Celebrating Excellence in Responsible Tourism

Welcome to the WTM Africa Responsible Tourism Awards, celebrating those driving positive change through sustainable tourism across Africa. These awards recognize businesses, destinations, and individuals leading the way in social, environmental, and economic sustainability.

Our goal is to honor and amplify efforts transforming Africa’s tourism industry, inspiring a shift toward responsible tourism that benefits local communities and preserves ecosystems.

By highlighting these changemakers, we aim to make responsible tourism the standard, fostering a sustainable future for Africa's tourism industry.

2025 Award Winners

Can An All-Inclusive Be Responsible?

In this category, the judges are seeking to recognise responsible all-inclusive tourism products. There is a great deal of misplaced snobbery about all-inclusive hotels and resorts. This year, we want to show the range of all-inclusive travel experiences, which include high-end safaris and yacht charters.

One to Watch Hideaways Africa,
https://hideawaysafrica.com/
The judges were impressed by the range of Hideaways Africa’s Responsible Tourism initiatives addressing environmental conservation and community engagement across lodges in Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The company addresses waste management, sources local eco-friendly products, commits to employing local staff and promotes cultural exchanges. The judges hope to see a further application, perhaps focused on a particular lodge or country.

Gold: Foxes Safari Camps, Tanzania
www.foxessafaricamps.com
Foxes Safari Camps applies the principles of the circular economy to its operations, with an organic vegetable garden and working livestock farm to supply its properties with fresh produce, cheese and meat, alongside Arabica coffee and roasted macadamia nuts. Over 98% of its staff are Tanzanian, with 90% coming from neighbouring local communities. Foxes Safari Camps also prioritise skills development through year-round training programs in hospitality, guiding, driving, aviation operations, and culinary. It also produces furniture and game vehicles locally, training artisans and mechanics in the process. By investing in infrastructure like a timber treatment facility and employing artisans to build furniture and vehicles in-house, it creates jobs, reduces costs, and ensures quality. As the award entry points out, the all-inclusive model simplifies the complex safari planning process for international guests and operators. By managing all components under one umbrella, it ensures consistent service standards, fosters and supports local suppliers and employees, and reduces the risks of unethical practices often associated with fragmented operations.

Adapting To Climate Change

Climate change is with us and accelerating, the consequences of climate change are increasingly evident in storms and floods, drought and wildfires, and rising sea levels. We now need to reduce our emissions and develop resilience.

In this category we have one very worthy Gold winner from Zambia.

Gold: Green Safaris Conservation Foundation, Zambia
www.greensafaris.com
Green Safaris has pioneered “Silent Safaris” with solar-powered electric game vehicles. Its lodges are 80% solar-powered, and it has eliminated single-use plastics. The judges were particularly excited to hear about the Silent Safaris, which are good for the environment and for guests, providing an immersive safari experience. Through its Foundation, Green Safaris distributes fuel-efficient stoves, undertakes reforestation efforts, and provides conservation education programs in local schools. The judges were impressed by the bamboo planting to contribute to ecosystem restoration and to grow bamboo for construction, which provides long-term carbon sequestration. The stove design was refined through pilot projects and community feedback, reinforcing long-term adoption of the stoves, which households can maintain and repair independently. These new stoves require two-thirds less wood than traditional cooking methods, leading to an estimated reduction in household emissions of 2.28 tons of CO₂ per year for each stove.

Peace, Understanding and Inclusivity

The judges looked for examples of organisations that provide tourists with the opportunity to make “more meaningful connections with local people and a greater understanding of local history and culture and social and environmental issues” and offer “culturally sensitive experiences engendering respect between tourists and hosts and building local pride and confidence.”

We have two winners in this category:

Silver: Uthando, The Heart of Cape Town
The Heart of Cape Town

Uthando’s Heart of Cape Town Initiative began in November 2023 with simple illuminated, wire-crafted hearts created by local artisans promoted at trade shows - symbolising peace, love, compassion and kindness, which sparked a movement. The movement has grown to include Lovenaire, a new word coined to describe one: “who embodies the essence of compassion, harmony, and interconnectedness, inspiring others through their boundless capacity to love.” A giant heart sculpture and mini-heart pods are planned for the V&A Waterfront. The judges were impressed and heartened by Uthando’s success in creating a movement centred on love, peace and unity, one of the key reasons for its success was the support garnered from support from tourism industry leaders, city stakeholders and community groups. James Fernie has demonstrated through Uthando how tourism can be a force for good in the world, as he says: “It’s about giving with love. Creating hope and faith. Hope for a better future, faith in humanity.”

