Working our way through this year's long lists, we were impressed by the willingness of so many organisations to take responsibility and to do what they can to help make better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit. Despite the economic difficulties being faced by the travel and tourism industry, responsible tourism continues to move ahead and I'm continually impressed as more is achieved by more people. As judges we are all very aware of the great work that is being done by so many and our decisions are often very difficult and sometimes long debated.

For details of the process and of the judges see www.responsibletourismawards.com

Global Winner

Whale Watch Kaikoura, New Zealand (www.whalewatch.co.nz )

Rarely do we see a tourism initiative developed from the ground up by a local community to such a successful and grand scale. The founding of the enterprise by four Maori families has demonstrated that the local Maori community cannot only grow a considerable tourism business but, more significantly, use that business to buy back their ancestral land for the benefit of the indigenous people and their cultural identity.

BEST TOUR OPERATOR FOR CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT

Village Ways, India (www.villageways.com)

These community-owned and managed projects in the Indian Himalayas offer unique and authentic cultural experiences by facilitating mutual cultural engagement at every level. Their work has brought previously vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals from the Dalit community into focus as porters and committee members, while enabling tourists to experience and become part of rural landscapes in non-intrusive and rewarding ways.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Estrela, Brazil (www.estrela-brasil.com ) and Tropic Journeys in Nature, Ecuador (www.tropiceco.com )

BEST LARGE HOTEL/ACCOMMODATION (

YHA Wellington City, New Zealand (www.yha.co.nz )

With a host of innovative initiatives in place YHA Wellington goes above and beyond regular hotel practice to engage and communicate with their guests around issues of sustainability in an upbeat and inspiring way, putting the onus back on the guest to exercise, and even enjoy, responsible practices. Their Green Footprint Project includes a �Tree Planting Day� for guests, they invite school groups to take part in a sustainable living quiz, and host the annual National Youth Environment Forum.

BEST SMALL HOTEL/ACCOMMODATION

Rivertime Resort and Ecolodge (www.rivertimelaos.com)

Rivertime Resort and Ecolodge established themselves in what was, once again, an incredibly competitive category this year. The �Agreement of Cooperation� between the Lodge and the three local villages is a real rarity in this sector � a contract that sets out the rights and responsibilities of the company to maximising benefits for the local community, making contractual obligations of key responsible tourism principles..

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Beechenhill Farm, England (www.beechenhill.co.uk ) and Napo Wildlife Centre, Ecuador (www.napowildlifecenter.com )

BEST FOR CONSERVATION OF WILDLIFE

Great Plains Conservation, South Africa (www.greatplainsconservation.com )

Great Plains Conservation incorporates a range of innovative projects across five African countries. Their work in the Masai Mara is particularly impressive, facilitating the creation of an 80,000 acre conservancy, and guaranteeing regular payment to the local communities for the use of their land for tourism purposes � regardless of the number of guests. On an unequivocal basis, they provide protected revenue for the indigenous peoples of the Mara, reducing the negative social and economic impacts of tourism.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Chimpanzee Sanctuary & Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT), Uganda (www.ngambaisland.org ) and Way Out Experiences, Malaysia, Indonesia & Borneo (www.w-o-x.com )

BEST FOR CONSERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

Selena Travel LLC, Mongolia (www.selenatravel.com )

In 2004 Mongolian inbound operator Selena Travel worked with the nomadic community in Tuv to found and establish a nomadic cultural festival, recognised by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism in 2007. In 2008 the festival attracted 300 locals, nearly double the local attendance in 2007 and 65 international visitors. The festival, which would not exist without tourism, fosters the local culture.   

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Rivers Fiji, Fiji (www.riversfiji.com )

BEST FOR POVERTY REDUCTION

Guludo Beach Lodge, Mozambique (www.guludo.com )

The work of Guludo Beach Lodge, through their charitable foundation �Nema� has had an unprecedented and undeniably positive impact on the immediate community, working towards major improvements in children�s health care and education conditions. Their portfolio of projects in the local area is exhaustive, having improved school attendance by 350 per cent, providing access to safe drinking water for 15,000 people, supplying over 10,000 women and children with mosquito-nets.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Rekero, Kenya (www.rekero.com ) and Tribal Voice Communications, Kenya (www.tribal-voice.co.uk )

BEST IN A MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENT

Upland Escapes, UK (www.uplandescapes.com )

