Tourism Cares Announces Sustainable Tourism Awards

December 6, 2005

Tourism Cares Announces Sustainable Tourism Awards
December 6, 2005 – Tourism Cares for Tomorrow announced the winners of the fifth annual Sustainable Tourism Awards at the United States Tour Operators Association luncheon this week. The winners of the Smithsonian magazine/Tourism Cares for Tomorrow 2005 Sustainable Tourism Awards were announced as follows:

Preservation Category: The Louisa May Alcott Orchard House in Massachusetts
Opened in 1911 to the general public, the 315-year-old Orchard House brings to life the Alcott legacy in literature, art, education, philosophy, and social justice through tours, living history events, educational programs, and original family furnishings and archives.

Conservation Category: The Black Sheep Inn Ecolodge in Ecuador
The 10-room lodge was built with sustainable techniques including solar panels, compost toilets and rain water collectors. Guests are educated in conservation and sustainable livin

g habits in a comfortable setting.

Online voting for the awards increased by 22 percent over that of 2004. Each winner received $20,000.

"This is the fifth year of these awards and each year it becomes more competitive. All of the more than 100 applicants were worthy of the Sustainable Tourism Awards. A panel of experts from various fields chose the six impressive finalists who all exemplify the tenets of sustainable tourism which these awards advocate," said Bruce Beckham, Executive Director of Tourism Cares, adding, "The winners embody sustainable tourism through their work in preservation and conservation, protecting our treasures and environment for future generations to enjoy".

The other finalists by category were:
Preservation: Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum, Baltimore, Maryland
Preservation: Lower East Side Tenement Museum, New York, New York
Conservation: Shamwari Game Reserve, South Africa
Conservation: Chumbe Island Coral Park, Tanzania

For additional information about Tourism Cares for Tomorrow, please go to http://www.tourismcares.org/.