SKÅL INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARDS DEADLINE: 30 JUNE 2016 INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARDS

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1 16 SKÅL INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARDS DEADLINE: 30 JUNE 2016 SKÅL INTERNATIONAL 2016 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARDS

2 GENERAL INFORMATION WHAT DOES SUSTAINABLE TOURISM MEAN? Expressed simply, it can be defined as Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities. Sustainable tourism should: 1) Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity. 2) Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance. 3) Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation. Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary. Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them. Reference: Making Tourism More Sustainable - A Guide for Policy Makers, UNEP and UNWTO, 2005

3 AWARDS BACKGROUND The Sustainable Tourism Awards, formerly known as Ecotourism Awards, were launched by Skål International following the United Nations declaration of 2002 as the Year of Ecotourism and the Mountains, to acknowledge best practices around the globe. Skål, as an international organisation of the industry leaders, is a powerful force in the travel and tourism industry to initiate change and encourage the conservation of the environment in order to promote tourism and travel. The awards presented on these grounds, also serve the purpose of acquainting the world with this new concept that puts emphasis on the importance of the interaction of the physical, cultural and social environment the traveller's responsibility and the need for active community participation for Sustainability. A total of 606 applications from all over the world have been submitted since the launch of these prestigious awards in WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE Any company from the public and private sector, NGOs and government agencies from all over the world linked to the tourism industry. All sustainable operations and activities must be implemented by the company, NGO or agency applying for the award. Projects that are yet not in operation are not eligible. CATEGORIES 1. Tour Operators (Travel Agents, inbound/outbound tour operators, DMCs) 2. Urban Accommodation 3. Rural Accommodation 4. Transportation 5. Countryside and Wildlife 6. Marine: Coastal tourism, underwater, beaches, lakes, rivers, water sports, etc. 7. Community and Government Projects: Tourism offices and representation 8. Major Tourist Attractions: Cultural heritage, zoos, theme parks, etc. 9. Educational Institutions/Programmes and Media

4 HOW TO APPLY The only requirement is that applicants complete the online application form and submit it before 30 June 2016 at 23:59 CET. The application form includes the following information: 1. Contact details of the company, organisation or government body and contact person 2. Description of the company, organisation or government body involvement in terms of sustainability. 3. Evaluation criteria 4. Link to a PowerPoint presentation or YouTube video highlighting the sustainable initiatives undertaken. 5. Letter of endorsement from a Skål Club or a local or national tourism organisation, government or local authority. 6. Supporting documents (brochures, previous awards certification, etc.) The application process requires time to complete and it is, therefore, suggested that applicants foresee sufficient time to work on this. It is highly recommended that applications be submitted in English since the judges are from different nationalities and this will be the common language. Incomplete applications will not be considered. EVALUATION CRITERIA The judging panel will evaluate each project according to leadership criteria in Sustainability that encompass tangible, measureable benefits to the environment, enhance business, and the society and communities in which they operate. The criteria are: 1. Contribution to the conservation of nature, environmental considerations 2. Cultural heritage conservation 3. Community involvement and benefits 4. Educational features and benefits 5. Business viability and economic growth 6. Innovation and creativity 7. Marketing Value generation (Brand enhancement) 8. Health, Safety and wellbeing of employees and guests

5 JUDGING PANEL Skål International will select three judges from different countries, experts in terms of sustainability and whose names will not be revealed until the Awards Ceremony. The judges are independent of each other and will not confer or meet at any time during the evaluation process. Following the deadline of 30 June 2016, all applications will be sent to the judges. The judges will base their evaluation on the criteria stated above, awarding up to 10 points to each criteria. The points provided by each judge are then totalled at the General Secretariat and the application getting the highest score in each category will be the winner of the respective category. WINNERS All applicants will be contacted following the evaluation carried out by the independent judges but the name of the winners will be kept confidential until the Awards Ceremony. The winners will be announced on 30 October 2016 during the Opening Ceremony of the 77th Skål World Congress in Monaco and the awards will be presented by the President of Skål International, Mr. Nigel Pilkington. The winners or a representative will be hosted to two nights accommodation and will have the opportunity to network and promote their business among the congress participants at the Business to Business Workshop held during the Congress. They will also receive the Award logo for publication purposes and exposure through our international media press contacts. TIMELINE 31 JANUARY 2016 >> CALL FOR ENTRIES 30 JUNE 2016 >> DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS 31 AUGUST 2016 >> END OF JUDGES EVALUATION PERIOD 15 SEPTEMBER 2016 >> NOTIFICATION OF PERSONAL RESULTS TO ALL APPLICANTS 30 OCTOBER 2016 >> ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS DURING AWARDS CEREMONY

6 SKÅL INTERNATIONAL GLOBAL AFFILIATIONS UNITED NATIONS WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION (UNWTO) UNWTO Affiliate Member since MOU signed with UNWTO in UNWTO Global Code of Ethics in Tourism in 2015 Supporter of the UNWTO ST-EP (Sustainable Tourism-Eliminating Poverty) Initiative. UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP) MOU signed with the UNEP in February INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR PEACE THROUGH TOURISM (IIPT) Cooperation with the IIPT since Skål International and IIPT, each recognising that tourism can be a vital force in nurturing a peaceful world, have come together as partners for a series of projects, the first and foremost of which is the IIPT/Skål Pe ace Cities, Towns and Villages project launched in 2013 with the aim of promoting peace from the village, town and city on up to the nation state. THE CODE Member of The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism since ECPAT INTERNATIONAL Supporter of ECPAT International since ICTP Supporter of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners since SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL MOU signed with STI in March Supporter of the 10 MILLION BETTER campaign aimed at protecting the resources on which travel and tourism depends. ABOUT SKÅL INTERNATIONAL: VISION STATEMENT: Be a Trusted Voice in Travel and Tourism MISSION STATEMENT: Through our leadership, professionalism and friendship, work together to enhance our Vision, maximise networking opportunities and develop a Responsible Tourism Industry. Skål International - Head Office: Avenida Palma de Mallorca Torremolinos, SPAIN Tel: skal@skal.org