Launched in April during the show, the awards will comprise four categories in its first edition

The registration process for the first edition of the WTM Latin America Responsible Tourism Awards has now started. Officially launched this year during the 7th edition of the event and divided into four categories, the award will recognize the best tourism initiatives that introduce effective solutions for relevant and urgent issues. Information about the awards and how to take part and the regulations are available in Portuguese, Spanish and English via this link.  The award places the Latin American continent on the global recognition map and accompanies what happens in other shows in the portfolio, such as WTM London, WTM Africa and ATM in Dubai, which already highlight best practices in responsible tourism.

For Thais Del Ben, the marketing manager for WTM Latin America, the inclusion of the award in the Latin American edition underlines the commitment of the event to raise – along with the representativeness of its brand – the importance of sustainable and responsible actions in the sector. “This is an urgent matter. It should have already been dealt with and those who work in tourism know this either directly or indirectly. We have to encourage and respect those who commit to transforming the tourism chain and face the challenge of promoting responsible and sustainable actions in a world in which they still face a lot of barriers. We know the activity generates wealth, but it also has to take responsibility for the impact its activities have on the local community and the environment and for preserving heritage. That’s why we’re asking all players in the industry to engage with WTM Latin America in promoting this important action”, she adds.

Responsible Tourism is one of the themes that permeates the WTM portfolio. Since the first edition of the event here in Brazil in 2013, the theme has been reinforced by the Responsible Tourism Programme. WTM Latin America will assess the following categories in 2020: “Best for poverty reduction and inclusion”, “Best contribution to wildlife preservation”, “Best cultural heritage attraction” and “Best destination for responsible tourism”.

Gustavo Pinto is the WTM Latin America director with responsibility for coordinating the Responsible Tourism Programme award. He stresses how important it is to include the activity in the event’s official calendar. “We’ve chosen those categories that have stood out the most during the history of the parent awards that have been held in London since 2004, and we’ve brought them to this first edition in Brazil”, explains the director.

Registration for all categories is already open on the WTM Latin America website and it is possible to find out more about this initiative here. In order to register, candidates must complete a form providing basic information and then download the registration document. Further information can be found on WTM Latin America’s blog.

The categories

Best for Poverty Reduction and Inclusion: it recognizes travel service providers who view tourism as a strategy for changing the local reality. To do so they create memorable travel experiences with the aim of bringing about a considerable reduction in poverty, of including marginalized people and creating the ways of doing so, and promoting shared and inclusive values.

Best contribution to wildlife conservation: the objective is to reward initiatives that include watching wildlife, ecological trails, accommodation facilities, and other ways of preserving wildlife and natural habitats.

Best cultural heritage attraction: this seeks to throw light on fully preserved locations, ancestral traditions and ceremonies, and well-established examples of cultural, historical or natural resources aimed at tourism.

Best Destination for Responsible Tourism: aimed at destinations that promote sustainable local development.