The Caiman Ecological Refuge, located in the Brazilian Pantanal region (state of Mato Grosso do Sul), will represent Brazil as a finalist in the WTTC’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, aimed at organizations and establishments that adopt best environmental practices.
The awardees are selected based on their efforts towards biodiversity conservation, protection of natural habitats, and combating climate change, among other criteria. The Refuge will compete in the ‘Environment Award’ category with two other competitors (one from the United Kingdom and one from Indonesia).
Considered the largest award for responsible tourism, the Tourism for Tomorrow is organized annually by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
The winners will be announced at the end of April during the annual WTTC summit, which this year will take place on April 26 and 27 in Bangkok.
For Vinicius Lummertz, president of the Brazilian Tourism Institute (Embratur), the nomination confirms that Brazil is already seen as a strong hub worldwide in the green tourism sector and is aligned with sustainable actions adopted by large global companies.
“In addition to minimizing negative environmental and socio-cultural impacts, the responsible consumption of tourism services generates economic benefits for local communities and the surrounding areas of these destinations, as is the case with the Caiman Ecological Refuge,” Lummertz pointed out.
Brazil was also represented in the 2014 edition of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. Bonito (state of Mato Grosso do Sul) was a finalist in the Destination category, finishing second behind Costa Navarino (Greece).
Source: BrazilGovnews