Gold: Township & Village, Stellenbosch, South Africa
www.townshipandvillage.co.za
Township and Village (T&V) is a community-based tourism initiative that fosters peace, understanding, and cultural connection through immersive experiences in Stellenbosch’s surrounding communities. Its mission is to ‘break down barriers, dismantle stereotypes, and create mutual respect between visitors and locals’ by providing authentic cultural experiences - guided by community members. Launched in 2023 it has developed 12 immersive experiences and created economic opportunities for over 40 community-based guides, storytellers, and entrepreneurs and welcomed over 2,500 visitors “with many reporting shifts in their perceptions and a deeper understanding of local culture and history.” 87% of surveyed visitors reported a deeper understanding of South Africa’s history and social dynamics after their experience and 98% rated their experience as “deeply meaningful”, noting a shift in their perceptions of townships.

The Township and Village workplace policy manual details the policies and procedures governing its working environment and guest experience, ensuring that all employees understand their rights, responsibilities, and expectations within the organisation. It also provides guidance on ethical, legal, and operational standards that align with a commitment to Responsible Tourism.

Managing Waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Upcycle

This year, we want to discover examples of good practices in waste management and sequestration. We all know the circular economy mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle, upcycle. The challenge is to do it. Sequestration of plastic into construction materials potentially provides a means of keeping waste out of our environment

One to Watch: Ele Collection, Zimbabwe
https://www.elecollection.co/
Launched very recently in October 2024 at Victoria Falls the Ele-Collection has developed a comprehensive waste recovery program that integrates social empowerment with environmental impact. Through partnerships with the Zion City Women’s Group, they empower orphaned and vulnerable women to collect plastic, providing income opportunities in disadvantaged communities. They are scaling up plastic recovery and processing, transforming it into construction aggregate. Unusually they have integrated all seven types of plastic waste into a circular economy model. This is an innovative and exciting initiative with plans to scale up quickly and we hope to see a further entry in a couple of years' time.

This was a strong category and the judges also awarded two silvers

Silver: Destination Zero Waste Zanzibar, TUI Care Foundation
https://www.tuicarefoundation.com
The TUI Care Foundation has enabled Zanzibar-based social enterprise Chako to create new, useful design products from the large amount of glass and plastic waste in Zanzibar and to sell them, creating livelihood opportunities for artisans, waste collectors and designers, particularly for women. The project has already created 48 jobs and collected over 1.59 million kilograms of glass and 14,773 kilograms of plastic, with a substantial portion being recycled and upcycled into soft furnishings, accessories and souvenirs and sold to tourism businesses and tourists. So far, the project has reached 4,500 people with awareness-raising activities, including 2,812 students. The TUI Care Foundation has developed a range of local initiatives to encourage waste recycling and provide the necessary resources and skills.

Silver: Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company, South Africa
www.tablemountain.net

Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company welcomes around one million visitors each year, and significant volumes of waste, 1.2 million kilograms of waste, have been generated over the last decade. It encourages visitors to separate waste and employ two full-time, on-site recyclers. Cardboard, paper, glass, tins and plastic are recycled, organic waste is composted, and hazardous waste, such as batteries, oils, LED lights, electronic waste, medical waste and sanitary waste, is all disposed of by specialists. Over the last decade, nearly ten metric tonnes per month has been removed, 62% of which has been diverted from landfills. A dedicated night team works after the last visitor departs, transporting waste down via the cable car. In July last year, the cables which run the cable car were replaced, and the track rope is being cut into discs for use as coasters, fridge magnets and paperweights.

And our gold winner is:

Gold: HBD Principe, São Tomé and Príncipe

www.hbdprincipe.com/

As HBD Principe boldly states on its website, HBD Príncipe is a “sustainable development… rooted in the understanding that what makes Príncipe so special must be preserved. …. our guiding principle has remained the same. Preservation of Príncipe and respect for its people underlines everything we do, and it always will.” HBD Principe is an ecotourism and agroforestry group of four boutique hotels, organic agroforestry, and organic horticulture. Its core business is tourism. The judges were impressed by the work of the team of ten dedicated to waste management, by the range of activity and the data they provided on impact.

