Maori company scoops top green award

SEE VISION INTERVIEWS Kauahi Ngapora and Wally Stone from Whale Watch Kaikoura: :www.travelmole.tv/watch_vdo.php George Hickton Chief Executive of Tourism New Zealand and Wally Stone of Whale Watch Kaikura www.travelmole.tv/watch_vdo.php

LONDON – A tourism company founded by four Maori families in New Zealand has scooped the top gong at this year’s Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards.

Whale Watch Kaikoura, whose activities make minimal impact on the environment, was the overall winner at the awards and was acclaimed by the judges for developing a tourism initiative “from the ground up” which had gone on to such success that it now had a joint venture with the Gold Coast’s Sea World to provide its whale watching.

At a ceremony hosted at World Travel Market, the awards were handed out by Justin Francis, managing director of responsibletravel.com, the organisers and founders of the awards, and Amanda Wills, managing director of Virgin Holidays, headline sponsor of the awards.

The judges said, "Rarely do we see a tourism initiative developed from the ground up by a local community to such a successful and grand scale.

“Whale Watch Kaikoura provides consistently responsible whale watching tours with minimal impacts.

"The founding of the enterprise by four Maori families has demonstrated that the local Maori community can not 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."

Said Francis, "In this, the sixth year of the awards, I have been particularly impressed to see that despite this year’s recession, organisations continue to come up with innovative ideas around responsible tourism that ensure local communities and environments benefit from tourism as much as possible.

“The money may have dried out a little in the past year but the passion, ingenuity and creativity certainly hasn’t."

Wills added, "In our third year as headline sponsor, the inspiration from the winners, pioneers in the crucial arena, continues to grow.

"As we all strive to get our own businesses in order, taking valuable and creative lessons from this year’s roll call of innovators will certainly play a key part.

“I am delighted to be part of an event that sees our industry walk the walk, and not just talk the talk."

VIRGIN HOLIDAYS RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AWARD WINNERS 2009

Overall Winner: Whale Watch Kaikoura, New Zealand

Best tour operator for cultural engagement, sponsored by Tourism Western Australia – 

Winner: Village Ways, India

Best large hotel / accommodation (more than 50 rooms), sponsored by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts – 

Winner: YHA Wellington City, New Zealand

Best small hotel / accommodation (less than 50 rooms), sponsored by Discover Dominica Tourism Authority 

- Winner: Rivertime Resort and Ecolodge, Laos

Best low carbon transport & technology sponsored by The Quito Visitors Bureau, Ecuador – 

Winner: Alcatraz Cruises, US

Best in a mountain environment, sponsored by World Expeditions 

- Winner: Upland Escapes, UK

Best in a marine environment, sponsored by Tourism Fiji 

Winner: Whale Watch Kaikoura, New Zealand

Best cruise or ferry operator sponsored by Tourism Malaysia -

Winner: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, US

Best for poverty reduction sponsored by PromPeru – 

Winner: Guludo Beach Lodge, Mozambique

Best for conservation of wildlife & habitats, sponsored by South Australian Tourism Commission – 

Winner: Great Plains Conservation, South Africa

Best for conservation of cultural heritage, sponsored by Jamaica Tourist Board 

- Winner: Selena Travel LLC, Mongolia

Best volunteering organisation sponsored by Kenya Tourist Board 

- Winner: People and Places, UK

Best destination, sponsored by Conservation International – 

Winner: City of Cape Town, South Africa

Best personal contribution, sponsored by Tourism Ireland 

- Winner: Gavin Bate, Founder of Adventure Alternative and the Moving Mountains Trust

By Dinah Hatch