Bangkok--19 Jun--eturbonews
Sk?l International is inviting companies from the public and private sector as well as NGOs to submit entries for the Ecotourism Awards.
In its fifth year, the programme is sponsored by Evian Waters and Iznik Foundation. The 2006 Awards will be presented in Pattaya, Thailand on 16 October 2006 during the Opening Ceremony of the 67th Sk?l World Congress by the President of Sk?l International, Jan Sunde.
Sk?l, founded as an international association in 1934 is the largest organisation of travel and tourism professionals in the world, embracing all sectors of the tourism industry from hoteliers to travel agents, to airlines, tourism media, tourism students and similar. Sk?l, with 22,000 members is active in 90 countries and in almost 500 locations worldwide.
Sk?l International is an Affiliate Member of the World Tourism Organisation whose mission is to promote the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Sk?l International in line with this vision, following the United Nations declaration of 2002 as the Year of Ecotourism and the Mountains, launched the Ecotourism Awards in the same year and first awards were presented during the World Congress in Cairns in 2002.
Sk?l, as an international organisation of the industry leaders, 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. The awards presented on these grounds, while highlighting best practices in tourism around the world, 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 Ecotourism.
Sk?l values sustainable development in Tourism as the key to the industry's future success and considers Ecotourism but one area of the various components of sustainable development.