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2008 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
The eighth Global Travel & Tourism Summit honors the best in the world of travel with an event that doesn't disappoint
By: Mary Gostelow
Soneva Gili, in the Maldives (photo) is one of the many unique luxury island resorts in the Six Senses Resorts & Spas portfolio.
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The company, led by its founding Chairman and CEO Sonu Shivdasani, won the Global Tourism Business category of the 2008 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The World Travel & Tourism Council WTTC announced the winners of the 2008 awards on April 21st, 2008, at the Gala Dinner for the eighth Global Travel & Tourism Summit, which was held in Dubai April 20-22, 2008.
Other 2008 winners are:
Destination Award - Blackstone Valley, USA
Conservation Award - Ecotourism Australia
Investor in People Award - RARE / La Ruta Moskitia, Honduras
The Awards, in association with Travelport, recognize and promote best practices in sustainable tourism development all over the world. The judging process, chaired by Costas Christ, a world expert in sustainable tourism, had a team of 11 international judges, who also included Graham Boynton, Group Travel Editor, The Telegraph Media Group; Francis Farrell, Vice President & Publisher, National Geographic Adventure, and Fiona Jeffery, Chairman, World Travel Market & 'Just A Drop'. The complete judging panel selected three finalists in each award category and this was followed by an on-site inspection visit of all finalists. As Costas Christ said, " Twenty years ago sustainable tourism was just an idea, now it is entering the Travel & Tourism mainstream as more companies embrace new innovations demonstrating environmentally-friendly operations, a commitment to safeguarding the cultural and natural heritage of our planet, and addressing poverty alleviation through enlightened business practices. The winners of the 2008 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are helping to lead the way forward at a transformative moment in the history of modern travel."
The WTTC global summit was held at Madinat Jumeirah, and main sponsors this year were Emirates Airline, Jumeirah Group and Nakheel. The event had around 1,000 delegates from 70 countries.
Among the speakers was Prof Norbert Walter, Chief Economist, Deutsche Bank Group and CEO Deutsche Bank Research. He said what a difference from a year ago - now the USA is either in or on the brink of recession and yet the emerging world is getting richer and richer by the day, with new kids on the block of capitalism. He is very worried that at the moment there is, with the exception of Russia, a noticeable lack of serious political leaders.
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But it is not only in politics, the world also needs leaders in business and philosophy and there is a shortage of leaders. The one country that has remained strong is China and yet now the Olympics are regarded with uncertainty because of confrontation. Those countries, which can provide commodities, will be very rich. The traditional big markets of tourism will find rivals, with Asia, especially Vietnam, the main growth pole. Brazil will also have favorable conditions.
As always, the conference was held in the round, with people coming and going continually. Everyone, however, was transfixed by the co-author of the best-selling Funky Business, written by Stockholm School of Economics lecturer Dr Kjell Nordström, He spoke about demographics. Right now more than 50% of adults live in big cities and by 2040 that figure will be 90%. Cities are taking over from countries as destinations, he said. Cities are developing their own personality. They are do-it-yourself selection. Today you choose if you want to live in Chicago or Sydney, you choose which tribe you want to be part of, and you may move on later. Dubai is just such a destination, offering the freedom to know, to go, to do, to be. Tribalization and urbanization are two of his buzzwords, together with fragmentization and personalization. Sameness only leads to tedium.
There certainly was no sameness in the summit's evening events, first outside on the lawns of Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the next night at out in the desert. The Summit was chaired by WTTC chairman Geoffrey Kent and overall emcee was the indefatigable WTTC President and CEO of WTTC, Jean-Claude Baumgarten, with an increasing amount of assistance given by the charming COO, Ufi Ibrahim.
Soneva Gili by Six Senses, North Malé Atoll, Maldives
See other hotels in North Malé Atoll (7)
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