Govardhan Eco Village walked away with the top honours at the annual United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Awards for Excellence and Innovation in tourism presented in Madrid, the capital of Spain recently.
Gauranga Das, director of Govardhan Eco Village said, “In its biggest international recognition to date, Govardhan Eco Village won the UNWTO award for innovation in non-governmental organisations, the highest honour given to NGOs for shaping global tourism through sustainable innovative initiatives.”
H H Radhanath Swami Maharaj, founder of Govardhan Eco Village said, “GEV has received this award for its path-breaking initiative of ‘Eco Tourism as a catalyst for Rural Development’ in Wada, Maharashtra. The project has successfully linked the Tourism initiatives at GEV with providing a sustainable life to the local tribal communities in the villages, thereby creating a model for empowerment and development of the local tribal people in the area.”
The awards recognise excellence and innovation in tourism in four categories: Public Policy and Governance; Enterprises; Non-Governmental Organisations and Research and Technology.
Radhanath Swamiji further added, “Govardhan Eco Village faced tough competition from other international contenders in the non-governmental organisations category. The 12 finalists were selected among 139 applicants from 55 countries. Initiatives from Belgium, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, India, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain compile the list of final candidatures. The winners were announced yesterday at the UNWTO Awards Ceremony, organized for the fourth consecutive year in collaboration with Madrid International Tourism Fair (FITUR / IFEMA)”
