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.

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."

Hotel News

Elfiq Networks Releases Key White Paper on Hospitality Internet Access

Leading link balancer manufacturer publishes a document to help hoteliers plan
and deploy Internet access for corporate and guest networks based on extensive site
surveys of deployed bandwidth at 216 properties

Montreal, Canada (5/3/2011) — Elfiq Networks, the manufacturer of the most innovative link balancer and bandwidth management solutions on the market today, has just published a new white paper discussing the boardroom topic of high speed Internet access (HSIA) management for the hospitality sector. “We surveyed 216 hotel sites for their bandwidth strategy to provide a reference point for the readers of this document,” said Jean Pascal Hebert, Vice President of Business Development at Elfiq Networks. “Now hoteliers have a way to compare their efforts with those of other organizations. Combined with the additional information contained in this white paper, decision makers can plan for immediate needs and the next few years and enhance the overall guest experience while keeping costs under control.” Elfiq Networks’ products enable organizations to use a diverse coexisting set of ISP carrier links, including low-cost and mobile carrier links, to ensure constant and reliable access to the Internet. With Internet access uptime and performance being a key requirement for guests, hoteliers need to proactively plan their HSIA projects and look towards the future. This white paper enables better decision making for such projects based on customer and industry metrics combined with recommended best practices. The Elfiq White Paper “An Executive’s Guide to Bandwidth: Information to Proactively Improve Bandwidth Management and Performance in the Hospitality Sector” is available now free of charge at www.elfiq.com/hospitalitywhitepaper. More information for this business sector is available at www.elfiq.com/hospitality. Elfiq Networks’ link balancers enable organizations to utilize multiple concurrent ISP circuits to prevent Internet connectivity downtime and improve overall access performance. With more Internet-based applications and services being used in organizations every day, proper access to the Internet has become a critical asset for normal business operations, where loss of connectivity or ISP link saturation can result in lost revenue.

Hotelier Tips

The Importance of the Hotel Bar

By Richard N Williams

There is no single thing that makes a good hotel. Good service, clean spacious rooms and a decent restaurant are a must, and while many of the top hotels around the world are packed with swimming pools, gyms and spas, these are not the things most people want from a good hotel.

Any businessman, salesperson or weekend guest, just wants somewhere clean, friendly and welcoming to lay their head of an evening. However, there is one thing that most customers expect of any hotel, no matter the size, rating or location - a good hotel bar.

No matter what the size of hotel, guest house or bed and breakfast, you should never underestimate the importance of the hotel bar. It doesn't matter if you don't have the space or resources for a pool, spa or gym, every hotel, no matter the size needs a good well equipped hotel bar.

Having somewhere to relax and perhaps have a chat with other guests is all part of the hotel experience and most guests make use of the hotel bar at some point in their stay.

You don't need a large cocktail bar equipped with every imaginable drink either. If you only have a small space you can still run a good and inviting bar in your hotel just by remembering a few things when you are setting it up.

Ensure the bar is well stocked. Not having enough drinks is a mortal sin for anyone running a bar so ensure you have enough in. You don't need a vast array or beers wines and spirits either. If you are running a small bar stick to the basics. As long as you have the basic beers, spirits and a couple of good wines there will be something for everybody.

Make sure you have a good bar equipment supplier. Making sure you have enough glasses, cork screws and other bar equipment is just as important as ensuring you have enough drinks. Its a good idea when setting up a hotel bar to choose a bar equipment supplier who has a good range of stock as no matter how ell prepared you are, you may never no what you may need in the future so having a hotel and bar equipment supplier you can trust is important.

Richard N Williams is interested in bar and hotel supplies. Please visit us website if you are interested in a equipment for bars or other Hotel and bar equipment.