WellingtonNZ.com,
New Zealand 

YHA Wellington City has been shortlisted in the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2009, organised by responsibletravel.com.

Launched in 2004, the awards aim to celebrate individuals, companies and organisations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to the culture and economies of local communities, and are providing a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation.

The shortlist was selected by a panel of 13 judges at a recent judging day held at The Royal Geographical Society in London. Dr. Harold Goodwin, Chair of the Judges and Professor of Responsible Tourism Management at Leeds Metropolitan University, said judges were impressed by the willingness of so many organisations to take responsibility and to do what they can to help make better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.

"This year over 140 submitted detailed responses to our questionnaire and we received hundreds of references.

“Despite the economic difficulties being faced by the travel and tourism industry, responsible tourism continues to move ahead and I’m continually impressed as more is achieved by more people. As judges we are all very aware of the great work that is being done by so many and our decisions are often very difficult and sometimes long debated. I am pleased to say that we have worthy winners in all categories – for more detail you’ll need to wait on the announcements on Wednesday 11th November."

Chris Sperring, Manager of YHA Wellington City, is naturally delighted with making the shortlist.

“Our success as a responsible tourism operator began years ago when we made the initial commitment to look for improvements in the way we did business. In some ways the large projects like our heat exchanger are the easiest. Once they’re installed they just work. The hard work is in getting every staff member to think as a responsible tourism operator. When we create an atmosphere where working here is more than just a job, that’s when we do the most for our staff, guests and the environment.

Founded by responsibletravel.com, the awards are run in association with headline sponsor Virgin Holidays and partners World Travel Market, The Daily Telegraph and Geographical Magazine.

The awards presentation will be held as part of World Responsible Tourism Day at the World Travel Market in London, on Wednesday 11 November where the winners in all 13 categories will be announced.

Notes to editors:

YHA Wellington City is the largest hostel in the YHA New Zealand network of 53 youth hostels. It is a Qualmark 5 star property with Qualmark Enviro Gold accreditation. It is also a multi award winner in the New Zealand Sustainable Business Network awards and two time winner of the Hostelworld best hostel in Oceania award.

YHA New Zealand has a long term commitment to fostering understanding and care of the environment and cultures through travel. It has been an accommodation sector leader in adopting a practical approach to reducing its impact on the environment, through waste management and a careful examination and reduction in energy and water consumption.

For interviews, images or further information please contact:

Chris Sperring
Hostel Manager, YHA Wellington City
Phone +64 (0) 4 801 7280
Mobile + 64 021 141 3757
Email chris.sperring@yha.co.nz