During the November 14th Responsible Tourism day held in the World Travel Mart in London, ATTA Member Explorandes won the award for "Best Tour Operator in a Mountain Environment", for developing home-stay accommodation with real volume, livelihood activities and kayaking, through a partnership with a group of thirty families at Llachon on the shore of Lake Titicaca. This same project was highlighted by Alfredo Ferreyos during the 2007 Adventure Travel World Summit during the Kaleidoscope program highlighting community-based tourism projects.
WTM World Responsible Tourism Day is a day dedicated to highlighting the importance of protecting environments, respecting local cultures, benefiting local communities, conserving natural resources and minimizing pollution. Specifically, the awards program – organized by online travel directory responsibletravel.com in association with World Travel Market, The Times and Geographical Magazine – recognizes companies and organizations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to responsible tourism.
The Awards ask an anonymous panel to nominate those tourism ventures that they feel provide outstanding holidays that also benefit local people and the destination. This year, over 1,700 nominations were received. More details about the program are available at World Travel Mart.