itbw09

2009 Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award
related: awards, biodiversity, indigenous, itbw forum: [|indigenous people] slideshare: [|presentation] flickr: [|itbw award 2009] free download: [|logo] editing: [|Tourism and Indigenous People]

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Winners have been announced for the Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award!

2009 WINNERS

 * **JURY AWARD** - The winner of the judged 2009 ITBW Award is [|Guurrbi Tours]. Runners up are [|Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre] and [|Nguna - Pele Marine Protected Area].

[|Guurrbi Tours] (Australia) is run by Nugal-warra story-keeper Willie Gordon who keeps his ancestral rock art alive by sharing its stories with guests near Cooktown, [|Queensland]. Highlights on the website are features on [|Aboriginal Art Conservation] and the [|Bama Way Map].

Guurrbi also uses a variety of social web tools to communicate with a wide audience, including potential visitors and local Aboriginal youth who otherwise had not come across Willie's work. Highlights include [|videos on YouTube] and a [|Facebook account] which links Willie to potential clients and to local Aboriginal youth.


 * Comments:**
 * The site is tastefully simple, informative and easy to navigate.
 * I enjoyed the Guurrbi News blog updates, photo galleries, and videos - to learn about Willie and the people he touches. I thought that these tools are being used effectively on the Guurrbi website to share Willie's storytelling experience online.
 * Guurrbi tours is unique in the world. Willie promotes greater understanding of Traditional indigenous australia in a special way, that goes beyond the surface, resulting in 'guests' examining their own lives and relationships with their fellow humans. || **POPULAR COUNT** - The winner of the popular count 2009 ITBW Award is Indigenous Trails. Runners-up are [|TIME Unlimited NZ Tours], [|Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre] and [|Nguna - Pele Marine Protected Area].

Indigenous Trails (New Zealand) holds strategic alliances with other Maori tourism operators, providing cultural travel experiences that are out of reach for most visitors to [|Aotearoa]. Highlights on the website include the company's policy promoting [|sustainability], [|responsible travel] and a review of [|Maori Legends].

Social Web highlights include [|videos on YouTube] and a [|gallery of photos on Flickr].


 * Comments:**
 * Indigenous Trails ... embodies the Indigenous values and create connections between the Indigenous people of NZ and all their clients. I still live on these personal interactions and experiences.
 * Through their volunteer program many young people get an unique insight on how the indigenous people in NZ live and work.
 * The design of web page seems represent well the Maori spiritual and earthy lifestyle projected as part of their tour. Our touring experience with this group was a learning experience with very positive results. ||

About the award
This initiative is a collaborative effort between [|Planeta.com] and the [|Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity] to showcase best practices in web-based technologies helping indigenous people manage tourism in a biodiversity-friendly way. More than 200 people made their selection. The award is presented to an indigenous tourism operation which has a website that promotes sustainable practices and educates visitors on cultural protocols and biodiversity conservation.

