Saint Petersburg (TAN): The Spanish city of San Sebastian has won the 2019 World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) prize for Public Policy and Governance at a ceremony held during the 23rd Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in St Petersburg, Russian Federation. The 15th edition of the awards was attended by leaders and delegates of the global tourism sector.
The award ceremony aimed to celebrate tangible and sustainable improvements in policy, processes, and governance. A jury committee made up of eight tourism experts from the public sector, private companies and universities, announced St Petersburg San Sebastian’s “Love San Sebastian, Live Donastia” initiative as the top winner. Canada, Colombia, India, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the Philippines were also shortlisted for their initiatives.
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“Community Impact by V Resorts”, an initiative of V Resorts under the aegis of Bliss Inns Ltd, India, won the top award in the Enterprises category, while Fundación Once from Spain won the award for the best NGO.
Announcing the awards, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “These Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism celebrate our sector at its very best. I congratulate San Sebastian for showing how tourism can be effectively managed to be sustainable and an effective tool for promoting and protecting local cultural heritage.”
Portugal takes first Accessible Tourism Destinations top award
Organized by UNWTO in partnership with the Spanish NGO ONCE, the Accessible Tourism Destinations (ATD) initiative is launched in this 15th edition of the UNWTO awards. Turismo Portugal was awarded the first international distinction of Accessible Tourism Destination (ATD2019), for its outstanding efforts to make its tourism infrastructure, services and products more accessible nation-wide. This initiative is directed to recognise those destinations that are making laudable efforts so that they can be enjoyed by all tourists, regardless of their physical, sensory or cognitive abilities.
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Destino Barcelona (Spain) was conferred a special mention as an exceptional urban tourism destination, while the city of Thrissur in Kerala (India) received a special mention as an emerging destination on the global accessible tourism market. The Expert Committee, gathering some of the most acknowledged international experts in universal accessibility in tourism and Design for All, included representatives of destinations, consumers, travel and tourism industries, Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs) and international bodies.
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Initiatives from Canada, Colombia, India, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the Philippines made it to the list of finalists for 2019 s UNWTO Awards, ranging from community-based tourism development and innovation-driven nature conservation to heritage tourism and promotion of accessible tourism.