the industry in this field.

An independent panel of judges, including some of the world's most authoritative experts of sustainable development and a stringent application process involving on-site verification visits by these experts, has earned the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards growing levels of respect among key audiences - the industry, governments and the international media.

Each year, winners and finalists are honoured at a special ceremony during the Global Travel & Tourism Summit - one of the highest-profile events in the industry, facilitating dialogue between decision-makers, and thus influencing future action in one of the world's largest industries - Travel & Tourism.

The Awards are handed out in four different categories

The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards focus on four key categories. These categories were carefully selected to show how destinations can guide their tourism development according to sustainable tourism principles, to recognise best practices that are helping to protect rare and endangered species and safeguard nature; and how tourism, carefully planned and managed, can make a positive contribution to poverty alleviation, local economic development, and cultural heritage preservation while providing an excellent overall guest experience. One category - Global Tourism Business Award - is focused exclusively on sustainable tourism at the larger corporate level to further demonstrate that best practices can encompass small, medium, and also large businesses.