Upland Escapes is leading the way with their �No-Frills Escapes� (30 per cent cheaper than regular trips) – proof that it is possible to negotiate the effects of the economic downturn while still preserving the benefits of tourism to local communities. They have also achieved an increase of guests arriving by train, from just two percent in 2006, to 19 per cent just three years later.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Ecocamp Patagonia, Chile (www.ecocamp.travel/index.php ) and Wilderness Journeys, Kenya (www.wildernessjourneys.com )

BEST IN A MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Whale Watch Kaikoura, New Zealand

This 100 per cent Maori-owned whale watching operator has demonstrated the ability, at scale � they carry an impressive 90,000-100,000 passengers per year- to offer a very high quality whale watching experience from energy-efficient craft which have a very low impact on the marine environment, and provide ground breaking interpretation which enables passengers to understand what is happening below them. They are the largest financial contributor to the Department of Conservation�s research on the effects of marine mammal watching in Kaikoura, and demonstrate that marine tourism development can go hand in hand with the careful progress of marine conservancy

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Blue Ventures, UK (www.blueventures.org), Misool Eco Dive Resort and Conservation Centre, Indonesia (www.misoolecoresort.com ) and Camel Dive Club and Hotel, Egypt (www.cameldive.com )

BEST CRUISE OR FERRY OPERATOR

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, US (www.rccl.com)

Royal Caribbean has reduced emissions in its newest ships by 50 per cent compared with ships built a decade ago. This shows what could be achieved by the rest of the cruise sector if it shared this level of commitment.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

SeaFrance Ltd, France (www.seafrance.com )

BEST LOW CARBON TRANSPORT & TECHNOLOGY

Alcatraz Cruises LLC, US (www.alcatrazcruises.com )

While the Hornblower Hybrid provides a convincing flagship vessel for Alcatraz Cruises� innovative approach to sustainable tourism practices (an energy efficient vessel, constructed from a reused diving vessel, and with fuel savings of over 29,000 gallons per year) it is their commitment to the reduction of carbon use across the rest of their product range that proves their commitment to minimising their environmental impacts.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Seat61.com, UK (www.seat61.com) and Swiss Travel System, Switzerland (www.swisstravelsystem.com )

BEST VOLUNTEERING ORGANISATION

peopleandplaces, UK (www.travel-peopleandplaces.co.uk )

Committed to reporting transparently on the money that volunteers pay, they ensure that the volunteers meet their full costs and are not a burden on the community; and carefully match the skills of volunteers to the needs of that community without replacing local labour. They have taken the ground breaking step of having their work externally audited and publishing it online. These four principles set not only a practicable standard for operators to aspire to, but offer valuable guidelines for tourists seeking legitimate and socially beneficial volunteering experiences.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Coral Cay Conservation, UK (www.coralcay.org ) and Peru�s Challenge, Peru (www.peruschallenge.com )

BEST DESTINATION

Cape Town, South Africa (www.capetown.gov.za )

The City of Cape Town has taken responsibility for identifying and prioritising local issues from a responsible tourism perspective. The City�s Tourism Department has worked in conjunction with its colleagues in the city administration and the industry to develop a Responsible Tourism Charter which commits both the industry and the city government to address the local priorities and to report on progress. Signatories have committed to define measurable goals and to monitor and report publicly on progress.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, UK (www.kentdowns.org.uk )

BEST PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION

Gavin Bate, Founder of Adventure Alternative and the Moving Mountains Trust (www.adventurealternative.com )

Gavin Bate has proven with a number of projects that it is possible to share the benefits of responsibly run adventure travel with local communities in developing countries. His dedicated ethos lead him to found and hand over the reigns of adventure travel projects in Kenya, Nepal and Tanzania to local individuals, providing them with a minimum of ten years full employment, and the training, guidance, and inspiration necessary for a new vanguard in responsible tourism. As a serial entrepreneur, Gavin has worked hard to put local individuals at the heart of local initiatives.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Chris Thompson, Travelife Sustainability Manager, ABTA Ltd ( www.abta.com ) and Manda Brookman, director, CoaST, UK (www.coastproject.co.uk )

Further coverage

Responsible Tourism Awards website

R:travel

Daily Telegraph Winners

Whale Watch Kaikoura in the Telegraph

Irish Times