Initiatives from Portugal, Spain, India and Indonesia winners of UNWTO Awards for Innovation in Tourism

PR No.: 18005

Turismo de Portugal I.P (Portugal), Ecotourism Trust (India), Tryponyu (Indonesia) and SEGITTUR (Spain) are the winners of the 14th Edition of the UNWTO Awards for Innovation in Tourism. Fourteen projects among 128 applicants from 55 countries were selected as finalists of the 14th UNWTO Awards for Innovation in Tourism.

The winning projects, divided into four categories - Public Policy and Governance, Research and Technology, Enterprises, and Non-governmental Organizations –, have been announced at the UNWTO Awards Ceremony held tonight in Madrid at the International Tourism Trade Fair in Spain (FITUR).

“Today we honour the vision and commitment of individuals, administrations, companies and organizations that every day build a better future by harnessing the potential of tourism. The work of all the finalists of the 14 UNWTO Awards on Innovation is an inspiration to all of us”, underlined UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, in his opening remarks.

Attended by nearly 500 participants from different countries, the UNWTO Awards Ceremony, co-organized by IFEMA|FITUR, emphasized how the tourism community has embraced sustainable and innovative approaches.

The UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism are held annually to highlight and promote the work of organizations and individuals around the world that have impacted the tourism sector. Their achievements have served as an inspiration for competitive and sustainable tourism development and the promotion of the values of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The 14^th Edition of the UNWTO Awards was organized in collaboration with the International Tourism Trade Fair in Spain (IFEMA/FITUR) and supported by:

- The Macao Government Tourism Office

- The National Secretariat of Tourism of Paraguay-Itaipu Binacional

- The Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Argentina

- The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism in Colombia

- The Ministry of Tourism of Ecuador

- Wonderful Indonesia

- The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority; and

- National Geographic

List of Awardees of the 14^th UNWTO Awards for Innovation

Category	Organization	Project	Country	Post
Category	Organization	Project	Country	Post
Public Policy and Governance	Turismo de Portugal I.P	Tourism Training Talent (TTT)	Portugal	Winner
	Ente de turismo de la ciudad de Buenos Aires	MiBarrio applied research Project	Argentina	Second Prize
	Management Committee of Longmen Grottoes World Cultural Heritage Park	“Internet + Longmen” action plan	China	Third Prize
Enterprises	Ecotourism Trust	Conservation and Livelihoods: Community managed ecotourism, MANGALAJODI	India	Winner
	Valle dei Cavalieri	Community and Resilience: two villages tackle depopulation	Italy	Second Prize
	Balesin Island Club	Three-Pillar innovation Initiative	Philippines	Second Prize
	Great Plains Conservation and the Great Plains Conservation Foundation	Conserving and expanding natural habitats	Botswana and Kenya	Third Prize
Non-Governmental Organizations	Triponyu.com	Connecting people through local experiences	Indonesia	Winner
	Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda	Strengthening community tourism	México	Second Prize
	The Sumba Hospitality Foundation	Educating and empowering local communities for Sustainable tourism futures	Indonesia	Third Prize
	Associazione YODA	IT.A.CÁ- Migrants and Travelers, Festival of Responsible Tourism	Italy	Third Prize
Research and Technology	SEGITTUR	Smart Tourism System (SIT)	Spain	Winner
	EarthCheck	Building Planning and Design Standard (BPDS)	Australia	Second Prize
	Croatian National Tourism Board	eVisitor- Croatian national tourist information sysem	Croatia	Third Prize