News Release
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Botswana Tourism Wins WTTC Tourism For Tomorrow 2010 Destination Stewardship Award
The Okavango Delta Ramsar Site recognized for excellence in sustainable and equitable tourism policy and practices
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ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND (May 27, 2010) – Botswana Tourism has won the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Tourism for Tomorrow 2010 Award for Destination Stewardship of the Okavango Delta Ramsar Site (ODRS). The Okavango Delta is a unique 55,374 km2 water- and game-rich area within Botswana's desert environment, encompassing the Tsodilo Hills (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Moremi Game Reserve, Wildlife Management Areas and community lands.
An international team of independent judges awarded Botswana Tourism the Destination Stewardship 2010 Award in recognition for having successfully demonstrated sustainable tourism practices, including the protection of natural and cultural heritage, social and economic benefits to local people, and environmentally friendly operations.
“On behalf of the people of Botswana, people of the Okavango Delta, business operators of the Okavango Delta, we are very honored to be receiving this prestigious award,” states Honourable Minister Onkokame Kitso Mokaila, Botswana’s Minister of Environment, Wildlife & Tourism.
This award validates the efforts of the Okavango Delta Management Plan (ODMP) to provide a “carefully managed, well-functioning ecosystem that equitably and sustainably provides benefits for local, national and international stakeholders." Botswana Tourism Organization plays a critical oversight and management role to ensure the unique partnerships between government, the private sector and local communities within the ODMP, and furthermore carry out Botswana’s sustainable tourism vision for lower-impact and higher-tariff tourism.
Keywords: Botswana, Okavango Delta, Botswana Tourism, Ramsar Convention, WTTC, World Travel & Tourism Council, Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
ABOUT THE BOTSWANA TOURISM ORGANIZATION
The Botswana Tourism Organization (formerly named Botswana Tourism Board), operational since 2006, is a parastatal body set up through an Act of Parliament with the mandate to: Market the Botswana Tourist Product, Grade and Classify tourist accommodation facilities, and Promote Investment in the Tourism sector. Partner Concepts is Botswana Tourism’s appointed international marketing representative for the North American source market.
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