BGTW ANNOUNCE 2007 TOURISM AWARDS

11 November 2007

A self-sustaining tourism project in five very poor, very remote villages in north India…the restoration of a perfect royal palace…and the ultimate green challenge to get you on your bike – in Paris – are the winners of the British Guild of Travel Writers’ (BGTW) prestigious 2007 Tourism Awards. They were selected from finalists in three categories, nominated by BGTW members, in recognition of both their strong tourism potential and benefits to the local community and environments. The winners were announced at the BGTW’s Annual Gala Dinner held on 11 November, the eve of World Travel Market at the Savoy Hotel, London. This year, the dinner was sponsored by Air Malta, Malta Tourism Authority and the Hotel Fortina Spa Resort.

The Paris Velib won the coveted Globe Award for the best major tourism project worldwide that attracts more than a quarter of a million visitors a year. Anthony Lambert who nominated the project said: “Is there any better way to explore a city than by bike? You can cover the ground more quickly in boring bits, never feel disinclined to stop to look at something interesting, and you work up a healthy appetite for dinner. It saves going to the hotel gym, causes no pollution – and now in Paris it’s virtually free.”

In July the city set up 750 Vélib stations and there’ll be 1500 by the end of the year, with 20,600 bikes. Computer terminals at Velib stations have a choice of 8 languages and you can have a one- or seven-day subscription, costing just €1 or €5. You choose a bike from those on the screen and away you go.

The award for the Best Overseas Tourism Project went to Village Ways which presented five very remote mountain villages in northern India with the unimaginable idea that they could have their own tourist business. Peter Hughes who proposed the project said, “If ever you wonder what you're doing toiling in the crowded, polluting world of travel, think of Village Ways. It will restore your faith in tourism.”

Since the villages have been given the wherewithal to make a tourism business a reality, they have begun operating walking holidays in the hills below the high Himalayas amid the unforgettable scenery of Uttarakhand. The villagers themselves built the guesthouses with solar heated running water, showers and flush loos. Walkers, accompanied by guides, trek between them, their luggage carried by porters. This single project supports a hundred families.

The restoration of Kew Palace won the best UK Tourism Award. Jointly nominated by Kathy Arnold and Paul Wade, this project is a showcase for the curators, conservators and craftspeople who make Britain’s heritage a magnet for tourism. The joint nominators said, “It now looks just as it did in 1805, and researchers have ensured its authenticity. A mix of limewash and red brick dust provides preservation and authentic colour. The original 200-year-old paint colours were found under door locks and in the royal 18th-century doll's house, a miniature version of the Palace.”

Runners-up in the three categories were:

The Globe Award for the best major tourism project worldwide

• Historic Jamestowne, Virginia
• The regeneration of Cancun after Hurricane Wilma

The Best Overseas Tourism Project

• The Balkans Peace Park Project
• Aquacity in Slovakia’s High Tatras Mountains

The Best UK Tourism Project

• The Household Cavalry Museum, Whitehall
• The Majestic Line to Scotland’s Western Isles

– ENDS –

Note to Editor: Photographs of the awards presentation can be downloaded from www.simply-photography.co.uk.

Founded in 1960, the British Guild of Travel Writers is an association of over 270 professional writers, editors, photographers, producers, radio and television presenters involved in the world of travel.

For further information contact:

Anna Selby
BGTW
Tel: 0207 740 6447