It offers an alternative to sand mining by creating ground glass for use in construction Residents can exchange aluminium cans for schoolbooks; the cans are exported for recycling. Anyone can exchange plastic for “cardboard cakes” an ecological alternative to charcoal made from deforested trees. The HBD team makes the “cardboard cakes” by ripping paper and cardboard into scraps, mixing them with water to make a thick paste which is then dried into cakes. HBD also supports community enterprises with training and resources to upcycle glass and plastic waste into jewellery, cups, bowls, vases, chairs, cutting boards, flower plots. It also engages with school groups learning about upcycling and engages them in beach clean-ups. .

Nature Positive

The tourism sector has a responsibility to promote a regenerative tourism approach and contribute to reversing biodiversity loss and protecting nature for future generations. This year, the judges are looking for businesses that act as guardians of biodiversity and take a regenerative approach to their operations, benefiting nature and the communities that bear the opportunity costs of conservation. The judges were pleased to have an exceptionally strong group of entries in this category this year.

We have recognised two ones-to-watch, two silvers and one gold:

One to Watch: Loisaba Conservancy, Kenya
Loisaba Conservancy
In 2024, Loisaba introduced 21 Eastern Black rhinos to the region, agreed only after they were able to prove categorically that they could provide a safe space for these precious animals. Loisaba engaged the community to ensure that only not was their security operation flawless, but that the locals would embrace the return of the rhino to their land after 50 years. The judges see this as an exciting new development in conservation and hope to see a further application in a couple of years to see how it has worked out.

One to Watch Saruni Base Camp, Kenya

Saruni Basecamp -

Saruni has 13 Basecamp camps and lodges in the Maasai Mara and Samburu, embedded in community-owned conservancies. The judges were interested to see the scale and range of the ambition of this major group. 86% of the staff across the group are from local communities and they have reduced borehole water consumption over three years by 20%, Regular wildlife monitoring shows a 30% rise in predator sightings, including lions, cheetahs, and leopards, over the past five years and 250 hectares of degraded land has been planted with over 20,000 Indigenous trees. The judges hope to see a further entry in a year or two, perhaps focused on one property or community with more metrics.

And our silver winners are:

Silver: Hwange Community Rhino Conservation Initiative, Zimbabwe https://www.hwangecommunityrhino.com/

In 2013, Imvelo Safari Lodges set up a charitable trust, the Water4Wildlife Trust, locally in Zimbabwe, to incentivise community-based conservation through community development and the delivery of conservation projects that directly benefit local people and the local ecosystem. The Community Rhino Conservation Initiative (CRCI) has reintroduced two white rhino bulls in May 2022, protected 24/7 by armed scouts, all from local villages. The sanctuary is on communal land, allocated by the local people, at Ngamo Village bordering Hwange National Park and alleviates human-wildlife conflicts through high-tech fencing. Community benefits include employment, education and development philanthropy. Food and water security benefits include: boreholes, irrigated food gardens, food aid, and more than 450,000 school meals in 2024. The trust provides over 140 school bursaries a year to children at different schools, supplying stationery, uniforms, school furniture and thousands of textbooks.

Silver: Volcanoes Safaris, Uganda and Rwanda
https://volcanoessafaris.com/
Volcano Safaris has a very positive reputation for its conservation efforts. The judges were impressed by the community and conservation projects in the Kyambura Gorge ecosystem and its small, isolated population of threatened chimpanzees. The judges applauded the holistic approach to reducing human-wildlife conflicts, protecting the natural habitat and enriching the livelihoods of locals by ensuring they earn an income from ecotourism and conservation. Reforestation has provided a safe space between wildlife and neighbouring communities. The population of chimps has roughly doubled over the last 15 years. The reforested wetland now attracts more than 200 species of birds, different mammals and primates. Volcano Safaris has supported lion monitoring, and, in partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute, it has provided environmental education in eight local schools. At the Kyambura Women’s Coffee Cooperative, twenty women harvest and process beans from 3,000 coffee trees planted in the Kyambura Buffer Zone, selling $5,000 worth of coffee to Volcanoes Safaris lodges and guests and additional income through the sale of coffee-based soaps and scrubs.

