WTTC Announces Judges for 2014 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards

Published on : Saturday, December 14, 2013

wttcThe World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announces today the judges for its prestigious 2014 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.

The Awards recognise the very best in sustainable tourism worldwide. In their tenth year under WTTC stewardship, the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards have been expanded to reflect the broadening scope of WTTC’s sustainability agenda. There are now six award categories, with the addition of two entirely new awards to recognize the areas of human resources and innovation.

18 independent experts on sustainable tourism will select three finalists for each of the six Award categories:

• Business Award

• Community Award

• Destination Award

• Environment Award

• Innovation Award (new category)

• People Award (new category)

The Awards are among the most coveted in the Travel & Tourism industry, each year recognising the most innovative businesses and destinations in sustainable tourism best practices. The selection of finalists and winners includes a rigorous three-step judging process culminating in an on-site expert field evaluation of all finalists to document best practices in action.

Led by Costas Christ, one of the world’s top sustainable tourism experts, who also serves as Chairman of Judges, the judging panel will select a shortlist of 18 finalists, following which the second stage of the process, the on-site field evaluations, will begin.

The 18 judges on the Finalist Selection Committee for 2014 are:

• Amber Marie Beard, Vice President Sustainability, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Thailand

• Kelly Bricker, Chair of the Board, Global Sustainable Tourism Council, President, The International Ecotourism Society, US

• Tony Charters, Principal, Tony Charters and Associates, Australia

• Paul Clark, Group Director of Human Resources, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong

• Gail Henry, Sustainable Tourism Product Specialist, Caribbean Tourism Organization, Barbados

• Marilú Hernández, President, Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya, Mexico

• Xenia Hohenlohe, Marketing Director, Considerate Hoteliers, Germany

• Judy Kepher-Gona, Director, Sustainable Travel & Tourism Agenda, Kenya

• Mariglo Laririt, Director of Sustainability, Ten Knots Development Corporation, Philippines

• Alix Marcaccini, Owner, Cuixmala Eco Resort, Mexico

• Dr Graham Miller, Head of School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Surrey, UK

• Samson Parashina, President and Chairman of the Board, Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, Kenya

• Jenny Rushmore, Director of Responsible Travel, TripAdvisor, US

• Manal Saad Kelig, Executive Director for Middle East and North Africa, Adventure Travel Trade Association, Egypt

• Mahen Sanghrajka, Chairman, Spirit of Big Five Foundation, Big Five Tours and Expeditions, US

• Karma Tshering, Chief of Nature Recreation and Ecotourism, Department of Forests and Park Services, Bhutan

• Jalsa Urubshurow, Founder and CEO, Nomadic Expeditions, Mongolia

• Tony Williams, Director, Hospitality Operations, Qatar Foundation, Qatar

David Scowsill, President & CEO of WTTC said: ‘We are delighted to have such high calibre judges to select our finalists who will provide an important perspective based on their diverse cultural backgrounds and professional expertise in the Travel & Tourism industry. We eagerly await the announcement of this year’s winners at the WTTC Global Summit in Hainan, China, on 24 April 2014.”

Costas Christ, Chairman of Judges said: “Each year, more than twenty international experts from around the world, representing the private sector, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, and governments, come together as independent judges to select the finalists and winners of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. This truly prestigious group of judges, hailing from Australia to Mexico, and from Kenya to Mongolia, represent the heart of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards programme. In addition, the independent on-site evaluation of every finalist ensures that sustainable tourism achievements are demonstrated in practice as well as in principle, helping to usher in a global transformation of the Travel and Tourism industry, as an opportunity to protect natural and cultural heritage and improve local livelihoods around the world.”

Following the on-site evaluations, the finalists will move into the last stage of the judging process; a separate Winner Selection Committee conducts a detailed review of the Award applications and the on-site evaluation report, selecting one winner in each Award category. The winners will be announced during the Awards Ceremony held at WTTC’s Global Summit on the evening of 24 April 2014. All winners and finalists will receive worldwide media exposure.

Source:- WTTC

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