Royal Accomodation Award 2006
| Release date | 21/07/2008 |
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| Contributor | cupceant |
European accommodations awarded for their sustainability performanceFrom 60 facilities in 15 European countries, a prominent jury of sustainable tourism experts have selected 22 finalists to the award, and eventually the five winners. These have all demonstrated major achievements towards more sustainable development in the tourism industry, including highly innovative measures to minimize their environmental impacts. 
All nominees for the Royal Accommodation Award for Sustainable Tourism 2006 demonstrate an excellent picture of innovation regarding sustainable development in the major sectors of the tourism industry, said Stefanos Fotiou, Tourism Programme Officer of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), also member of the jury. 
The winner in the category Hotel & Guesthouse was Hotel Mürz Spa Wellness & Golf, in Bad Fussing, Germany. Among a huge variety of sustainability initiatives the hotel is equipped with an ecological swimming pond without need of chemical water purification additives. 
From far up in the north of Sweden, Grövelsjöns Fjällstation won the award for their innovative geothermal heating system. This unique technology is being used in an area covered with snow for most of the year. In addition this mountain lodge is providing organic cooking and ecotouristic excursions. 
For further details regarding the Accommodation Awards, its promotors and winners, download flyer here (pdf - 3 mb). The Royal Accomodation Award for Sustainable Tourism 2006You run a hotel, group accomodation, bed and breakfast or camping site?You wish to raise your competitiveness and sustainability? You wish to be promoted as good practice business to tour operators in Europe? Royal Awards for Sustainability and ECOTRANS received a big number of high quality applications to the "Royal Accomodation Awards for Sustainable Tourism". Out of these, 60 where pre-nominated by their certificates presented below. All the 60 pre-nominated applicants will be presented as Good-Practices in our web-site, as well as in DestiNet, the Sustainable Tourism Information Portal of European Environment Agency (EEA) http://destinet.ewindows.eu.org/. Applicants for The Royall Accomodation Award for Sustainable Tourism 2006
More information:Download announcement in English (pdf, 662 kb)Download announcement in German (pdf, 661 kb) When: Deadline for application: 15th OF JULY 2006. The award ceremony will be held in the autumn 2006. For any ad-hoc question please don't hesitate to contact Mrs. Eva HAAS, ECOTRANS, at eva.haas@ecotrans.de or phone +49 (0)681 374679. In partnership with the European project “TourBench” and ECOTRANS: 
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European destinations awarded for their sustainability performance
During the recent Sustainable Tourism Conference at St. Andrews, Scotland addressing sustainable tourism development, European tourism destinations were recognized and awarded the “Royal Destination Award for Sustainable Tourism, 2007”. Prominent delegates from all over Europe welcomed the winning destination Fiskars Village from Finland and the two other finalists: Pielach Valley from Austria and Cairngorms National Park from Scotland, United Kingdom.
Tourism accounts for around 10% of the world’s economic activity and has become one of the main generators of employment. It has a major impact on natural and built environments and on the wellbeing and culture of host populations.
These effects can be positive or negative, depending on how tourism is developed and managed. The nominated destinations from all over Europe demonstrated how a sustainable tourism approach is helping to avoid negative effects and maximise the positive, thus being crucial to the survival and future development of all tourism in today’s world, emphasized Franco Ianniello, Head of Tourism Unit, DG Enterprise, European Commission.
From more than 20 destinations in 13 European countries, a prominent jury of sustainable tourism experts nominated 15 applicants selected 3 finalists to the award, and eventually the winner. All nominees will be published on DestiNet, the Sustainable Tourism Information Portal of the European Environment Agency, as examples of good practice.
All nominees for the Royal Destination Award for Sustainable Tourism 2007 demonstrate major achievements and an excellent picture of innovation regarding sustainable development in the major sectors of the tourism industry, said Eugenio Yunis, Head of the Department for Sustainable Development of Tourism of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), also member of the jury. But in the end the tourists themselves will make the most significant contribution by selecting one of these destinations for their next holiday stay.
Besides the honour of being recognized for their efforts towards sustainability, the winner received a statue and a certificate, handed over by the prominent representatives of the European Commission and the UNWTO.
