Monday, May 23, 2011

Tourism for Tomorrow Awards Winners Unveiled

The winners of this year's Tourism for Tomorrow Awards were announced during a special welcome dinner that took place at the opening ceremony of the Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Las Vegas on 17 May, organised by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards recognise those leading organisations that have gone the extra mile to demonstrate sustainable tourism best practices in their philosophy, strategy and operations.
Government figures and company leaders were present as winners and finalists were honoured for their pioneering achievements in advancing sustainability to a higher level in the Travel & Tourism industry, including protecting the environment, support for culture heritage preservation, and helping to generate future employment.

As sustainable tourism increasingly gains momentum around the world, organisations and destinations are raising the bar on best practices to new heights. Winners of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards representing three continents, from Africa, to Europe and Australia, were selected for their outstanding achievements in four categories, narrowed down from 12 finalists and over 180 Award entries from more than 60 countries.

Singita Pamushana in Zimbabwe won theConservation Award for its successful partnership with the local Malilangwe Trust in helping rehabilitate and protect 122,789 acres of degraded wildlife habitat that had suffered from years of poaching. Today, the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve includes 38 different habitats that are home to four percent of all bird species in the world, along with rare and endangered animals including black rhino, white rhino, Lichtensteins hartebeest and African wild dogs, among other wildlife. The lodge and the Trust employ over 200 staff, almost all local Zimbabweans, while providing drinkable, clean borehole water and a nutritional outreach programme to more than 10,000 villagers in the area.

Guludo Beach Lodge in Mozambique won theCommunity Benefit Award for having demonstrated direct and tangible benefits to local people, a strong contribution to community development and enhancement of cultural heritage in the area. Situated in the Quirimbas National Park, Northern Mozambique, Guludo Beach Lodge opened in 2006 in one of Mozambique's most deprived areas. Through its non-profit charity, Nema Foundation, Guludo works with 16 local communities to implement grassroots projects based on the UN Millennium Development Goals, including malaria eradication, clean drinking water, primary healthcare and rural agriculture production.

Alpine Pearls, a non-profit organisation headquartered in Austria won the Destination Stewardship Award , having successfully demonstrated sustainable tourism management at a regional destination level. To ease heavy traffic congestion in one of Europe's most popular tourism areas - the Alpine communities of Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and France - the 24 member Pearls network has developed an innovative approach to providing sustainable transport between villages, including solar powered electric vehicles, low carbon public transport and free use of bicycles for tourists who leave their cars behind. The network also embraces and promotes Alpine folklore, culture and cuisine. By moving guests around its resorts sustainably, Alpine Pearls is successfully addressing one of the most challenging environmental conundrums faced by travel professionals worldwide.

Intrepid Travel in Australia won the Global Tourism Business Award for having demonstrated best practices in sustainable tourism at a large company level. Intrepid Travel is a group experiential tour operator that takes approximately 100,000 travellers to 130 countries each year. In addition to fair trade sourcing of their supply chain and environmentally-friendly practices such as measuring, reducing and auditing their carbon emissions at 30 global offices, the non-profit Intrepid Foundation also actively supports health care, education, human rights, child welfare, and sustainable development in the areas Intrepid Travel visits.

The Tourism for Tomorrow Winners underwent a rigorous four-step judging process with an international team of 22 independent judges, led by Costas Christ, a leading expert on sustainable tourism. After all Award entries were received by WTTC, they were carefully reviewed and finalists were selected, followed by an on-site inspection, including local meetings with project stakeholders. The selection of winners was carried out by a committee; Keith Bellows, Editor-in-Chief, National Geographic Traveler, USA; Costas Christ, Chairman of Judges, WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, USA; Lindsay Garbutt, CEO, Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation & Culture, Belize; Fiona Jeffery, Chairman, World Travel Market & Just A Drop, UK; and Robin Tauck, Owner, Tauck World Discoveries & R. Tauck & Partners, USA.

Costas Christ, Chairman of Judges, WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, commented "We are entering a new era where sustainable tourism principles and practices are no longer represented by a handful of well-meaning companies. Instead, sustainability itself has emerged as an indicator of tourism quality, alongside traditional quality standards such as excellent guest services. Sustainable tourism is here to stay, and it continues to demonstrate new levels of accomplishment each year."
Commenting on their achievements, David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC, explained: "Following a dramatic expansion of sustainable best practices in Travel & Tourism, there are still many challenges that need to be addressed in this area. Today's winners, representing the very best, have all gone the extra mile in addressing these challenges. Through their tremendous efforts and innovations, they have demonstrated the vital role of responsible tourism in economic development."
He added: "A key part of WTTC's mission is to promote long-term prosperity and growth while balancing economics, cultures and our environment."

