Three Hawaii tour guides and businesses and a Maui writer were recognized at the Hawaii Ecotourism Association’s annual awards luncheon for their commitment to sustainable travel practices and outstanding efforts in educating Hawaii’s visitors. The May 8 event was held at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel.
Three Hawaii tour guides and businesses and a Maui writer were recognized at the Hawaii Ecotourism Association’s annual awards luncheon for their commitment to sustainable travel practices and outstanding efforts in educating Hawaii’s visitors. The May 8 event was held at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel.
The Ecotour Operator of the Year award went to Hawaii Island’s Philip Ong of Volcano Discovery Tours; Ecotour Guide of the Year to Oahu’s Andy Carre of Kailua Sailboards; Kayaks Ecotour Guide of the Year to Maui’s Joe Imhoff of SkyLine Eco-Adventures; Ecotour Guide of the Year to Hawaii Island’s Arthur Weizchos of Volcano Discovery Tours, and the Travel Writer of the Year award to Paul Wood.
The Ecotour Guide of the Year was a surprise announcement and the highlight of the event. Originally the award was intended to go to one of the three finalists, and to be decided by a public poll. But the Facebook poll intended to determine the winner of this new award unexpectedly went viral, causing the board of directors to make a last-minute decision to honor all three candidates as the respective winners from their islands.
“The creators of the contest were shocked when public enthusiasm for all three candidates ended up having a worldwide reach of over 50,000 people,” said spokeswoman Annette Kaohelaulii. “Thousands of votes were cast worldwide in support of the local tour guides.
“In a surprise twist announced at the luncheon, the board of directors awarded every island its own ecotour guide of the year, making all three candidates a winner. The overall voting race was close, with Andy Carre of Kailua winning by only 22 votes over Maui’s Joe Imhoff. Both nominees were present at the event to accept the awards. Arthur Weizchos of Sky Line Eco-Adventures, the winner for Hawaii Island, will be planting native trees in honor of the close race.”
The Ecotour Operator of theYear Award went to Volcano Discovery of Hawaii Island in large part due to its standing as the highest-scoring business that participated in the pilot Ecotour Operator Certification Program funded by the Hawaii Tourism Authority. HTA awarded $25,000 in additional funding for this project in April to refine the certification program that was developed in 2011 and implement the program permanently in Hawaii’s visitor industry.
This certification process was developed to ensure tour operator and visitor industry accountability for the impact their business may have on the natural resources and to promote sustainable/restorative practices. Tour operators are rated based on sustainable practices, accuracy of information dispersed, cultural and environmental relevance of experience provided to Hawaii’s visitors, among other criteria. After being awarded a gold, silver, bronze certification, tour companies can advertise their certification to let Hawaiis visitors know which tour companies are committed to protecting Hawaiis cultural and natural resources and educating Hawaiis visitors above all else.
“Hawaii Ecotourism Association’s mission is to educate residents and visitors about benefits of ecotourism, which in part is preserving the uniqueness of Native Hawaiian ecosystems and Native Hawaiian culture and celebrating how the two are inextricably interconnected,” said Kaohelaulii.
Hawaii Ecotourism Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect Hawaii’s unique environment and culture through the promotion of responsible travel and educational programs aimed at the public and visitor industry relating to ecotourism issues. Visit www.hawaiiecotourism.org.