Virgin Holiday Award

BOOGIE PILGRIM has been highly commended in the Tour Operator category at Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2008 organised by responsibletravel.com.

At a ceremony hosted at World Travel Market (WTM), Docklands, London, on Wednesday 12th November 2008, the Awards were handed out by Justin Francis, managing director of responsibletravel.com, by organisers and founders of the Awards, and by Amanda Wills, managing director of Virgin Holidays, headline sponsor of the Awards.

The judges said:
“The leading Responsible Tourism inbound operator in Madagascar, BOOGIE PILGRIM, has demonstrated over the last ten years  the difference that tourism can make to conservation and the livelihoods of local communities through employment and local sourcing of goods and services.”

Sonja Ranarivelo, Boogie Pilgrim's Manager declared:
Our company has been setting sustainable objectives for 20 years. This award is an international recognition of our efforts and an encouragement to continue to apply responsible tourism practices. The RTA shows that Responsible Tourism can be applied in Madagascar and that can be an option for tourism development in this country.

Justin Francis, founder of The Responsible Tourism Awards and managing director of responsibletravel.com, organisers of the Awards, said:
“In this, the fifth year of the Awards, the bar has been raised for responsible tourism yet again. What inspires me is the efforts that businesses and destinations are making in order to ensure that responsible tourism lies at the heart of their strategies and plans. Without a doubt, this is the only way to plan for the future - responsible travel is not a passing fad or a niche travel trend for marketing purposes. It is an entire, holistic approach to tourism operations."

Amanda Wills, managing director of Virgin Holidays, headline sponsor of the Awards, said:
“As headline sponsor for a second year, I have been both moved and inspired by the winners this year. Certainly there is much to learn from them, and it was a privilege to recognise and celebrate their efforts in this arena. It’s in the doing not the saying that we as an industry will make a difference, the winners lead the way.”

Launched in 2004, the Awards are run in association with partners World Travel Market, The Daily Telegraph, Geographical Magazine and BBC World News.

To browse the Responsible Tourism Awards magazine, r:travel, see www.responsibletravel.com/rtravel2008

For a full list of finalists, see www.responsibletourismawards.com/