North Sailing is finalist of prestigious World Responsible Tourism Award
North Sailing Husavik has been selected as a finalist by the World Responsible Tourism Awards at WTM 2015 in the category of “Best Carbon Reduction Innovation.” North Sailing is nominated for innovating electric hybrid technology for use in sailing vessels. On July 12th the world’s first zero-carbon whale-watching cruise set sail aboard Opal, a newly transformed electrically powered schooner. North Sailing is the only Icelandic finalist on the awards list.
“North Sailing’s goal is to minimize greenhouse gas emissions from its operation and educate others on sustainable tourism practices,” says Arni Sigurbjarnason, a founding partner of North Sailing. “If the project goes well, we plan to transform the entire North Sailing fleet into electric ships, so we can minimize disturbance to the whales and provide a more intimate experience for whale-watching passengers.”
The World Responsible Tourism Awards at WTM
After intense debate by the judging panel, 37 organizations have been chosen across 12 categories, recognizing achievements from animal welfare campaigns to accessible tourism practices.
Professor Harold Goodwin, chair of the Awards’ judging panel noted that 2015 has revealed some of the strongest entries ever received by the Awards team, “Our aim is to surprise and inspire, but the standard is rising, and we have to keep pushing up our expectations of our winners.”
Simon Press, Senior Director for World Travel Market London says, “The judging for this year’s World Responsible Tourism Awards at WTM has been the most competitive for many years. I am delighted with the quality and the diversity of the finalists.”
The awards will be presented at World Travel Market London on World Responsible Tourism Day, Wednesday November 4th. The list of finalists can be found on the World Responsible Tourism Awards at WTM website: http://www.responsibletravel.com/awards/media/press-release-2015-finalists.htm
