Wilderness eyes world tourism award

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Monday March 12, 2012 00:00

Wilderness has been nominated as one of three finalists in the category Global Tourism Business for an unprecedented third time, following recognition in the 2007 and 2010 Awards. This category recognises best practice in sustainable tourism in businesses in any tourism sector that operates in multiple destinations.  The two other finalists are based in Singapore and USA.

Andy Payne, Wilderness Group CEO says: 'We are really excited to be recognised in these prestigious awards and hope that our 4Cs sustainability platform and the strides we have made in sustainability reporting over the last two years will prove to be a genuinely positive contribution to sustainable tourism globally.'

Through the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, the WTTC recognises innovative leaders in sustainable tourism; they are considered one of the highest accolades in the global Travel and Tourism industry, where those companies, organisations and destinations that are setting the standard for sustainable tourism best practice are honoured.

All three finalists in this category will shortly undergo a rigorous on-site assessment by an esteemed sustainability expert and then be evaluated again by the winner selection committee chaired by Costas Christ and comprised of leading individuals from a wide array of government, NGO, media and academic institutions.

The winners will be announced on April 17 2012 at the WTTC Global Summit in Tokyo.Wilderness perceive themselves as a conservation organisation made up of ecotourism companies and non-profit trusts that believes in using responsible tourism to build sustainable conservation economies in Africa. 'We do this by creating journeys through the most remote and beautiful wild areas in southern Africa for our guests while at the same time sharing the benefits of tourism with communities'.

Through their  travel divisions - Wilderness Safaris, Wilderness Adventures, Wilderness Explorations and Wilderness Air - they operate a portfolio of some 70 lodges, camps and safaris in nine African countries: Botswana, Congo, Kenya, Namibia, Malawi, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Their non-profit trusts - Children in the Wilderness and the Wilderness Wildlife Trust - ensure that Wilderness makes a difference in Africa, benefiting its people, places and wildlife.