UNWTO Awards Finalists for Innovation in Tourism Announced

The finalists of the 11th UNWTO Ulysses Awards for Innovation in Tourism, one of the three categories in the annual UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism, were announced on 22 December.

Every year since 2003, the UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism have honored tourism initiatives that contribute to advance tourism through knowledge and innovation, in line with the principles of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The following is the list of finalists of the 11^th UNWTO Ulysses Awards for Innovation (in alphabetical order):

1.       UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance

• Domestic Tourism Promotion Initiative “Y tú, qué planes?”, Commission for the Promotion of Exports and Tourism – PromPeru (Peru)
• Fragrances and Tastes of Lošinj, Mali Lošinj Tourist Board (Croatia)
• The Use of Open Innovation in Co-Creating Vienna’s Tourism Strategy 2020, Vienna Tourist Board (Austria)

2.       UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Enterprises

• Inspira Santa Marta Hotel, Hotel Santa Marta S.A. (Portugal)
• Isoitok Camp Manyara, The African Footprint Co ltd (Tanzania)
• Routes the Coffee Cultural Landscape, Chamber of Commerce in Armenia, Quindío (Colombia)

3.       UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Non-Governmental Organizations

• Conserving Wildlife and Empowering Communities in Namibia, World Wildlife Fund for Nature (Namibia)
• Promotion of Local Culture in the Sundarbans Impact Zone in Bangladesh through Cultural Ecotourism and Entrepreneurship, Relief International – UK (Bangladesh)
• Taste of Fethiye, The Travel Foundation (Turkey)
• Visit Amsterdam, See Holland, Amsterdam Marketing (The Netherlands)

4.       UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Research and Technology

• Building a Community of Conscious Globetrotter Making a Positive Impact through Ethical and Responsible Tourism, Freeedom – Explore Experience Empower (Australia)
• China Tourism Economy Monitoring and Early Warning System, China Tourism Academy (China)
• Key Figures : Amsterdam as a Convention Destination, Amsterdam Marketing (The Netherlands)
• Visit Europe iPad App, European Travel Commission

The names of the Laureates of the UNWTO Award for Lifetime Achievement and the UNWTO Ulysses Prize for Excellence in the Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge in Tourism will be unveiled during the first week of January 2015.

The winners and runner-ups will be unveiled during the UNWTO Awards Ceremony to be held on 28 January 2015. For the second consecutive year, the Ceremony is organized in collaboration with the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) in Madrid, Spain, and it is one of the several events organized by UNWTO within the framework of FITUR.

The UNWTO Awards Ceremony will be preceded by the UNWTO Awards Symposium on 27 January 2015. The Symposium will highlight the importance of innovation in tourism and share the knowledge and achievements of the UNWTO Awards finalists.