Slovakia Hosts First Green World Travel Awards

16th October 2008 - London

A new European and Green Awards Ceremony for the international travel and tourism industry is to be hosted by Slovakia.

World Travel Awards European and Green Awards Ceremony takes place in one of the greenest places on earth – AquaCity, the luxurious Slovakian resort in Poprad, which is almost completely self-powered.

Using geothermal water and energy from the sun, AquaCity in Poprad is to host to the ceremony on 16th October 2008.

Graham E. Cooke, Founder and President of World Travel Awards, which this year celebrates its 15th birthday, said that AquaCity was chosen for this important event for the travel industry because it is the perfect green venue.

“The resort saves around 27 tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere each day, compared with a traditional resort burning conventional fossil fuels”, explained Cooke.

“In addition to minimising the carbon footprint of guests, using renewable energy sources also saves millions of euros in conventional energy costs, reducing holiday prices and offering travellers the unusual combination of affordable, green luxury.”

Cooke said that World Travel Awards, often described as the ‘Oscars’ of the travel industry, had built its global reputation on helping to encourage quality in every dimension of the customer offering, as well as excellent business performance.

“Contrary to what some people still believe, green tourism can increase business efficiency, cut energy costs, increase customer and staff satisfaction plus create that all-important feel good factor for both the business and visitors”, he said.

The awards will not only reveal the most sustainable international green travel companies and organisations, but also Europe’s top tourism brands, destinations and resorts.

There are ten overall categories as well as for Africa, Asia, Australasia, Central America, Europe, Indian Ocean, Middle East, North America and South America.

In addition to the Green Awards, the European Awards will be unveiled on the same evening, creating a perfect environment for top business networking among some of the industry’s high calibre professionals.

“We wanted to combine the events to underline the crucial importance of quality in every aspect of travel”, continued Cooke. “Increasingly, responsible tourism is becoming a core part of every category of European travel product. Whether it is energy efficiency, conservation initiatives, waste management, community activities or water conservation, European consumers particularly are beginning to demand greater consideration to green issues as part of an essential travel programme. Announcing the winners of the Europe Awards and the Green Awards on the same night was the best way to highlight the massive change in public attitudes.

A total of 50 countries have been nominated in the Europe Awards with 34 overall categories, including airlines, airports, hotels, car hire, casino resorts, cruise lines, destinations, spas and tourist board.
Thousands of travel agents and travel industry professionals vote each year to decide the winners of World Travel Awards.

The event is part of World Travel Awards Grand Tour, culminating with the final in December, which this year is being held in Turks & Caicos.

All nominations for the World Travel Awards European and Green Ceremony 2008 can be found by logging on to www.worldtravelawards.com.

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For further press information please contact:
Cristina Onodi, World Travel Awards:
T: +44 (0)20 7925 0000 /ext. 6675
E: [email protected]



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