And our gold winner is:

Gold: Emboo Safari Camp, Kenya
https://emboo.com

Situated in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Emboo’s operations are designed to protect and regenerate the natural environment while offering guests an unforgettable safari experience. As it says: “Once upon a time, safaris were all about the chase, the trophy, the snapshot. But as the world spun on, we realized the real magic wasn’t in capturing the wild but in connecting with it. At Emboo, we’re ushering in the next big scene in this adventure, one where it’s not about dominating nature, but being part of its rhythm. We actively contribute to the ecosystem by restoring degraded land, planting trees, and supporting conservation initiatives in the Maasai Mara. providing resources to scientists and local organisations working to protect endangered species and monitor the ecosystem. For instance, we collaborate closely with the

Mara Elephant Project (MEP), leveraging data-driven approaches to track elephant movements, mitigate human-wildlife conflict, and support habitat conservation. Additionally, we encourage low-impact exploration of the Maasai Mara on foot, allowing guests to experience the ecosystem firsthand while minimizing environmental disturbance.”

Emboo has also converted old Land Rovers and Land Cruisers to solar, protecting the environment and providing a superior game-viewing experience from safari vehicles and on foot. Emboo runs entirely on solar and has a closed-loop water system that treats and recycles wastewater. All non-organic waste is recycled, and organic waste produces biogas for cooking. The camp employs 50 members of the Maasai community, providing fair wages and professional training in areas such as hospitality, guiding and sustainable operations, and empowering local families. The lodge is on community land, so rent, and a per-guest fee are paid to the community. 90% of the supply chain expenditure is local, amounting to $100,000 annually. They are seeking to attract younger clients, and write: “Our guests, mostly young and adventurous travellers aged 26 to 35, don’t just see sustainability as “responsible” but as an integral part of the fun. From the silent thrill of tracking wildlife in an electric vehicle to learning how biogas powers their delicious meals, our visitors engage with sustainability in ways that are interactive, exciting, and inspiring.” The judges were impressed by Emboo's approach to reaching the next generation of travellers to the safari experience and ensuring local community benefit.

Increasing Local Sourcing - Creating Shared Value

In this category the judges are looking for businesses that have local purchasing practices in place and are actively working to create and promote local businesses and sole traders through their own supply chain and encouraging visitors to buy locally-produced crafts and souvenirs.

This was a hard-fought category with some exceptional entries and we recognise two “ones-to-watch”, two silvers and two golds.

First let us congratulate our ones-to-watch:

One to Watch: Futureshapers Namibia,
TUI Care Foundation TUI Futureshapers Namibia
The judges were delighted to see this new initiative to develop a fleet of all-electric vehicles in Windhoek driven by female drivers and operated through LEFA, the "UBER of Namibia," . In addition to driving, the women receive training to become professional tour guides, offering customers unique tours of Windhoek, enriching the visitor experience and boosting local tourism. The judges hope to see an application again in a couple of years when the strength of this idea will be realised.

One to Watch City Visas
http://esgsustainabilityagency.co.za/
The City Visa is a digital travel ecosystem, a platform that enhances Responsible Tourism by promoting local businesses, cultural experiences, and sustainable travel options. It provides visitors with curated experiences that prioritize local economic growth, safety, sustainability, and accessibility. The judges recognise this as an exciting new initiative and hope to see it again in a couple of years with robust evidence of its positive impact.

For our two silver awards the judges recognised two very different businesses operating in the tourism sector's supply chain.

Silver: Hamagriza, QwaQwa South Africa
https://letselatk.wixsite.com/ha-magriza-2
Hamagriza offers a restaurant, a coworking hub, tours and events, providing an immersive cultural experience showcasing the region’s unique history, traditions, and flavours. It estimates that Hamagriza has created at least 20 jobs and generated revenue of over R500,000 for local businesses. The judges were impressed by the way Hamagriza’s initiative has encouraged local people’s pride in their own history and culture.

Silver: Kijani Supplies Kenya
https://www.kijanisupplies.com
Kijani Supplies is a supply-chain and logistics company committed to greening Africa’s hospitality industry. Founded in Kenya in 2023, it provides safari hotels with sustainable, locally sourced products while minimizing the carbon footprint of hotel supply and procurement. In 2024, in its first year, it built a network of 112 suppliers and supplied 125 hotels in the Greater Maasai Mara with products worth approximately USD $585,000. It worked directly with 32 community-based micro and small enterprises, providing them with business worth USD 29,000, and supporting 170 jobs.

And now to our two gold winners in this category. Just to confirm both will automatically be entered into the 2025 Global Responsible Tourism Awards sponsored by Sabre.

