The “Responsible Tourism Awards” are organised by www.responsibletravel.com .
Launched in 2004, the Awards are run in association with partners World Travel Market, Metro Newspaper, Geographical Magazine and International Centre for Responsible Tourism at Leeds Metropolitan University. Virgin Holidays have supported the Awards as headline sponsor since 2007.
The Awards try to inspire changes on the tourist industry, and are based on the principle that all kind of tourism can be organized in a responsible way that benefits destinations and local communities.
The ceremony is hosted at the World Tourism Market of London, as part of World Responsible Tourism Day, and there are 15 categories.
www.responsibletravel.com/awards/winners/2012.htm
The overall winner of the Responsible Tourism Award 2012 has been Reality Tours and Travels , which demonstrates that it’s possible for tourists to tour the Dharavi slum in Bombay, India, in a responsible way.
Sawadee Reizen was awarded as a Best Carbon Reduction Initiative. It is a Dutch small group adventure tours company specialized in thematic products as adventure, photography, safaris or travel with kids or teenagers. In Spain, products are organized in Picos de Europa, Sierra de Aitana and Sierra Nevada.
The award for the Best Tour operator for promoting Responsible Tourism was for Explore , an English company which has decided on responsible tourism as a commercial decision, not just an ethical one. By operating responsibly they believe their customers will have a better experience. This company has a large number of products in Spain. Just in Catalonia the following are offered:
2 cycling products
– Pyrenees To The Med, which starts in Ripoll, goes through the Greenway and finishes in Barcelona
– Pyrenees Cycle Traverse, going to Tossa, the Greenway and through to France
1 family adventure holiday
– Pyrenees Activity Adventure – A Family Holiday For Teens, a Family Holiday For Teens, with activities in Sort and also in Pallars Jussà.
2 hiking products
– On Foot In The Pyrenees, which goes to Valls d’Àneu from Esterri, and to Aigüestortes from Espot.
– Wine, Walks and Tapas, which starts in the Basque Country and travels to Poblet, Priorat, Penedès and Barcelona.