Beating Peru, Ecuador, Madagascar and Norway, Chile was recognized by the World Travel Awards as the Best Green Destination in the World, which is added to the awards given as Best Destination, Best Romantic Destination and Best Adventure Tourism Destination in South America.
For the third time in history, Chile was awarded as the Best Green Destination in the World in the 29th version of the World Travel Awards, also known as the “ Tourism Oscar”.
The award, which had already been awarded to our country in 2019 and 2020, recognizes the existence and promotion of nature destinations, and the planning, development and promotion of environmentally responsible and sustainable tourism experiences. Chile on this occasion surpassed Peru, Ecuador, Madagascar and Norway in the category.
With the rise of experience tourism, added to the greater awareness of the damage caused to the planet by human intervention and unfriendly practices with the environment, this award becomes relevant, highlighting the value of initiatives to discover, enjoy and appreciate the ecological, aesthetic and ethical aspects of “green” forms of tourism.
“As a Government we are very happy with this recognition. This reaffirms our commitment to continue developing a green and sustainable tourism industry, promoting rural tourism and experiences that support local communities, that respect the diversity of flora and fauna and that work to preserve the natural heritage of our country”, he assured. Verónica Kunze, Undersecretary of Tourism.
Sustainable tourism development
The authorities emphasize that tourism development must be sustainable and must be based on the protection of natural resources. For this reason, one of the lines of work of the Executive is to support the certification and recertification of companies with the “Sello S” of Sernatur, a distinction in sustainable tourism that guarantees the visitor that tourist accommodation, tour operators and travel agencies comply with global criteria of tourism sustainability, in the socio-cultural, environmental and economic fields.
“Sustainability today is a real and concrete commitment in the country’s tourism strategy, which is why we have been crowned the Best Green Destination in the world WTA It is the result of this joint effort that we have carried out associatively in the sector. Chile not only stands out for its natural attributes, but also for the experience provided by a sustainable offer that has been consolidating for being inclusive, innovative and sustainable”, highlighted the national director(s) of Sernatur, Beatriz Román.
At the private level in the awards, the luxurious hotel Vik, in San Vicente de Tagua Tagua, rose in the leading hotel category in the world in wine region, and the lodge < strong>Explore of the Patagonia National Park, near the Northern Ice Fields in the Aysén region, received the title of the world’s leading sustainable lodge.
The Best Green Destination in the World joins to three other awards given to Chile as a country during 2022; It is the Best Destination, Best Romantic Destination and Best Adventure Tourism Destination, all at the South American level and in total, there are 27 awards granted to our country by the World Travel Awards since 2015.