Gold: Dlala Nje, Johannesburg, South Africa
https://dlalanje.org/
Dlala Nje is a Johannesburg-based social enterprise that offers immersive inner-city tours and experiences, aimed at challenging perceptions and creating opportunities in some of the city's most misunderstood neighbourhoods. It provides authentic walking tours that showcase the rich history, culture, and resilience of areas such as Hillbrow and Yeoville. Through immersive storytelling and direct engagement, it challenges misconceptions about Johannesburg’s inner city, highlighting its resilience, diversity, and rich cultural heritage. More than 500 people have benefitted from training and education programs, with an 80% success rate developing skills that enable economic independence. The Dlala Nje Champions Program has provided more than 60 children with access to educational outings, mentorship, and camps, broadening their horizons and creating opportunities.

Gold: !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre, Southern Africa,
https://www.khwattu.org/
!Khwa ttu provides education, jobs, and training to help the San reclaim and share their traditions. In 2022, it introduced a sustainable sourcing policy for food and beverages, prioritising foraged ingredients and ethical, artisanal suppliers, reviving ancient food traditions, creating economic opportunities, and cultural and environmental conservation. By 2024, !Khwa ttu was supporting 44 local producers, creating the equivalent of 4,500 employment days, directly investing in rural livelihoods and strengthening the regional economy. The judges were delighted to see this innovative approach to integrating local economic development with the celebration of cultural heritage through food.

Harold Goodwin to close

As Chair of the Judging panel it is my pleasure to have a final few words.

These are not easy awards to win. The judging process is intense. To be in this room, to be on this recognition list is a massive achievement. So, I want to congratulate and to thank every single organisation and to every single changemaker we have recognised today. By entering these awards you shine a light on ideas and innovation that will inspire others. We know taking responsibility for tourism is hard, but your work has shown what is possible.

We will share your news to the world.

And the Gold Winners of course, will go onto compete on a world stage against other award winners from Latin America, Europe, The Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The global awards are sponsored by Sabre Corporation, one of the world’s largest global distribution systems for airline bookings which has almost $3 billion in turnover and employs more than 6,000 people worldwide.

And let me ask everyone on our recognition list to share your news too.

Responsible Tourism, like entering the awards is not an easy journey. We all have successes and failures. But by showcasing your achievements to the world you’ll signpost what is possible for others.

Tell your industry partners and guests that you have won the award. Use the hard crafted information in your entry forms to tell everyone your story. Put it proudly on your website and newsletters. Link to our recognition list so they can see your achievements.

Together we will inspire the Responsible Tourism changemakers of the future.

Thank you. And well done to each and every one of you

Now could I please ask for a representative from everyone on the recognition list to come forward for the group photograph.

CAN AN ALL-INCLUSIVE BE RESPONSIBLE?

All-inclusive holidays and resorts are widely criticised, but other all-inclusive travel experiences are not. There are all-inclusive safaris in Africa, many in national parks, yacht charters in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Americas, and all-inclusive cruises. There are all-inclusive holidays for the disabled and their families too.

The criticism often appears to be tinged with disdain, dismissed as an inferior form of tourism denying economic opportunities to local businesses and delivering a third-best experience for those who book them, unless, of course, it is a luxury all-inclusive. They remain popular, a Disneyland Resort offers “a dream trip … that fits your family’s preferences and budget.”

With mounting concern about the impacts of overtourism on the guest experience and on local communities, are there all-inclusives that contribute to reducing negative impacts and enhancing the positive?

Are there all-inclusives that

Are genuinely and practically inclusive, enabling families with low or modest incomes to take a holiday knowing that the costs are within their means.
Provide holidays for the differently abled travelling alone or with family.
Prioritise sourcing locally produced food and beverages, soft furnishings staff uniforms etc.
Employ local staff on full-time or seasonal contracts, decasualising their employment and providing additional staff benefits.
Employing local people to provide entertainment and sports activities
Encouraging the purchase of local arts and crafts by showcasing local products and the work of artists and crafters within the hotel or resort.

2. ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE

The consequences of climate change are increasingly evident in storms and floods, drought and wildfires, and rising sea levels. We need to make more rapid progress in reducing emissions. Our burning of fossil fuels in the sector and our supply chains is contributing to generating global warming. Businesses need to continue to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, not least because of the risks of stricter regulation likely to follow as people’s lives are impacted by extreme weather. In Valencia over 100,000 protested, demanding the resignation of the head of the regional administration “chanting ‘we are stained with mud, you are stained with blood’".

