Source: East African Business Week
March 28, 2011
By Emma Onyango
KAMPALA, UGANDA - Budongo Ecotourism development project has been nominated among the 12 finalists for the upcoming 'Tourism for tomorrow' Awards scheduled for May 17 - 19 in Las Vegas, United States.
March 28, 2011
By Emma Onyango
KAMPALA, UGANDA - Budongo Ecotourism development project has been nominated among the 12 finalists for the upcoming 'Tourism for tomorrow' Awards scheduled for May 17 - 19 in Las Vegas, United States.
The 12 finalists are drawn from 186 entries from over 60 countries carrying the flag for sustainable success.
The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards is an annual event organised by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in association with Travelport and the Travel Corporation's Conservation Foundation. The awards recognize achievements among businesses and destinations across the full spectrum of the travel and tourism industry globally.
Budongo Ecotourism project is nominated in the 'Conservation' category alongside Fregate Island Private, Seychelles and Singita Pamushana, Zimbabwe. The finalists in this category are credited for making tangible contributions to the preservation of nature, including the protection of wildlife, expanding and restoring natural habitat, and supporting biodiversity conservation.
This is the most sought after award in sustainable tourism as it promotes tourism while at the same time conserving the attractions as well providing benefits to the community around, according to Mr. Chris Seek the President of Solimar International, a firm supporting Global Development through Sustainable Tourism.
The mere nomination of a project or destination at these prestigious awards goes a long way in boosting that destination's image globally as the finalists of the 2011 Awards will be publicly recognised and will meet government and industry leaders at the Awards ceremony, receive outstanding International media exposure as a result of WTTC's extensive media partnerships, be endorsed by a panel of judges comprising internationally acclaimed experts in sustainable tourism and be invited to submit case studies to be featured on WTTC's Best Practice Gateway; the world's first online library of case studies for showcasing best practices in sustainability.
The Budongo Eco Tourism project has two areas namely; Busingiro Eco tourism site and Kaniyo Pabidi These are sustainable tourism projects revamped by the Jane Goodall Institute after the structures at the sites had been run down.
The Jane Goodall Institute gave a grant of $350,000 of which $135,000 was for infrastructural development while a fraction of the funds went into training guides. The site is currently operated under a tripartite agreement between Great Lakes Safaris, Jane Goodall Institute and the National Forestry Authority (NFA).
Great Lakes Safaris, a private tour and guide operator was given a standard 25year standard renewable lease by the NFA, according to Amos Wekesa the Director of the tour company. He also added that since the handover, his company has invested about Ugshs150m ($65,215) and plans to invest an additional $500,000 for a new lodge that will be about 2 kilometres from the current site. He also said that Budongo Eco tourism site has a minimum foot print and uses nature for the running of several activities and this could be the reason as to why the site was nominated for the awards.
The site also employs about 95% of the locals, as tour guides.
