TANZANIA: Sustainable Tourism Chumbe Island Wins Award

Chumbe Island wins Skål International Sustainable Tourism Award in the category Marine and Special Recognition Award by Diversey Care 2015.

The fourteenth annual Skål Sustainable Tourism Awards took place last month during the Opening Ceremony of the 76th Skål World Congress held in Torremolinos, Spain.

The awards were launched to highlight best practices in tourism around the world and also serve the purpose of acquainting the world with this new concept that puts emphasis on the importance of the interaction of the physical, cultural and social environment the traveller's responsibility and the need for active community
participation for Sustainability.

A record number of 67 projects have competed in the eight categories available to win these prestigious awards:

* Tour Operators
* Urban Accommodation
* Rural Accommodation
* Transportation
* Countryside
* Marine
* Community and Government projects
* Major Tourist Attractions

Skål International selects a panel of three distinguished experts in sustainability to evaluate the projects independently. The primary criteria for the evaluation are based on:

Contribution to the conservation of nature
Cultural heritage conservation
Community involvement and benefits
Educational features and benefits
Business viability and economic growth
Innovation and creativity
Marketing value generation (brand enhancement)
Health, safety and wellbeing of employees and guests

They have made a tremendous work this year given the long list of entries and Skål International sincerely appreciates their time and efforts for the meticulous and laborious work they have conducted.

The initial awards were presented in 2002 following the United Nations declaration of 2002 as the Year of Ecotourism and the Mountains, to highlight and acknowledge best practices around the globe. The awards have been generously sponsored and supported by our partner Diversey Care since 2009.

For the fifth consecutive year, Diversey Care has presented the Skål Sustainable Tourism Awards by Diversey Care, in eight different categories as well as the Skål Special Recognition Award by Diversey Care.

The 'Skål Special Recognition Award by Diversey Care' shares its aim with the "Skål Sustainable Tourism Awards', and is designed to acknowledge sustainability projects which are new and innovative, and which transform the conventional understanding of sustainability. They do this by delivering more efficient output, bringing businesses closer to an 'integrated bottom line', in which business and environment, along with safety, risk management, and corporate responsibility, is managed effectively.

At Diversey Care, we aim to Re-imagine™ the industries we serve, in order to help create a world that feels, tastes and works better. For us, sustainability starts with our vision: "To create a better way for life", an ethos which was strongly reflected in every one of this year's award entries.

The Skål Special Recognition Award by Diversey Care was
presented by Mareike Schaumburg, Sector Marketing Lead Hospitality Germany at Diversey Care to David Fisher, Vice President of Skål International, who accepted the award on behalf of the overall winner CHUMBE ISLAND CORAL PARK, Tanzania.