In common with other sectors, we now need to reduce our carbon emissions and protect our businesses and the destinations on which our sector depends against climate change. This year, we are broadening this award category to include both mitigation and adaptation.

We are looking for businesses and destinations actively contributing to the decarbonisation of tourism operations and exploring innovative ways to protect against threats to ensure business continuity.

This includes but is not limited to

Proven examples of emissions reduction in the travel & tourism sector.
Products, services or business models designed to limit, erase or counter the negative impact of travel and tourism-generated greenhouse gases on the environment.
Innovative strategies to future-proof destinations and businesses against the effects of climate change
Projects or experiences that engage tourists and/or communities in climate change awareness and look to inspire and influence others to reduce emissions

3. INCREASING LOCAL SOURCING – CREATING SHARED VALUE

As one of the world’s leading consumption sectors, tourism provides many economic benefits, including employment and business opportunities. Far too often, the money does not recirculate in the local economy or provide any benefit to the local people or environment. Tourism businesses can grow the local economy by spending on local goods and services and procuring services and products locally.

We are looking for businesses that have local purchasing practices in place and are actively working to create and promote local businesses and sole traders through their own supply chain and encouraging visitors to buy locally produced crafts and souvenirs.

This includes but is not limited to

Businesses that have created opportunities for local people as sole traders or SMMEs to profit from tourism, supporting them to start or grow local enterprises
Those that have created and encouraged visitors to purchase locally sourced souvenirs, use local services and employ local guides, surf schools and cooking classes are examples of how visitors' spending can improve local people's livelihoods.
Businesses that implement robust local supply chain policies that minimise economic leakage and support growth in the local economy.

4. PEACE & UNDERSTANDING

Mark Twain argued that travel broadens the mind: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” Jost Krippendorf, in his seminal book The Holiday Makers, reminded us that “every individual tourist builds up or destroys human values while travelling”. We all make choices about how we travel and about the tours and opportunities that we provide for our clients and guests. Are we, in the words of the 2022 Responsible Tourism Charter, providing tourists with the opportunities to make “more meaningful connections with local people and a greater understanding of local history and culture, and social and environmental issues” and/or offering “culturally sensitive experiences engendering respect between tourists and hosts, and building local pride and confidence.”

This includes but is not limited to

Efforts to promote understanding of “the other” and to encourage meaningful connections.
Initiatives designed to reduce conflict in destinations by using forums to benefit excluded or disadvantaged groups or to benefit the deprived.
Tourism experiences designed to educate tourists about the causes of war and to foster peace

5. MANAGING WASTE: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, UPCYCLE

Our businesses and supply chains produce waste; often, our guests bring it with them and “give it” to us. They leave it behind for us to deal with.

This year, we want to discover examples of good practice. We all know the mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle, upcycle. The challenge is to do it.

We are looking for proven practical examples of how our sector can reduce waste and particularly where it can be used to create value in the community or be sequestered, providing use or commercial value.

This includes but is not limited to:

Providing waste to crafters to turn into products which can be sold to tourists and locals
Supplying potable water in glass bottles and removing plastic from your operations
Upcycling waste glass, plastic bags etc
Selling upcycled products and using them in your business
Upcycling and sequestering waste plastic by turning it, for example, into furniture or using it to provide walkways or hard surfaces, bat or bird boxes etc
Collecting waste to prevent it from entering water courses and adding to the gyres of waste in the oceans.

6. NATURE POSITIVE

Wildlife and the natural environment are important drivers for travel. The travel and tourism sector depends on nature's beauty to provide its goods and services, yet tourism can negatively impact the places we visit.

The tourism sector has a responsibility to contribute to the reversal of biodiversity loss and protect nature for future generations by promoting a regenerative approach to tourism.

We are looking for businesses that act as guardians of biodiversity and take a regenerative approach to their operations.

This includes but is not limited to

Businesses that contribute to rebuilding and replenishing the natural environment and reduce the negative impacts caused by tourism
Businesses that have developed ways for people to have meaningful and close encounters with wildlife without causing harm to the species or their environment
Businesses and protected area managers that ensure that local communities benefit from nature-based tourism and that they, too, can experience the value of it
Educate travellers and raise awareness of the importance of protecting the environment.