New Zealand has won a global award for responsible tourism,
as well as an award for "best destination".
Judges in the contest, sponsored by Virgin Holidays, lauded
the country for developing a tourism strategy which helped to
make destinations better places to live and visit.
Launched in 2004, the awards are run in association World
Travel Market, The Daily Telegraph, Geographical
Magazine and BBC World News.
At a ceremony in London, New Zealand also took the best
destination award for its national, strategic approach to
responsible tourism, The Telegraph newspaper
reported.
The judges said New Zealand had set an example.
"If more national governments followed their example, tourism
would make a much more positive contribution around the
world."
New Zealand proved it was possible to develop a national
strategy which used tourism to help make better places to
live and to visit.
NZ was given the "best destination" award for developing
anintegrated approach to tourism development at the national
level and managing it: identifying and then attracting those
tourists who contributed most to the economy.
The industry formerly set numerical targets such as aiming
for three million visitors a year but now focussed on yield,
spreading the benefits of tourism and fully integrating
environmental issues into its quality standard.
