Cited for excellence in both service and marketing, The Boat Company, a luxury eco-cruise line specializing in Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest adventures, is the honored recipient of three 2011 Magellan Awards. Sponsored by Travel Weekly, the leading publication of the travel industry, the Magellan Awards are recognized as the premier awards in travel.

Ecoventura has announced a 2012 scholarship program for local students from the islands of Isabela, San Cristobal and Santa Cruz to study conservation and ecology-related issues. The company has pledged up to $4,800 to cover the cost of 12 scholarships for one course/module for 2012. Guests aboard Ecoventura’s fleet will be invited to donate to the scholarship fund that is dedicated to training young people to become leaders in society and contribute to the sustainable development of the Galapagos islands, a World Heritage Site.

Mynatour ecotourism community, sponsored by WHL.travel, is launching the Ecotourism Travel Blog Contest, an innovative competition inviting travelers to share their travel blog in order to promote green travel and ecotourism best practices. The idea of the contest is to promote ecotourism and responsible tourism through a travel blog competition where the audience is involved in electing the best ecotourism story.

Situated in the heart of Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia, EcoCamp Patagonia has gained an award-winning reputation for its eco-friendly policies and innovative use of green technology. EcoCamp Patagonia, owned and operated by the Chilean in-bound tour operator Cascada Expediciones, is carbon neutral, 100% renewable energy, and carefully designed to minimize environmental footprint. EcoCamp’s dome design was inspired by the ancient nomadic Kaweskar inhabitants, who relocated within the park without leaving a trace.

By Melissa Lim

The quality of life of our future generation lies in our actions today. Borneo Eco Tours, through its work with the Borneo Ecotourism Solutions & Technologies (BEST) Society, has always put effort in not just promoting the conservation of Sabah’s mega biodiversity to tourists, but also in nurturing the young generation of the “River people” (Orang Sungai) of Kinabatangan emphasizing the importance of forest-regeneration and its impact on the biodiversity of flora and fauna in the Kinabatangan flood plan.

At the end of 2010, CABI published the world’s first book on Conservation Tourism. The book was written by Professor Ralf Buckley and his colleagues at the International Centre for Ecotourism Research in Griffith University, Australia. Featuring 100 international case studies from private marine reserves to bird watching lodges, this book covers key topics including sources of capital and operational funding, corporate and organizational structure, marketing strategies, primary conservation outcomes and spin-off effects, links to public protected areas, future plans and global trends.

Consrocio Dominicano de Competitividad Turistica (CDCT) works as a consortium Tourism Clusters throughout the Dominican Republic – with nine established clusters and four emerging clusters connecting over 180 NGOs and private-public institutions, as well as over 1,500 small and medium-sized tourism enterprises across the country. Through this cluster model, CDCT aims to promote the competitiveness and sustainability of the Dominican tourism industry, as well as increasing local community participation and public-private partnerships.

By Pål K. Medhus

Høve Støtt’s main target is to create new standards in the production of experiences, at the peak of Norwegian tourism. To achieve this, we work constantly on developing authentic Norwegian ecotourism experiences. We always strive to achieve more, and we’re always hungry for knowledge. By engaging the local forces, we wish to show the culture and history that has made Geilo what it is today.

By Hannah Wood

The site is officially named Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp, but the locals call it Hondo Hondo which translates to “hornbill” in Swahili; the camp is a favoured nesting spot for these birds. Due to the high biodiversity and fascinating ecological features of the park, we proved popular with school and university trips. Soon the camp was full of students from Germany, the UK, Uganda and Tanzania, to name a few.

By Neil Rogers

As a past advisor to Sweden’s Ecotourism Quality Label Nature’s Best, and as current advisor to VisitSápmi and the Quality Label for Sámi indigenous tourism, I’ve seen many positive changes over the years yet much remains to be done. Sweden and Norway have world-class assets for outdoor and experiential travel, and have enviable reputations for image, safety, security, health, hard and soft infrastructure. The question is how to make more of this competitive advantage so that small-scale entrepreneurs can thrive.