TUI presents International Environment Award in Tenerife to the Instituto de Túrismo Responsable and the Loro Parque Fundación
TUI International Environment Award 2006: Instituto de Turismo Responsable
TUI International Environment Award 2006: Loro Parque Fundación
Hanover/Tenerife, May 29, 2006: This year’s TUI International Environment Award goes to two organisations in Tenerife. The accolade, which is accompanied by a prize worth in each case 10,000 euros, is awarded to the Instituto de Túrismo Responsable (ITR) and the Loro Parque Fundación. “Both initiatives in their own special way protect nature and the environment, biological and cultural diversity, and therefore directly and indirectly benefit this island and its population, increasing the future opportunities for Tenerife,” stated Dr. Michael Iwand, Director of Group Environmental Management at TUI AG, praising the commitment and efforts shown by the two prizewinners.
In his speech at the presentation of the award in the capital of Tenerife he singled out the ITR’s programmatic approach to the biosphere, its system of continuous improvement for holiday hotels and its extremely effective international dialogue on tourism, sustained development and cultural diversity at world level as reasons for its receipt of the award. He continued that the Loro Parque Fundación deserved the accolade in particular for its worldwide projects and domestic research programmes on the protection and maintenance of threatened species and biological diversity. Exceptional private financial expenditures had made this possible, along with masterful communication and educational efforts in connection with sustained quality tourism.
TUI’s International Environment Award, which was conferred for the first time in 1991, is presented to environmental and nature protection organisations or outstanding interregional initiatives which make a decisive and exemplary contribution to the protection and maintenance of nature and the environment in World of TUI holiday destinations. Past prizewinners have included local environmental initiatives from Turkey, Greece, Kenya and Minorca, as well as the “Blue Flag” campaign conducted by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps CIPRA, and EUROPARC, the Federation of Nature and National Parks of Europe.
Backgroundinformation
The Instituto de Túrismo Responsable (ITR), which is connected to UNESCO, was founded in 1995 with the aim of implementing measures and programmes for contributing to sustained development within the tourism industry. The ITR promotes touristic models which contribute effectively to the maintenance and protection of the cultural and natural heritage of the host destination regions.
www.biospherehotels.org
Loro Parque Fundación is a non-government, non-profit organisation. Since 1994 the Foundation has engaged in efforts worldwide to promote the preservation of threatened species of parrot and their habitats. Its head office is located in the Loro Parque, a leading zoological garden in Tenerife.
www.loroparque-fundacion.org
TUI AG comprises 79 tour operator brands in Europe with more than 21 million customers annually. The TUI Group has around 3,200 travel agencies, 35 incoming agencies and seven airlines with more than 100 aircraft. The portfolio of hotel interests encompasses 279 hotels with a total capacity of around 165,000 beds.
www.tui-group.com, www.tui-umwelt.com