The Sustainable Destinations Top 100 has been unveiled for the third time on World Tourism Day 2017. The awards celebrate the efforts of tourism destinations’ responsible and sustainable tourism initiatives. Among the award winners, which were presented to the participants of the Global Green Destinations Gala Dinner, 28 September 2017 in the Museum of the Presidency of the Republic, in Cascais (Palacio da Cidadela de Cascais), were (as in 2016) several LT&C-Examples.

The TOP 100 award for the LT&C-Example “Virunga National Park” was received in Cascais by the Minister of Tourism of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Franck MWE di Malila Apenela, and the Director of the DRC national park authority ICCN, Dr. Cosma WilunguIa Balongelwa. The Minister expressed in his speech and meetings with LT&C visionary thoughts related to his indicated plans for linking tourism and national parks in DRC.

Other LT&C-Examples awarded as 2017 TOP 100 were:

• (as in 2016) Chumbe Island, Tanzania
• (as in 2016) Madidi National Park, Bolivia
• (as in 2016) Svalbard
• Galapagos, Equador
• Volcanos National Park, Rwanda (related to LT&C-Example Amahoro Tours)
• Norderney (LT&C-Example Wadden Sea)

The list of TOP 100 is the result of open calls in newswires, social and business media. Destinations could be nominated by any interested party through a form that was available online.

Nominators had to provide extensive information on the destination and on its efforts to make itself and its stakeholders more sustainable for the benefit of visitors, its local communities and the world. Information had to be provided about the extent the destination complies with the 15 core criteria of the Green Destinations Standard (table). 155 nominations were received from 57 countries. All nominations were evaluated by experts of the Green Destinations Top 100 Team and by members of the special Top 100 Selection Panel, that included over 60 tourism sustainability experts.

The Top 100 initiative aims to recognise tourism destinations that have worked hard to make a difference and take sustainability seriously. Nevertheless, no destination is fully sustainable. In all selected destinations important issues remain to be solved.

Due to a lack of data, travellers carbon emission data are not currently taken into account in this competition. However, Green Destinations recommend travellers to avoid long haul travels and to compensate their carbon emission in a proper way.

You may also have a look on a press release on the increasingly important topic of “over tourism”: PR GD on mass tourism chaos.

Green destination leaders present solutions to mass tourism chaos

Cascais, Sept 20, 2017 – New approaches to tourism are urgently required to stop the trend of mass tourism becoming increasingly intrusive and disruptive to local communities. On the occasion of World Tourism Day and the launch of the 2017 Sustainable Destinations Top 100, Green Destinations experts from six continents insist that tourism can be truly GREEN – Genuine, Respectful, Economically and Environmentally sustainable, and Nature friendly. In this way, tourism really can reward visitors and local people with life-enhancing experiences.

The 2017 Top 100 selection is available in: http://greendestinations.org/2017-top-100/

More info: http://greendestinations.org/