Applicants
The 15 nominees are indigenous-owned tourism businesses around the world. See below for descriptions, highlights and select Web 2.0 tools. It's a big ask, but take your time to check out each of these wonderful, unique operations. Be prepared to be surprised -- they are inspirational! [|Flickr] || [|Yes] || [|Language primer] || [|YouTube] [|Flickr] || [|Yes] || [|Bush creatures] [|Bama Way map] || [|Blog] [|Facebook] [|TripAdvisor] [|YouTube] || [|Yes] || [|Flickr] [|YouTube] || [|Yes] || [|Wildlife Trends] ||  ||   || [|Environmental policy] || [|Flickr] [|YouTube] [|Facebook] [|Twitter] || [|Yes] ||
 * || **Operation** || **Country** || **Highlights** || **Web 2.0** || **Award Logo** ||
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/3057355472_cb43b11347_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3057355472/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Bookabee Tours] is a family-owned business specializing in authentic Aboriginal experiences in Adelaide, South Australia and through the outback. || [|Australia] || [|Gallery] || [|Blog]
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3511/3188622073_85c408624a_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3188622073/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Chalalán Ecolodge] is located in tropical Bolivia. An Andean hotspot, the site hosts 45,000 different plant species and more than 1,000 tropical bird species. || [|Bolivia] || [|Five reasons to visit] || [|YouTube] ||  ||
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/3111126410_af47e679a9_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3111126410/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Great Spirit Circle Trail] encompasses eight First Nation communities on Manitoulin Island and the Sagamok region in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. || [|Canada] || [|Glossary]
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3508/3188620083_104ba1f9df_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3188620083/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Guurrbi Tours] is run by Nugal-warra story-keeper Willie Gordon who keeps his ancestral rock art alive by sharing its stories with guests near Cooktown, Queensland, Australia. || [|Australia] || [|Conservation]
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3399/3188621487_aaa49af74a_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3188621487/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Huit Huit Tours] offers a variety of eco-culture trips in Canada's Cape Dorset and the south Baffin region. Inuit art and culture are a focus of town tours. || [|Canada] || [|Guided trips] ||  ||   ||
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/3044008593_f9965c7688_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3044008593/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Indigenous Trails], based in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty, holds strategic alliances with other Maori tourism operators, providing cultural travel experiences that are out of reach for most visitors to Aotearoa. || [|New Zealand] || [|Maori legends] || [|Blog]
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/3010993311_4209e8df39_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3010993311/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|It's Wild! Bush Camps] is owned by the Mwanya and Chifunda communities in Zambia's Luangwa Valley through a program called Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO). || [|Zambia] || [|Watershed Protection]
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/3110294243_5da8a5740d_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3110294243/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Kapawi Amazon Ecolodge] is located in one of the most remote and well protected parts of the Ecuadorian Amazon deep in the nearly two million acres of the Achuar people’s territory || [|Ecuador] || [|Natural reserve and the Achuar] || [|Flickr] || [|Yes] ||
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/3044852534_07913ce24d_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3044852534/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Magic Mara Safaris] is named for the Maasai tribespeople and the Mara River which divides it in the Masai Mara, a large park reserve in south-western Kenya. || [|Kenya] || [|Cultural ecotourism] ||  ||   ||
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3433/3189466140_95787f937e_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3189466140/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Nguna - Pele Marine Protected Area] is an indigenous, organization made up of sixteen communities on two islands dedicated to the sustainable use and long-term existence of marine and terrestrial resources. || [|Vanuatu] || [|Coral mariculture] || [|YouTube] || [|Yes] ||
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/3044854874_a49f58c90e_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3044854874/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Ricancie] is an organization of nine Quichua-Communities in the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve on the Upper Río Napo offering an eco-tourism program and possibilities for cultural exchange. || [|Ecuador] || [|Research] ||  ||   ||
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/3010347467_eb2c97bb05_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3010347467/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Sani Lodge] is owned and operated by Sani Isla Kichwa community in Ecuador's Amazon. || [|Ecuador] || [|Amazon Biodiversity] || [|YouTube] ||  ||
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3478/3189466530_5d4d22be9b_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3189466530/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre] shares the cultural practices of coastal and interior salish peoples. The center offers personalized guided cultural tours,indigenous performance arts and language programming, ethnobotanical walks and indigenous culinary tastings. || [|Canada] ||  ||   || [|Yes] ||
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3056/3044850498_21137b74a3_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3044850498/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|TIME Unlimited NZ Tours and Travel] provides unique and high quality Auckland and Maori Cultural Tours. || [|New Zealand] || [|Maori interactive cultural experiences]
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/3010993819_09a91c76c6_s.jpg width="75" height="75" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/3010993819/in/set-72157606723170728/"]] || [|Tjapukai Aboriginal Culture Park] is located in Queensland, Australia. || [|Australia] || [|Our Culture Today] || [|YouTube] ||  ||

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Logo
The [|logo] for the Indigenous Tourism Website Award is available for download. Our only request is that you [|let us know] where the logo appears on your site and that the logo links directly to the award.