Each winner will be invited to submit case studies to be featured on WTTC's Best Practice Gateway, the world's first online library for best practice in sustainability in Travel & Tourism (www.wttc.org).
Last year's winners included Botswana Tourism Board in the Destination Stewardship category, Emirates Hotels & Resorts, UAE, in the Conservation category, Whale Watch Kaikoura Ltd, New Zealand, in the Community Benefit category and Accor, France & Global in the Global Tourism Business category.

The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are organised in association with Travelport and the Travel Corporation's Conservation Foundation.

Monday, May 16, 2011

The Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas

The Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada Closes
Causing More than 1,000 Employees to Lose their Jobs


By Stephen Ceasar, Los Angeles TimesMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News
May 16, 2011--REPORTING FROM LAS VEGAS -- As a valet opened her car door, Martha Gallardo stepped out, glanced up and caught a gleam of afternoon sunlight bouncing off the iconic Sahara sign above her. 

"I've never been here, but it's beautiful," she told the valet. "It's a shame that it's closing."
Gallardo, of Henderson, Nev., said she wanted to see the venerable casino and pay her respects before it vanished. 

The Moroccan-themed hotel and casino closes Monday, ending a 59-year run. Once a hangout for Elvis Presley and the Beatles, the resort was stricken in recent years by the recession.
In its heyday, the Sahara was a favorite haunt of the Frank Sinatra-led Rat Pack, featuring Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., who also performed there. The resort even had a cameo in the original "Ocean's Eleven" movie. 

In 2007, Los Angeles nightclub impresario Sam Nazarian took over and vowed to reinvigorate the property. But in March, his company, SBE Entertainment, announced that continuing business was "no longer economically viable."
More than 1,000 employees will lose their jobs, including Rick Fidone, a valet who has worked at the Sahara for five years. 

"I've got nothing lined up," said Fidone, 53. "And I've looked all over -- hold on."
He ran off to retrieve a guest's SUV. 

Returning, breathing more heavily, he continued: "It's all about helping the people; we're not taking it out on them. We still give them the proper courtesy."
Through the front doors, gamblers huddled around $1 blackjack tables or hovered at the penny slots. The overhead chandeliers no longer evoked luxury, but retained a bit of the luster from better times. 

Curious tourists snapped photos of the rows of darkened slot machines that led to the NASCAR Cafe. To the chagrin of some who passed by, the still-advertised topless show was already covered up -- closed, that is. 

At the Oasis Bar, Jay Rydell struggled to fill drink orders. The liquor was running low and there was no sense in buying more, he said. Not much wine left either.
He smiled for a co-worker's camera, then dropped an empty beer bottle into a trash can.
"It's so sad," he said. "There's going to be a lot of tears." 

A Las Vegas bartender for 32 years, Rydell has been at the Sahara for eight. And to his practiced eye, the clientele here differed from the other hotels on the Strip. "No glitz, no glamour -- real people as far as I'm concerned," he said with a hint of pride.
Nearby, a gaggle of middle-aged men in swim trunks stared longingly through locked glass doors to the pool, near a black and white photograph of a young Elizabeth Taylor lounging poolside. 

At a souvenir shop, the only merchandise left with the Sahara name were playing cards, $1.75 for a deck. Johnny Santia, 38, of San Pedro bought 12 decks. He'd come to say goodbye to a legend. 

"The Sahara has the mystique of the old Vegas," Santia said. "You have to respect your elders."
Back at the Oasis bar, a handful of employees gathered to share a last drink or two.
One cocktail waitress, a 40-year veteran of the Sahara, joined them after changing for the last time out of her revealing getup. She alternated between sips of white wine and long drags on a cigarette. 

Other employees trickled by, taking pictures and saying their goodbyes.
Another bartender, Joyce Jaskowiak, finished her last shift, donned a Chicago Cubs jersey and drank scotch as she watched a ballgame.
As he walked by, another bartender shouted to nobody in particular, "I can't believe what I'm seeing!" 

"You're seeing it, all right," Rydell responded somberly. 

The cocktail waitress, who didn't want to give her name, took one last drag on the cigarette and pushed it into an ashtray atop a deactivated bar slot machine.
She hugged a few co-workers, said goodbye and walked away. A dying spiral of smoke wafted from the cigarette butt, and the slot machine screen continued flashing the words: "Out of Service. Out of Service."