In an attempt to define responsible travel as more than installing energy efficient light bulbs in hotels, several media companies created the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards. A collaboration between online travel directory responsibletravel.com, who founded and organize the Awards, and UK media partners The Daily Telegraph, Geographical Magazine and BBC World News, and World Travel Market, the awards recently named New Zealand as 2008’s overall winner “for proving that it is possible to develop a national strategy which uses tourism to help make better places to live and to visit.”

New Zealand is known for its incredible natural beauty, and the country attracts many visitors, but protecting such a diverse destination is just as important as promoting it. In regards to the efforts of New Zealand to advocate for responsible tourism, the panel of judges of the Responsible Tourism Awards said:

New Zealand has implemented many of the principles of the Cape Town Declaration on responsible tourism in destinations and demonstrated what national government can achieve – working with the private sector, local communities and local government – by harnessing tourism to benefit their people and their environment. If more national governments followed their example, tourism would make a much more positive contribution around the world.

Other countries, take note; sustainability and responsible tourism are going to be big talking points in 2009.