The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is calling for travel and tourism businesses to showcase their sustainability best practices in order to educate governments and tourism organisations alike through its Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2016. WTTC President and CEO David Scowsill said: “WTTC works to promote the sustainable growth of the industry. It is an extremely important time with the launch of the United Nation Sustainability Goals at the end of September and the Climate Change COP 21 meeting in Paris in December. The travel and tourism sector has been consistently improving its sustainability practices. It is our responsibility to and to plan this growth sensitively for the long term. Through our Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, we celebrate best practice in travel and tourism businesses, encouraging them to share their well-executed policies to educate governments and other travel businesses.”

Fiona Jeffery OBE, former Chairman of the World Travel Market (WTM) and Founder and Chairman of the international water aid charity Just a Drop, will be chairing the awards for the second time following last year’s success. “Tourism is a force for good as it brings together people and cultures from all over the world, creating greater insight and understanding. However, if we do not focus on preserving our natural environment, look after our cultural heritage and ensure equal opportunity to local communities, our industry can do a lot of damage. We are calling on all individuals and businesses to apply for this prestigious award scheme and show the wider industry how tourism businesses can add real value through their effective business practises. It is by sharing that we can help overcome our industry’s challenges,” he said.

This year applicants can enter in the following five categories: Community, Destination, Environment, Innovation and People.
The 2016 finalists will be announced in January 2016 and the winners will be announced during the WTTC Global Summit 2016 in Dallas, 6-7 April 2016. Lead Judge Prof. Graham Miller, chair in sustainability in business at the University of Surrey in the UK and head of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, will oversee the three-step judging process.