The statue, named Oikos is very exclusive, but also symbolic, the Executive Director of the Royal Awards, Professor Mikael Backman explained. It demonstrates on one hand the huge impact of mankind on earth’s environment, and on the other hand the worried and innovative human being that has to find the solution to these problems.
The winner of the Royal Destination Award for Sustainable Tourism 2007 is Fiskars Village from Finland. Among a huge variety of sustainability initiatives Fiskars Village was awarded for excellent performance with regard to sustainable tourism development, with special attention to destination management as well as economic viability and local prosperity at destination level.
The other finalist was Pielach Valley – Tal der Dirndl, from Austria, for very good performance with regard to sustainable tourism development, with special attention to environmental quality as well as cultural richness and physical integrity at destination level.
Cairngorms National Park, in Scotland, United Kingdom become finalist for very good performance with regard to sustainable tourism development, with special attention to providing a safe, satisfying and fulfilling experience for visitors as well as assuring high level of environmental quality at the destination.
The Royal Awards for Sustainability Foundation was initiated by the European Environment Agency in 1996, to promote sustainable development by rewarding excellent performance and best practice. The Royal Awards are protected by his Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Felipe of Spain.
The Royal Destination Award for Sustainable Tourism 2007 - background
For the first time ever in Europe Royal Awards for Sustainability together with the European project DestiLink will show the state-of-art of the tourism destinations with their diverse contributions to sustainable tourism development in Europe.
The overall aim of handing out a destination award is to recognise destinations engaged in outstanding and innovative sustainable practices and to stimulate the adoption of good sustainable practice and development at a destination level.
It is also the aim to raise the public profile of the need for improving sustainable practice in tourism, and to engage tourist commerce and industry in sustainable development as a means of delivering better business, and finally to encourage dialogue between the doers.
Three nominees, from geographical Europe, will be chosen and invited to the award ceremony, where the winner will be announced. The Best Practice examples from the three nominees will be distributed to relevant target groups via international sustainable tourism platforms and networks.
Together with Royal Awards for Sustainability, DestiLink is co-organising a high- profile conference: "Sustainable Tourism – the Agenda for Destinations”. The conference and the award ceremony will be held on 13th April 2007 in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland.
It is estimated that the event will attract more than 200 international delegates, who are offered to exhibit promotional material at Fairmont St. Andrews, Scotland. Different marketing packages, including accommodation and meals, are available for international delegates from relevant organisations and companies. To obtain further information on the venue, prices and special offers on available marketing packages, please contact Marta Reevesmarr, Marketing Officer at FCCT on +44 1592 656080 or by email: Marta.reevesmarr@fife.gov.uk.
Download call for participation here (pdf, 300 k)
Download entry form here (pdf, 28 k) or here (MS Word, 184 k)
Time Frame
The award ceremony will be held on the 13th of April 2007 in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland.
How to enroll
Entrants are available to enrol electronically on www.tourismaward.net, where criteria and application forms can be downloaded.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: 15th February 2007
Former awards on sustainable tourism
Calvia 2003
Best private initiative:Winner of the private initiatives was project VISIT submitted by ECOTRANS in Germany. In 2000 there were approximately 40 regional, national and international ecolabels for Tourism in Europe. The project wishes to demonstrate how tourism ecolabels in Europe can be an effective instrument in moving the tourism industry and consumers towards a more sustainable behaviour. The steps and objectives are among others to make an assessment in Europe on ecolabels and develop a set of key indicators for sustainable tourism development. The development of a standard for ecolabels for tourism will facilitate the identification of reliable ecolabels and thereby avoid misleading the consumer. The very well arranged ceremony gathered 160 people from the tourist industry, participating finalists, NGO’s, local governmental and environmental institutions, all enjoying the ceremonial dinner in the exhibition hall of Calvía City Council and the awarding of statuettes to the winners. The President of the Regional Government of the Baleric Ilands Mr. Francesc Antich and the Major of Calvia Ms. Margarita Nájera delivered the statuettes. Besides the two winners the 5 other finalists were given a diploma and the rest of the participants will receive a certificate of participation.
European Environment Agency, Kongens Nytorv 6, 1050 Copenhagen K, Denmark - Phone: +45 3336 7100 
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