South African Animal Sanctuary Alliance (SAASA), owners of Monkeyland in The Crags, Plettenberg Bay and sister sanctuary MonkeylandKZN in Ballito is the winner of the Skål International 2019 Sustainable Tourism Award in the category Major Tourist Attractions.
In April this year, Skål International invited entries for the 2019 Sustainable Tourism Awards. A total of 56 entries from 25 countries from all over the world have this year competed.
The 18th edition took place on 15 September during the opening ceremony of the 80th Skål World Congress, onboard the Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas being held from 14 to 21 September.
Skål Garden Route President Andrew Rogers and SAASA’s Lara Mostert were in Miami to collect the award on behalf of SAASA. Watch SAASA’s video entry below.
The awards were launched in 2002 after the United Nations declaration of that year as the Year of Ecotourism and the Mountains, with the purpose of highlighting and acknowledging best practices around the world.
“As an international organization of tourism industry leaders, Skål International is a powerful force in the travel and tourism industry to initiate change and encourage the conservation of the environment in order to promote tourism and travel,” said Andrew Rogers, President, Skål International Garden Route. “We adopted the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics in Tourism, and also support the Sustainable Tourism-Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP initiative).”
The awards are open to any company from the public and private sector, NGOs, government agencies and educational institutions worldwide may submit an entry in one of these categories:
- Community and government projects
- Countryside and biodiversity
- Educational programmes and media
- Major tourist attractions
- Marine and coastal
- Rural accommodation
- Tour operators/travel agents
- Tourist transport
- Urban accommodation
Entering these awards holds many benefits for companies operating in the international tourism sector:
- To enhance visibility and get recognition for your outstanding performance in terms of sustainable and responsible tourism.
- To increase your contacts and introduce your products and services to professionals from the tourism industry from all over the world.
- To obtain media coverage among the entire Skål membership worldwide and our international press contacts.
- To personally collect the award during the opening ceremony of the 80th Skål World Congress, an event that offers an excellent opportunity to network with tourism professionals from all over the world.
- To experience the membership of Skål International first hand.
About Biosphere Tourism: Biosphere Tourism develops certifications to guarantee an adequate long-term balance between the economic, socio-cultural and environmental dimensions of a Destination, reporting significant benefits for a Tourism entity, society and the environment. This certification is granted by the Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI), an international non-profit NGO, in the form of an association, which has promoted, for more than 20 years, responsible Tourism at an international level, helping all the actors involved in the Tourism sector develop a new way of traveling and of knowing our Planet.
About Skål International: Skål is a professional organisation of tourism leaders around the world, promoting global networking and friendship since 1934. It is the only international association uniting all branches of the Travel and Tourism industry. Skål International is an Affiliated Member of the UNWTO and supports The Code, PATA, IIPT, STI, among others.