Small http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/2892237419/sizes/s/

Medium http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/2892237419/sizes/m/

Large http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/2892237419/sizes/l/

Background
The Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award has been designed in partnership with the [|Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD)] to motivate indigenous tourism operators and associations to improve their online communication and to highlight the best practices of indigenous and local communities (ILCs) managing tourism in a biodiversity-friendly way. The award is presented to an indigenous tourism operation for having a website that promotes sustainable practices and educates visitors on cultural protocols and biodiversity conservation.

The Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award is part of a larger initiative by the [|Secretariat], aimed at building capacity for indigenous and local communities with the view to support and strengthen sustainable tourism initiatives through the use of new information and web-based technologies. It is a complement to the Indigenous Communities, Tourism and Biodiversity Workshop Series in which indigenous and local communities from each region are developing their own web based tools and methods with a view to improving their websites and their capacity to reflect traditional ways in conserving indigenous land, and to allow potential visitors and clients to learn about indigenous practices and cultures.

Planeta.com hosts a number of awards aimed at improving the quality of communication about responsible travel and ecotourism. Coverage of indigenous people and tourism are highlighted in the regional guides.

Information collected in all stages will help update the Planeta.com and the SCBD websites.

The Indigenous Tourism Website Award can be used as a catalyst to improve collaboration among operations around the world. Applicants should consider adding links to one another. Here's a message we received from one of the nominees: "It will be interesting for us to see who just sees us as competition for this award and who has the vision to recognize it as a great opportunity to further grow a business community and contacts. For us it certainly is more than just an award but when looking at other applicants websites, it makes us want to experience what other indigenous tourism have to offer."

Eligibility
Tourism services owned and operated by indigenous people and communities are eligible for the Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award. We prefer to receive applications from operations that have been in business for at least three full years.

The Award
• Two awards will be given - one from a popular count and one from a jury. All of the nominees will be given the proper kudos and recognition. • The winning website will be showcased during a press conference at the [|Reisepavillion - International Fair for Alternative Travel], in Munich, Germany at the end of February. • The winning websites will be featured on the Planeta.com and the CBD websites.

Sponsor
The Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award is sponsored by the Spanish Government for the [|Traditional Knowledge and Article 8(j)] programme of the SCBD.

media type="custom" key="2723353"Criteria
The Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award represents an opportunity for indigenous people and communities to improve their websites. Among the criteria for selection, the website should ...
 * be regularly updated
 * link to other relevant sites
 * reflect indigenous ownership, authenticity and heritage
 * encourage sustainable livelihoods, respect of life on earth
 * be user-friendly
 * be trustworthy
 * provide clear contextual information
 * have text in English
 * add the award [|logo]

Bonus points to applicants making the most of Web 2.0 channels, including Blogs, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. If you have these services or an RSS feed, let us know!

Winning Tips
Indigenous tourism websites are advised to:

1) Create an informative, content-rich website that provides detailed information for visitors seeking eco-friendly, people-friendly and place-friendly travel.

2) Link the tourism products presented in the website to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and to the fair and equitable distribution of benefits arising from the use of biological resources.

3) Integrate indigenous language and culture into your site

4) Integrate biodiversity as part of the product and message

5) Use a few Web 2.0 tools

6) Exchange lessons learned in setting up and managing your website

7) Add the award [|logo] with link on your website.

Jury
A jury will review the nominees, confirm the finalists and to vote for the winning website. Judges will not be eligible to win the award themselves and should have knowledge of web technology, tourism and indigenous issues.

Judges will be asked to help promote the award, review the nominees in order to make a final selection of contenders for both juried and public voting. In 2009 the judges will be asked to cast their vote.

