~ Awards to be presented in six categories; deadline for entries is Friday 24 March, 2017 ~
Amanda Charles
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, 5 December, 2016 – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) is rewarding destinations in the region that are demonstrating that sustainable tourism products and services are viable and exciting travel options for visitors to the region.
Individuals, groups, organizations and companies in any of the CTO’s member countries are invited to submit entries for a number of award categories including the Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award; Destination Stewardship Award; Sustainable Accommodation Award; Community Benefit Award; Heritage Protection Award; and the Biodiversity Conservation Award.
Qualifying entrants will have developed unique and attractive tourism products or are implementing initiatives that embrace sustainable tourism concepts and core values. Entry criteria are aimed at identifying and showcasing sustainable tourism best practices among CTO members that improve long-term competitiveness of tourism businesses and destinations while preserving the inherit quality and authenticity of the product or services.
“Sustainability is integral to whatever we do as a region in the approach to tourism development. It is important that we preserve the fragile ecosystems as well as natural and cultural resources which define the Caribbean experience, contribute to the competitiveness of the tourism product, and make the countries of the region safe and appealing as places to live, work and visit,” said Amanda Charles, the CTO’s sustainable tourism specialist.
“The Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Awards continues to be an important initiative of the CTO to support and promote the sustainability efforts of the region’s tourism sector. With 2017 being designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, we are honoured to host the Awards, as part of the activities to commemorate the year,” she added
The deadline for the entries in the CTO Sustainable Tourism Awards is Friday 31 March, 2017.
For more information on the Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Awards, including instructions and guidelines for submissions, visit www.onecaribbean.org.
