Discover TO DO! Awards and its 3 fantastic winners in Nepal, Sweden and Uzbekistan

ITB Berlin is hosting an award ceremony for the winners of this year’s TO DO! Awards which takes place on the Green stage in Hall 3.1 at 2pm today.

Every year, some of the world’s most inspiring tourism NGOs are presented with the prestigious award, bestowed by Germany’s Institute for Tourism and Development (Studienkreis für Tourismus und Entwicklung). The initiative has been helping local communities to have a say in tourism projects, products and services since 1995.

Two joint winners were announced in February including Sweden’s Nutti Sámi Siida project and Uzbekistan’s Nuratau Community Based Tourism Project. They join this year’s winner of the TO DO! Human Rights in Tourism Award – the Sasane Sisterhood in Nepal.

Nutti Sámi Siida, Sweden
For thousands of years, the indigenous Sámi have lived with their reindeer in northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Following several harsh winters in the late 1990s, the Sámi couldn’t find enough food and looked for ways to protect their traditions in the face of climate change. Now they do this by inviting hotel guests to see their reindeer and culture.

Nuratau Community Based Tourism Project, Uzbekistan
In the early 2000s, German filmmaker Henry Mix launched a sustainable tourism project in remote villages of the Nuratau mountains. His objective was to create alternative sources of income for villagers living on subsistence farming after the collapse of the Soviet Union. High growth rates in tourist arrivals has since enabled participating villages to reinvest in houses, education and social projects like water supply and school refurbishments.

Sasane Sisterhood, Nepal
Women from underprivileged groups in Kathmandu are trained as tour guides to encourage economic independence and empowerment and combat human trafficking, domestic gender-specific violence, and child marriage.

TO DO! Award Ceremony
2:00-2:45 pm today
Location: Hall 3.1 / Green Stage

PHOTO: Mountains in Uzbekistan | © Salohiddin Kamolov – unsplash