Lois Peeler is an Aboriginal woman from Australia's Yorta Yorta tribe. Lois lives in Melbourne. Her involvement in the Australian Indigenous tourism industry spans more than fifteen years and she is co-author of the Respecting Our Culture Indigenous Tourism Certification Program.
 * Jurors**

[|Sylvie Blangy] is a European scholar who has worked with Canadian Inuit and Cree communities. She completed her PhD on Ecotourism, indigenous communities, land management and conservation of biodiversity and has published a guide book on Indigenous tourism in French.

[|Deborah McLaren] is a sustainable tourism consultant based in Minnesota where she assisted the start-up of a Journeys with First Nations Green Route initiative with tribal communities. She is the former director of Indigenous Tourism Rights International (ITRI), has served as a consultant with the UNDP, Government of Bhutan and several foundations.

John Scott is a descendant of the Iningai people of central Queensland, Australia (Barcaldine area) and since 2004 has served as the Programme Officer for Traditional Knowledge for the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

Planeta.com
[|Planeta.com] is an award-winning website that presents articles and discussion about the environment and travel. The site debuted in 1994. Travelers will find tips on choosing eco-friendly, people-friendly and place-friendly trips. Professionals will find a number of helpful resources, including the [|Exploring Ecotourism Resource Guide].

Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
The Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award is part of a larger initiative by the [|Secretariat], aimed at building capacity for indigenous and local communities with the view to support and strengthen sustainable tourism initiatives through the use of new information and web-based technologies. It is a complement to the Indigenous Communities, Tourism and Biodiversity Workshop Series: New Information and Web-based Technologies that started in Quebec, Canada in 2007, with a focus on the Arctic Region, and will continue in the Pacific in November 2008, Latin America in 2009 and Africa in 2010.

Throughout the workshops, indigenous and local communities from each region are developing their own web based tools and methods with a view to improving their websites and their capacity to reflect traditional ways in conserving indigenous land, and to allow potential visitors and clients to learn about indigenous practices and cultures.

Process
Anyone could nominate an indigenous sustainable tourism website. We wanted to hear from indigenous and local communities who have lessons to share on how their websites promote ecotourism, biodiversity and sustainable tourism. Eco travelers who have found helpful websites may also nominate their favorite site.
 * STEP 1: Nominating Websites**

The application asks what information the website includes, particularly the practical information for travelers about indigenous ecotourism, sustainable practices and biodiversity. For example, we ask whether the site includes details about the communities’ traditions, protected areas and practical details. Does the site include exterior links to local indigenous and community businesses and conservation groups? Does the site highlight indigenous or aboriginal tourism options?
 * STEP 2: Choosing nominees**

The qualifying sites were asked if they are wanted to participate. Nominees are asked to include a link to the ITBW Award and the logo on their website.

Voting took place from January 20-February 20, 2009. Respondents were asked to rate how user-friendly the site appeared to them. They were also asked to evaluate how well the site reflects indigenous ownership, authenticity and heritage, how well the site encourages respect of life on earth. Multiple votes were not permitted. Honesty counts! The decision of the judging panel and popular vote is final.
 * STEP 3: Voting**

The winner of the Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award will be announced online and showcased at the [|Reisepavillion - International Fair for Alternative Travel], in Munich, Germany.
 * STEP 4: Announcing the winner**

