Responsible Tourism Awards 2008 - win a 15 days trip to India

Zarina Holmes

Last updated 29/04/2008 17:45:10

Nominate a winner for The Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2008 Awards, and you could win an unforgettable holiday for you and a friend.

Members of the public are now invited to nominate individuals and organizations that are leading the way in sustainable travels and environmentally-aware tourism for the 2008 award.

One of the founding principles of the awards is always to seek out new responsible tourism ventures that deserve to be celebrated. The public's nominations are therefore fundamental to this process.

All those who nominate an Award winner will be entered into a prize draw to win a 15-day tour of  India  for two.

It is said that these are the largest awards of their kind in the world. The awards are collaboration between online travel directory responsibletravel.com, who founded and organize the Awards, UK media partners Telegraph Travel and Geographical Magazine, and the World Travel Market, who host the Awards ceremony.

Last year, it received over 1700 nominations.

The philosophy underlining the awards is that all types of tourism – from niche to mainstream – can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people. In this way, they contribute to the sustainable future of tourism.

There is a five-stage judging process, which covers the nominations, the long-listing and short-listing from detailed questionnaires and references, a judging day in September, and finally, consultation with a network of experts with knowledge of specific destinations.

The winners will be announced in on World Responsible Tourism Day in November 2008 at the World Travel Market, London, UK.

The Responsible Tourism Awards receive support from a number of high profile celebrities such as Michael Palin and polar explorer Pen Hadow.

Justin Francis and Harold Goodwin founded Responsibletravel.com in 2001 after Francis' travel stint in Africa. Francis, who was then the head of marketing at The Body Shop, decided to quit his job and set up the company with the encouragement of his mentor, Anita Roddick.   Today, the company has successfully introduced the idea of responsible travel to the mainstream.

"When we launched responsibletravel.com with just 20 hand-picked holidays from four specialist operators, no one had even heard of the term ‘responsible travel'. We were the first business to really use it and people thought we were totally mad by making it our business name," said Francis.

Many mainstream travel companies and holiday operators are following their footsteps now by implementing responsible policies. Travellers are also realising that taking a responsible holiday can be a more enjoyable alternative, and is more helpful to the locals of the places they visit.

Interested parties are invited to submit their nominations before 16th June 2008. For more information about the details and the prize, visit http://www.responsibletourismawards.com/. For more details on the company, visit www.responsibletravel.com.