media type="custom" key="2948763"Kudos
We extend our thanks to individuals and institutions for their support and encouragement as we have developed the Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award: http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1132089.php http://ecoturismogenuino.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=2236176%3ATopic%3A5161 http://www.s8.createphpbb.com/ecotourism/viewtopic.php?t=241 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/green-travel/message/5552 http://nztri.aut.ac.nz/cbdworkshop http://sustainable-tourism.wetpaint.com/page/Indigenous+Tourism+and+Biodiversity+Website+Award http://www.greentraveller.co.uk/node/620 http://www.cbd.int/tourism/wstour-01.shtml http://www.aboriginaltourism.ca/news_009.php http://www.aboriginal-ecotourism.org/spip.php?article589&lang=en http://travelmomma.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/announcing-the-indigenous-tourism-biodiversity-website-awards http://travelmomma.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/application-date-extended-for-indigenous-tourism-and-biodiversity-website-award http://www.indigenoustourism.australia.com/news.asp?lang=EN&sub=0851 http://www.impactalliance.org/ev02.php?ID=46572_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC http://indigenous.developmentgateway.org/Content-item-view.10976+M571b4e3d52b.0.html http://tourism.cbd.int/events.shtml http://tkbulletin.wordpress.com/2009/01/27/announcement-indigenous-tourism-and-biodiversity-website-award http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0903/S00014.htm http://www.australia.to/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6506 http://www.maoritelevision.com/programmes/news/2009-03-04_clip1.htm http://nationtalk.ca/modules/news/article.php?storyid=18219 [|Waiariki MP congratulates local tourism award winner] [|Pachamama (PDF)]

Editing
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/awardsitbw.html http://www.planeta.com/indigenous.html

Stats
This page was viewed 269 times in October and 614 times in November, 1,359 times in December 2008 and 1,223 times in January 2009. As of February 15, 2009 the page has been edited more than 250 times (see [|history]). Links are featured on [|delicious].

Outcomes
The Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award promotes individual operations and puts the work in a regional context. In addition to the edits on this page, the award prompted a number of updates on the following country pages: Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Canada, Ecuador, New Zealand, Samoa, Vanuatu and Zambia. There were also numerous changes on [|Planeta.com].

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Nominee List
Bookabee Tours Chalalán Ecolodge The Great Spirit Circle Trail Guurrbi Tours Huit Huit Tours Indigenous Trails It's Wild! Bush Camps Kapawi Amazon Ecolodge Magic Mara Safaris Nguna - Pele Marine Protected Area Ricancie Sani Lodge Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre TIME Unlimited Tjapukai Aboriginal Culture Park

Comments
Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre ... promotes a cultural experience within the usual skiing holiday experience. Whistler Mountain is situated on Lil'wat territory. It's good to see that the Lil'wat people are being recognized within an international holiday destination setting.

It's Wild! Bush Camps ... reflects the true picture of local tourism deep in the wild, and the proceeds benefits the local community to continue supporting the biodiversity.

Nguna-Pele Marine Protected Area is a classic example of self reliant communities who started off from scratch and have an established an MPA to protect biodiversity while encouraging tourists to support the cause in an innovative way.

Guurrbi Tours - The site is tastefully simple, informative and easy to navigate. I enjoyed the Guurrbi News blog updates, photo galleries, and videos - to learn about Willie and the people he touches. I thought that these tools are being used effectively on the Guurrbi website to share Willie's storytelling experience online.

Bookabee Tours ... clearly explains and supports the running of Cultural Tourism by the Indigenous people of that land who truly understand and respect it. So many options can be followed up on the website, including tours, healthy bush food, training and information sharing.

Bookabee Tours is committed to preserving and passing on our Adnyamathanha language, culture and stories. They are sustaining the local economy and promote and utilise the tireless work of the Local Adnyamathanha peoples. They are a passionate family business and this is evident in their promotional material and their own story telling.

Indigenous Trails ... embodies the Indigenous values and create connections between the Indigenous people of NZ and all their clients. I still live on these personal interactions and experiences. Another fact that I think really speaks for Indigenous Trails is there Volunteer program. Through this program many young people get an unique insight on how the indigenous people in NZ live and work.

Indigenous Trails ... displays current customer feedback from those who have experienced the products. There is a wide range of products available all designed to extend the Indigenous people's cultural perspectives to others.

Indigenous Trails ... The design of web page seems represent well the Maori spiritual and earthy lifestyle projected as part of their tour. Our touring experience with this group was a learning experience with very positive results. Hence this website reminds us of the extra steps taken by this group to make our visit to New Zealand a special and memorable one.

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